Homer's Odyssey and the Near EastThe Odyssey's larger plot is composed of a number of distinct genres of myth, all of which are extant in various Near Eastern cultures (Mesopotamian, West Semitic, and Egyptian). Unexpectedly, the Near Eastern culture with which the Odyssey has the most parallels is the Old Testament. Consideration of how much of the Odyssey focuses on non-heroic episodes - hosts receiving guests, a king disguised as a beggar, recognition scenes between long-separated family members - reaffirms the Odyssey's parallels with the Bible. In particular the book argues that the Odyssey is in a dialogic relationship with Genesis, which features the same three types of myth that comprise the majority of the Odyssey: theoxeny, romance (Joseph in Egypt), and Argonautic myth (Jacob winning Rachel from Laban). The Odyssey also offers intriguing parallels to the Book of Jonah, and Odysseus' treatment by the suitors offers close parallels to the Gospels' depiction of Christ in Jerusalem. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 16 | |
chapter 2 Theoxeny | 30 |
chapter 3 Romance | 57 |
chapter 4 Odyssey 4 | 105 |
chapter 5 Odyssey 5 | 124 |
chapter 6 Odyssey 68 1012 131187 Genesis 2833 Argonautic myth | 135 |
chapter 7 Odysseus and Jonah | 164 |
Odysseus and Moses | 222 |
chapter 11 The suitors and the depiction of impious men in wisdom literature | 244 |
chapter 12 Odysseus and Jesus | 258 |
chapter 13 Contained apocalypse | 283 |
Conclusion | 314 |
Bibliography | 330 |
| 345 | |
| 353 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Aaron Aeneas Aeneid Aietes Akhilleus apocalypse apocalyptic destruction Argo Argonautic myth Athena Baucis and Philemon Book brothers cattle Chapter Christ contained apocalypse crew culture death depict discussion disguised Odysseus divine council divine wrath earlier Eastern Egypt encounter Enkidu episode Eumaios Eurykleia Eurylochos Exod Exodus 32 Genesis 19 genre of myth Gilgamesh goddess gods Greek myth guest Hades Helios Herakles Hermes hero heroic Heubeck Homeric epic hospitality Humbaba Iliad instance Ishtar Israelites Ithaka Jacob Jason Jonah Jong Joseph kaª Kalypso Kirke Laban Laertes Louden Luke Matt Medea Menelaus monster mortals Moses motif mythic type narrative Nausikaa negative theoxeny notes Odysseus Odyssey’s offers Ogygia passages Penelope Phaiakians Phoenician Plato’s Polyphêmos Poseidon prophecy prophet protagonist Proteus Rachel recognition scenes role romance Scheria sea-monster Septuagint serves sky father slaying specific subtype suggests suitors Teiresias Telemachos thematic parallels Theoklymenos Thrinakia traditional Trojan Troy type-scene Ugaritic underworld vision wrestling Yahweh Zeus