Family Religion in Babylonia, Syria, and Israel

This volume deals with the religious practices of the family in the ancient Babylonian, Ugaritic and early Israelite civilizations. On the basis of documents from both the private and the literary realm, the book provides a description and analysis of the rites of the ancestor cult and the devotion to local gods. The author demonstrates the role of these two aspects of family religion in the identity construction of its followers. The section dealing with Israel pays particular attention to the relationship between family religion and state religion. The emergence of state religion under King Saul marked the beginning of a competition influence upon each other, the tension of which was not resolved. A study of their interaction proves to be a key for the understanding of the development of Israelite religion during the monarchic period.