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The Last of the Rephaim

The Last of the Rephaim Conquest and Cataclysm in the Heroic Ages of Ancient Israel - Ilex Foundation Series

Paperback (01 Feb 2013)

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Publisher's Synopsis

The figure of the giant has haunted the literatures of the ancient Mediterranean world, from the Greek Gigantomachy and other Aegean epic literatures to the biblical contexts of the ancient Near East. In The Last of the Rephaim, Brian Doak argues that the giants of the Hebrew Bible are a politically, theologically, and historiographically generative group, and through their oversized bodies, readers gain insight into central aspects of Israel's symbolic universe. All that is overgrown or physically monstrous represents a connection to primeval chaos, and stands as a barrier to creation and right rule. Giants thus represent chaos-fear, and their eradication is a form of chaos maintenance by both human and divine agents. Doak argues that these biblical traditions participate in a broader Mediterranean conversation regarding giants and the end of the heroic age-a conversation that inevitably draws the biblical corpus into a discussion of the function of myth and epic in the ancient world, with profound implications for the politics of monotheism and monarchy in ancient Israel.

About the Publisher

Ilex Foundation

Founded in 1913, Harvard University Press is the publisher of such classic works as John Rawls's A Theory of Justice, E. O. Wilson's On Human Nature, and Helen Vendler's Dickinson. The Press continues to be a leading publisher of convergent works in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences, while also taking bold steps in exciting new directions, from innovative partnerships, to a diverse translation program, to an expanded commitment to facilitating scholarly conversation around the globe.

Book information

ISBN: 9780674066731
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Imprint: Ilex Foundation
Pub date:
DEWEY: 221.6
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 312
Weight: 500g
Height: 229mm
Width: 153mm
Spine width: 18mm