The marzēaḥ in the Prophetic Literature

The marzēaḥ existed for 3000 years in the Semitic world, but is only mentioned in the First Testament at Amos 6:7 and Jer 16:5. Other prophetic texts have been proposed as allusions that do not use the term, but without using any consistent criteria. This study analyzes those allusions in light of the extra-biblical references.
The extra-biblical marzēaḥ references indicate three consistent features: upper-class drinking within a religious context. These elements provide the minimum criteria for evaluating possible allusions in the books of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Ezekiel, plus the direct references at Amos 6:7 and Jeremiah 16:5.
Combining all known references with the biblical allusions provides a single point of reference for future work on the marzēaḥ. This volume will be of special value to those interested in ancient Semitic religion.

John L. McLaughlin, Ph.D. (1998), The University of St. Michael's College, is Assistant Professor at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the Wheeling Jesuit University.