Introduces students to the grammar of Ugaritic, a major language for the understanding of Syro-Palestinian culture and religion. Students learn using transliterated Ugaritic, as well as using alphabetic cuneiform signs. Reading exercises focus on actual examples from Ugaritic texts, culminating with the translation of portions of the Ba’al Cycle and Legend of Keret.
Students learn Ugaritic grammar both in transliteration and in alphabetic cuneiform. This gives students access to a body of literature with which to better understand Syro-Palestinian culture, which shares commonalities with Ancient Israel.
Students develop skills with which to understand Syro-Palestinian worldview and religion, a tool with which to understand the contextual nature of the Hebrew Bible’s theology.
The course teaches students to read Ugaritic literature, which shares a similar worldview and religious outlook with the Hebrew Bible.
Learning Ugaritic is an important step for the thorough understanding of a society with which Ancient Israel interacted and held much in common. Crossing cultural divides is essential for participating in the Missio Dei.
Although Ugarit was destroyed before much of the the biblical period, its religious literature has much in common with the Hebrew Bible and gives insight into Syro-Palestinian religion. A knowledge of Ugaritic helps missioners to understand the Hebrew Bible in its larger context as it gives them access to numerous cultural and religious texts from that context.
Ugarit shared commonalities with Ancient Israel. The larger Syro-Palestinian cultural sphere included Israel, so it can help missioners better understand Israel’s culture.
Students gain the ability to read and translate key texts from the Alphabetic cuneiform Ugaritic Literary corpus. Students gain an understanding of a culture similar to that of the Hebrew Bible.
Students are measured by taking exams and quizzes on elements of Ugaritic grammar, and translating elementary texts, mainly from the Baal Cycle, Feast of the Goodly Gods and the Legend of Kirtu. Students write a paper on a cultural and/or religious phenomenon in the Baal Cycle, Feast of the Goodly Gods or Legend of Kirtu.
