Transmission and Masculinity between Ancient Mesopotamian, Greek, and Hebrew Literary Traditions

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Description

Daniel Bodi explores the literary themes, motifs, expressions, social institutions, value systems, and worldviews common to the Hebrew Bible, Amorite semi-nomads from Mari on the Euphrates in Northern Syria, and classical Greek Homeric epics.

While a common Mediterranean background of several shared features between these cultural and literary traditions is often recognized, the vectors and means of their transmission and adaptation have remained elusive. Combining literary analysis with contemporary interest in gender studies, Bodi examines the reoccurring motif of masculinity in ancient literature, exploring the presupposition of a warrior's virility, bravura, and courage while also drawing attention to examples of dynamic relationships with female characters.

List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. “Be a Man!” in Amorite Mari, the Hebrew Bible, and the Homeric Epic Iliad
2. King David and His Wives in Light of Amorite Matrimonial Practices
3. The Four Wives of King David and the Four Women of Odysseus-Comparisons and Contrasts
4. A Brief Account of the History of Mari
5. The Amorite and Hebrew Tribes
6. Acts of Derision in the Stream of Tradition: Mockery and Scatological Pranks from Sumer to Athens
7. The Dating of the Legendary Homer
8. To Make Oneself a Name in the Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible, and Greek Antiquity
9. The Stories of King David and His Wives as a Hebrew Version of the Advice to a Prince
Conclusion
Bibliography

Product details

Published	12 Nov 2026
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Pages	368
ISBN	9781666979138
Imprint	Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions	229 x 152 mm
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

This book bears witness to Daniel Bodi's mastery of the material and to his profound knowledge of the cultures reflected in these texts, as well as of the intercultural relationships that connect them. It offers a substantial contribution to the study of cultural and intercultural transmission, encompassing not only literary traditions but also the transmission of ideas, and provides a compelling illustration of the “stream of tradition” as conceptualized by A. Leo Oppenheim.

Equally noteworthy is the author's treatment of gender. Rather than adopting programmatic or purely theoretical approaches, he grounds his analysis in historically attested phenomena, examined through a careful comparative framework. In doing so, he avoids reductive generalizations and offers a nuanced perspective that serves as a much-needed corrective to current scholarly discourse.

Takayoshi Oshima, Leipzig University, Germany