War and Ethics in the Ancient Near East
-
C. L. Crouch
About this book
The monograph considers the relationships of ethical systems in the ancient Near East through a study of warfare in Judah, Israel and Assyria in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE. It argues that a common cosmological and ideological outlook generated similarities in ethical thinking.
In all three societies, the mythological traditions surrounding creation reflect a strong connection between war, kingship and the establishment of order. Human kings’ military activities are legitimated through their identification with this cosmic struggle against chaos, begun by the divine king at creation. Military violence is thereby cast not only as morally tolerable but as morally imperative.
Deviations from this point of view reflect two phenomena: the preservation of variable social perspectives and the impact of historical changes on ethical thinking.
The research begins the discussion of ancient Near Eastern ethics outside of Israel and Judah and fills a scholarly void by placing Israelite and Judahite ethics within this context, as well as contributing methodologically to future research in historical and comparative ethics.
Author / Editor information
Carly L. Crouch, University of Cambridge.
Topics
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
i |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
ix |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
1 |
|
Part I Ideology, cosmology and ethics
|
|
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
13 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
21 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
29 |
|
Part II Ethics and society
|
|
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
33 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
65 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
97 |
|
Part III Ethics and history
|
|
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
117 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
156 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
174 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
191 |
|
Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
197 |
-
Manufacturer information:
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Genthiner Straße 13
10785 Berlin
productsafety@degruyterbrill.com
