Frontmatter

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Acknowledgments xi
4. List of Illustrations xiii
5. 1. Introduction 1
6. 2. The Need for a Reception Historical Approach 4
7. 3. Monster Theory and the Beasts 13
8. 4. Leviathan’s Ancestry.com 32
9. 5. The Israelite Reconfiguration of the Canaanite Combat Myth: Leviathan 46
10. 6. Intimations of a Monster in the Bible 57
11. 7. Leviathan Gets a Side-Kick: Behemoth 84
12. 8. The Beasts Become God’s Enemy Again and the Epitome of Evil 90
13. 9. The Nodal Nuances of Negativity within Christianity 104
14. 10. Is It Roast Beast or a Meal for the Beast? Culinary Interpretations 124
15. 11. A Whale of a Tale: Jonah’s Dag as Leviathan and Its Reception 146
16. 12. The Beasts as (De‐)Stabilizers: The Axis Mundi Tradition 163
17. 13. From Fable to Fauna: The Monsters Become Natural Animals 183
18. 14. Return of the Repressed: “Romantic” Perspectives 236
19. 15. Taming the Beast: Conclusions 252
20. Works Cited 256
21. Subject Index 278
22. Ancient Citations Index 284