The Uses of a Babylonian Story of Suffering
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Location
Biology Building, Room 101
Start Date
11-10-2018 6:00 PM
End Date
11-10-2018 7:00 PM
Description
Ludlul bēl nēmeqi, a Babylonian poem written during the late second millennium BCE, presents a first person, retrospective account of the suffering and deliverance of a man named Shubshi-meshre-Shakkan. Marduk, the Babylonian high god, becomes angry with this man and subjects him to tremendous suffering in the form of social alienation and physical affliction. The man laments his condition extensively and doubts the justice of the gods. Eventually, after a series of dreams, Marduk has mercy on him and restores his physical well-being and social standing. Despite his suffering, the protagonist never repudiates Marduk. Rather, he praises the deity throughout and presents himself as an example of pious patience. See https://tinyurl.com/y9hnocou for my translation. In this talk, I argue that several later Babylonian texts used this story as a model to describe and interpret the unfortunate circumstances of others. One text is a letter from a scholar to his king. Another is a royal inscription written by a scribe for the Babylonian king Nabonidus. The final text is a personal lament from the last great Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal. This literary history exemplifies a broad theme in the use of narrative. Just as we cry out when physical pain unmakes our bodies, we are also driven to cry out in emotional distress and intellectual confusion as that pain unmakes our view of the world. To those in the midst of suffering, a culturally significant or authoritative narrative (such as Ludlul in Babylonia or the biblical book of Job in Christian communities) provides a model for interpreting such experiences and a hope of overcoming them.
The Uses of a Babylonian Story of Suffering
Biology Building, Room 101
Ludlul bēl nēmeqi, a Babylonian poem written during the late second millennium BCE, presents a first person, retrospective account of the suffering and deliverance of a man named Shubshi-meshre-Shakkan. Marduk, the Babylonian high god, becomes angry with this man and subjects him to tremendous suffering in the form of social alienation and physical affliction. The man laments his condition extensively and doubts the justice of the gods. Eventually, after a series of dreams, Marduk has mercy on him and restores his physical well-being and social standing. Despite his suffering, the protagonist never repudiates Marduk. Rather, he praises the deity throughout and presents himself as an example of pious patience. See https://tinyurl.com/y9hnocou for my translation. In this talk, I argue that several later Babylonian texts used this story as a model to describe and interpret the unfortunate circumstances of others. One text is a letter from a scholar to his king. Another is a royal inscription written by a scribe for the Babylonian king Nabonidus. The final text is a personal lament from the last great Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal. This literary history exemplifies a broad theme in the use of narrative. Just as we cry out when physical pain unmakes our bodies, we are also driven to cry out in emotional distress and intellectual confusion as that pain unmakes our view of the world. To those in the midst of suffering, a culturally significant or authoritative narrative (such as Ludlul in Babylonia or the biblical book of Job in Christian communities) provides a model for interpreting such experiences and a hope of overcoming them.
Speaker Bio
Alan Lenzi, professor of Religious Studies, earned a Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Brandeis University in 2006. He works on the religious traditions of Babylon, Assyria, and Israel. He is the author or editor of five books, including a text edition of Ludlul, and nearly thirty articles. Currently, he is writing Suffering in Babylon: Reading the Babylonian “Job” and preparing a volume of Babylonian prayers in translation. His Survey of Akkadian Literature is under review at a major university press. Professor Lenzi has taught at Pacific since 2006.