Mark S. Smith

Ugaritic studies and Israelite religion: A retrospective view

The author surveys the field of Ugaritic studies in the twentieth century, outlining the development of new scholarly interests and approaches as well as their attendant difficulties, especially in the study of religion, one of the fields that captivated W. F. Albrights interest.

The death of “dying and rising gods” in the biblical world: An update, with special reference to Baal in the Baal cycle

Abstract This essay examines the background and current status of the question of the category of “dying and rising gods” in biblical and ancient Middle Eastern research. A survey of the data confirms many older objections raised against the category, all the while recognizing the concern for fertility represented by many of the figures subsumed under the category. Baal of Ugarit provides an important test case for this category, as new ritual information in the form of KTU 1.161 (RS 34.126) shows clear correspondences with language and imagery associated with Baals death in the Baal Cycle. The correspondences demonstrate not a ritual background to Baals death and return to life in the cycle, but a literary borrowing of such language from the cult of deceased kings and ancestors.

Converted and Unconverted Perfect and Imperfect Forms in the Literature of Qumran

This article presents data on converted and unconverted perfect and imperfect forms with prefixed waw from some major sectarian works of the literature of Qumran to test some of the common views of the verbal system in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The data present some distinctive distributions of verbal forms with prefixed waw and indicate that converted forms are more prevalent in the literature of Qumran than common scholarly characterizations suggest. Differences between the Temple Scroll and the other texts examined suggest that the process of displacement of the converted imperfect by other forms took place over a long period and at different rates. Thus, the verbal forms in the Qumran literature suggest a continuation of converted forms and not a simple unilinear development to the lack of a system of converted tenses in Mishnaic Hebrew.

The Psalms as a Book for Pilgrims

Through their psalms, the pilgrims of ancient Israel created a view of the world and of God that today remains central to the faith and life of the church.

The Contribution of Frank Moore Cross to Ugaritic Studies

This essay examines Crosss use of Ugaritic in five areas of research: philology, names of alphabet letters, poetry, myth, and religious worldview. Some reflections are offered more broadly on his theorizing and method.

Ugaritic Studies and the Hebrew Bible, 1968-1998 (with an Excursus on Judean Monotheism and the Ugaritic Texts)

This chapter offers a synopsis of the major texts and tools as well as intellectual topics and trends that have dominated the field of Ugaritic-biblical studies since 1968. After a spurt in the mid-1980s, the role played by Ugaritic in the study of the Hebrew Bible as literature had largely faded, and those who persisted, labored largely in obscurity from the perspective of the biblical field. In order to illustrate the ongoing help which the Ugaritic texts give to biblical studies, the chapter takes the issue of Judean monotheism and the Ugaritic texts. To turn to the future, one may hope with good reason that Ugaritic studies has a great many more contributions to make, both for biblical studies and for the understanding of Late Bronze Age Syria. The field of Ugaritic will prosper despite the increasing lack of historical study in the biblical field. Keywords: Hebrew Bible; Judean monotheism; Late Bronze Age Syria; Ugaritic studies; Ugaritic texts

The Pilgrimage Pattern in Exodus

Underlying Exodus in its priestly redaction is a pilgrimage. Smiths new book starts by reviewing pilgrimage shrines, feasts and practices in ancient Israel. Next, it examines the two pilgrimage journeys in Exodus. In Exodus 1-15 Moses journeys to Mount Sinai, experiences God and receives his commission. In Exodus 16-40, Moses and the people together journey to Mount Sinai for the peoples experience of God and their commission. Between lies Exodus 15, the fulcrum-point of the book: vv. 1-12 look back and vv. 13-18 look forward to Israels journey to Sinai. Finally, the different meanings of torah in the book of Exodus are contrasted, and the book concludes with a consideration of Exoduss larger place in the Pentateuch.