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The Number Seven in Ugaritic Texts

The Number Seven in Ugaritic Texts THE NUMBER SEVEN IN UGARITIC TEXTS BY ARVID S. KAPELRUD Oslo In his "Ugaritic Literature" Cyrus H. GORDON sums up about Baal: "Baal is a fertility but not a seasonal god; on only one occasion do we know he was killed, later to be revived (49 :III) ; the recorded droughts and famines associated with Baal's misfortune or hostility are calamities lasting seven years, plainly ruling out a yearly cycle of Baal's death and revival" 1). GORDON bases his conclusion on two features which he empha- sizes. 1. According to him "the widespread notion that the year in Canaan is divided into a fertile and a sterile season is false". 2. "More- over, drought and famine are regularly represented as seven-year scourges in the Ugaritic texts". GORDON maintains that the seven- year cycle is dominating in the Ugaritic texts, which is to a certain extent right, but the implications of this fact are not rightly inter- preted by him. GORDON was followed in his interpretation by G. R. DRIVER 2) and A. F. RAINEY 3), who both, a little astonishingly, repeat the rather worthless argument of GORDON that "the texts tell us nothing of any annual death and revival http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Vetus Testamentum Brill

The Number Seven in Ugaritic Texts

Vetus Testamentum , Volume 18 (1-4): 6 – Jan 1, 1968

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0042-4935
eISSN
1568-5330
DOI
10.1163/156853368x00384
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE NUMBER SEVEN IN UGARITIC TEXTS BY ARVID S. KAPELRUD Oslo In his "Ugaritic Literature" Cyrus H. GORDON sums up about Baal: "Baal is a fertility but not a seasonal god; on only one occasion do we know he was killed, later to be revived (49 :III) ; the recorded droughts and famines associated with Baal's misfortune or hostility are calamities lasting seven years, plainly ruling out a yearly cycle of Baal's death and revival" 1). GORDON bases his conclusion on two features which he empha- sizes. 1. According to him "the widespread notion that the year in Canaan is divided into a fertile and a sterile season is false". 2. "More- over, drought and famine are regularly represented as seven-year scourges in the Ugaritic texts". GORDON maintains that the seven- year cycle is dominating in the Ugaritic texts, which is to a certain extent right, but the implications of this fact are not rightly inter- preted by him. GORDON was followed in his interpretation by G. R. DRIVER 2) and A. F. RAINEY 3), who both, a little astonishingly, repeat the rather worthless argument of GORDON that "the texts tell us nothing of any annual death and revival

Journal

Vetus TestamentumBrill

Published: Jan 1, 1968

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