The Prophet in the Bible and the Mari Corpus (2024)

Deluty, Julie B. Prophet, Intermediary, King: The Dynamics of Mediation in the Biblical World and Old Babylonian Mari. Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 137. Brill, 2024.

“In Prophet, Intermediary, King: The Dynamics of Mediation in the Biblical World and Old Babylonian Mari, Julie B. Deluty investigates the mediation of prophecy for kings in biblical narratives and the Old Babylonian corpus from Mari. In many cases, the prophet’s message is delivered through a third party—sometimes a royal official or family member—who may exercise a degree of autonomy in the transmission of the words. Drawing on social network theory, the book highlights the importance of third-party intermediaries in the process of communication that lies at the core of biblical and ancient Near Eastern prophecy. Recognition of the place of non-prophetic intermediaries in a monarchic system offers a new dimension to the study of prophecy in antiquity.

Biographical Note

Julie B. Deluty, Ph.D. (2018), New York University, is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Saint Joseph’s University. Her research lies at the nexus between ancient history and biblical literature. She has published articles in Religion Compass and ARC: The Journal of the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University.”

Description from the publisher’s website.