Piety and Politics: The Dynamics of Royal Authority in Homeric Greece, Biblical Israel, and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia

by Dale Launderville OSB

Overview

Ancient kings who did not honor the gods overlooked an indispensable means for ruling effectively in their communities. In many traditional societies royal authority was regarded as a divine gift bestowed according to the quality of the relationship of the king both to God or the gods and to the people. The tension and the harmony within these human and divine relationships demanded that the king repeatedly strive to integrate the community's piety with his political strategies.

This fascinating study explores the relationship between religion and royal authority in three of history's most influential civilizations: Homeric Greece, biblical Israel, and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia. Dale Launderville identifies similar, contrasting, and analogous ways that piety functioned in these distinct cultures to legitimate the rule of particular kings and promote community well-being. Key to this religiopolitical dynamic was the use of royal rhetoric, which necessarily took the form of political theology. By examining a host of ancient texts and drawing on the insights of philosophers, poets, historians, anthropologists, social theorists, and theologians, Launderville shows how kings increased their status the more they demonstrated through their speech and actions that they ruled on behalf of God or the gods.

Launderville's work also sheds light on a number of perennial questions about ancient political life. How could the people call the king to account? Did the people forfeit too much of their freedom and initiative by giving obedience to a king who symbolized their unity as a community? How did the religious traditions serve as a check on the king's power and keep alive the voice of the people? This study in comparative political theology elucidates these engaging concerns from multiple perspectives, making Piety and Politics of interest to readers in fields ranging from biblical studies and theology to ancient history and political science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802845054
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	01/22/2007
Series:	Bible in Its World (Paperback)
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.87(d)

About the Author

Associate professor of theology at Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary, Collegeville, Minnesota. He served on the editorial committee for the revision of the Old Testament of the New American Bible.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
	Abbreviations	xiii
	Maps	xv
	Introduction: The Traditional Pattern for Legitimating Royal Authority in Homeric Greece, Biblical Israel, and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia	1
	The Comparative Method	7
	Overview of the Study	10
	The Texts of the Study	13
1.	Poetic Truth and the Manifestation of the Divine Source of Royal Authority	25
	The Revelatory Power of Metaphors, Symbols, and Narratives in Theological Discourse	25
	Royal Rhetoric and the Engagement of the Popular Mind	30
	The Legitimacy of Protest within the Traditional Pattern of Royal Authority	38
	The Accountability of the Earthly King to the Heavenly King and the People	43
	Creating a Shared Identity between King and People within an Interrelated Cosmos	48
	The Role of Political Theology: To Foster Integration of the Community through Dialogue, Reflection, and Action	52
2.	The Speech and Action of Kings: The Process of Constructing a World with Royal Power	57
	Authoritative Speech-Acts as Enactments of the Traditional Pattern for Legitimating Royal Authority	57
	Shaping the World through Royal Speech: Episodes from the Iliad, 1 Samuel, and Hammurapi's Clay-Nail Inscription	60
	The Royal Household as the Socioeconomic Basis of a King's Power	69
	Alliance Making: An Essential Royal Practice	84
	The Voices of the Community in the Construction of the Sociopolitical World of the King	93
3.	Centralization of the Community in the Person of the King	99
	Insiders and Outsiders: Defining the Boundaries of the Community	107
	Nature and Culture: The King's Responsibility for Successful Agriculture	113
	Aristocrat and Commoner: Negotiating Rank and Status in the Community	119
	Life and Death: The Quest for Immortality	127
	Divine and Human: Separate or Intermingling Domains?	134
	The King: A Centralizing Symbol within the Community	143
4.	The Role of Memory and Tradition in Legitimating Royal Authority	147
	Royal Authority in the Face of Chaos or Unrest: The Importance of Recalling Past Events and Accomplishments	149
	Fame or Anonymity: The Power of Remembering or Forgetting the Name of Another	159
	Innovation within Tradition: Change within Continuity	168
	The Hierarchy of Gods and Humans: A Traditional Structure for Personal and Communal Integration	180
	Formation of Communal Identity according to the Traditional Pattern for Legitimating Royal Authority	189
5.	Communication and Discernment of the Divine Will: An Essential Task for Individual and Collective Development	193
	The Need for Divine Direction in Critical Situations	194
	Divine Communication: A Glimpse into the Future	202
	Discernment of the Truth of Divine Communications	209
	Heroic Models: Inspired Guidance or Distortion	219
	Divine Guidance in the Practical Wisdom of the Trickster	225
	Attentiveness to Divine Communication in the Process of Constructing the World	231
	Knowledge within Divine Communications: Interested or Disinterested?	236
6.	Tension versus Equilibrium: Essential Countervailing Dynamics within the Exercise of Royal Authority	241
	Lament: A Creative Response to Inescapable Suffering	242
	Contradiction versus Antinomy: Collectively Discerning the Severity of an Injustice	251
	Resistance versus Opportunism: The Conditions for the Legitimacy of Regicide	262
	The Locus of Authority: The Origin of Law and Morality	272
	Care: The Tensive Activity That Produces Equilibrium in a Community	284
7.	The Vision of the Ideal King: Ideological Illusion or Catalyst for Authentic Praxis and Community Building	289
	Models of the Ideal King as Mediator between Heaven and Earth	292
	Rivalry or Humility: The Ideal King's Engagement with the Divine Realm	304
	Practices for Strengthening the Piety of the King	315
	Prayer	316
	Attentiveness to the Traditions of the Community	320
	Sacrifice and Temple Patronage	325
	Maintaining Order in the Land according to the Divine Will	331
	The Ideal King: The Influence of Dream on Practice	337
	Conclusion: Royal Authority--a Divine Gift for the Integration of the Community	341
	The Relational Dynamic at the Heart of Royal Authority	341
	Similar and Contrasting Aspects of Royal Authority in Homeric Greece, Biblical Israel, and OB Mesopotamia	348
	Royal Authority: Its Promise of Stability and Harmony	355
	Bibliography	357
	General Index	393
	Index of Greek, Scriptural, and Mesopotamian References	400

Editorial Reviews

Journal of Biblical Literature
"One of those rare books that, if taken seriously, would shake up our disciplinary structures as well as our lives."

Michael P. O'Connor
"The oldest kings whose stories we know well are the kings in the Old Testament and in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Launderville here carefully explores the rhetorical basis of royal authority and power in these works. He also studies the kings of Hammurapi's Babylon, in the process revealing patterns of archaic political thought shared by the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds."

Lawrence Boadt
"Dale Launderville has brought together a vast array of information and insight into the relations of religion and politics in the ancient Near Eastern world. A superb resource for identifying the major characteristics of three of the most significant ancient societies in whose steps we still walk, this study focuses on the role of kingship and royal authority in relation to God or the gods of a nation, because kings were always seen in a special relationship with the divine on behalf of the entire people. But Launderville goes beyond the outward forms in such very different societies and identifies the common elements as well as the unique features of each. What he uncovers is how much they valued the same ideal of harmony and peace for everyone in society, and this deepest longing was present in pagan polytheism as well as in the monotheistic faith of Israel.

Piety and Politics is a tour de force on the culture and ideals of the greatest civilizations of the past and how their successes, failures, and hopes still teach us today in our ideals for society. Issues of justice, individual rights, cooperation, and constant submission to the will of the gods ran deep through all three societies, but only the monotheism of Israel's faith was able to survive intact to bring these ideals to the modern world. Readers of this study will broaden their understanding of history, culture, ancient religion, and the role of royalty in national government and will clearly see the implications of Launderville's discussion for our contemporary world."

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