God lists from Old Babylonian Nippur in the University Museum, Philadelphia (AOAT 362)

Much ink has been spilled on the examination of Mesopotamian conceptions of the divine in the past, and the topic has received renewed attention in the present. The following article offers yet another synthetic analysis of the Mesopotamian divine sphere, amassing in one place a vast array of data and the scholarly assessments of that data. More particularly, after examining what constitutes a god in ancient Mesopotamia and the essential and characteristic qualities of Mesopotamian deities, the article attempts to sort the divine sphere, focusing on the relationship between the various beings that populate the divine world and between a single deity and its various aspects. However, although synthetic, the present contribution offers several new insights. Most prominently, it posits the concept of divine constellations as a model for understanding Mesopotamian deities, in which the major Mesopotamian deities are presented as a constellation of aspects that may be treated as (semi-)independent beings or as a unity depending on the context.

Usuteaduslik Ajakiri, 2018

The paper tries to analyse some aspects of Early Dynastic Sumerian pantheon structure mostly based on the god-lists from Abu Salabikh and Fara. The primeval universe before the separation of An and Ki was seen as an embryonic entity containing different divine powers symbolized in the male- female pairs en-ki / nin-ki and en-an / nin-an – primeval creatures present in later female earth and male sky. Several other divine powers existed in this primeval universe including the god Enlil and his spouse. Adding them as the second pair testifies that both god-lists are stemming already from the mythology seeing Enlil as the main deity of kingship and the “high god”. The ordering of the Abu Salabikh list does not differ much from the creation myths of Ukg. 15 and the Barton Cylinder when to consider the interpretation of the divine names ‘Lord / Lady Heaven’ for en-an / nin-an correct.

Altorientalische Forschungen, 2014

Building on an earlier article on Mesopotamian conceptions of the divine (Hundley 2013a), this piece turns to the complex world of Hittite deities and offers a synthetic analysis with Mesopotamia as a conversation partner. While many commonalities emerge, the Hittite divine world is also distinct in important ways. Most notably, while Mesopotamian gods, especially Marduk and Assur and before them Enlil and Ninurta, tend to collect attributes, the Hittites themselves collect gods, proudly boasting of the thousand gods of Ḫatti. Likewise, Hittite deities tend to overlap without redundancy, such that each overlapping (weather) god is an independent actor with an essential role to play, whose absence could signal the dissolution of order. The article also posits various modern analogs like franchises, which although imperfect, help the modern mind to grasp the ancient complexity.

Ancient Near East Today, 2025

This is the first in a 4-part series with Ancient Near East Today summarizing my research on gods in the Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible: 1) What is a God in the Ancient Near East?; 2) What is a God in the Hebrew Bible? Divine Cast of Characters; 3) What is a God in the Hebrew Bible? Characteristics and Hierarchy; 4) From Monolatry to Monotheism: The Changing Face of the Biblical Pantheon. There will also be an accompanying webinar December 17..

richardsorensen.com, 2025

This paper reviews the history of ancient gods such as Marduk, Bel, Inanna, Ishtar, Osiris, Isis, and others, and indicates where they came from and how societies started to worship them.

"A Community of People" Studiers on Society and Politics in the Bible and Ancient Near East in Honor of Daniel E. Fleming, 2022

It gives me the greatest pleasure to dedicate this article to Daniel Fleming, with whom I share a longstanding friendship, going back to our days as students at Harvard and our studies under Bill Moran.1,2 Over the years, Bill became a dear friend to both Daniel and me and generated the scholarly and intellectual bond between us. Today, I am moved by, grateful for, and continue to be nurtured by this intellectual bond with Daniel, which has carried us from Boston to our shared academic home at New York University.3 1 Cosmic Order and Human-divine Interdependency In ancient Mesopotamia, cosmic order was equated with cosmic stability (kittu), which was decreed by the gods, while civic order, or "straightness" (mīšaru) was maintained by the king through the passing of judgments (dīnu dânu; purussâ parāsu).

1. The divine in society ………….……………..…..………………..…......................................................... 2 2. Gods of creation and gods of war: Enlil and Marduk; Ashur and Ishtar ……………..…… 4 3. Gods of nature: Adad (storm), Shamash (sun), Nanna/Sin (moon), Enki/Ea ..…….….. 8 4. Personal and Interceding deities …………………...…………………...........................................… 11 5. Heroes and mythological creatures …………………………….........................................…..……. 11 6. Divination and the sense of man’s future ……………………….…….....................................….. 12

Barcino. Monographica Orientalia 25 , 2024

This research has been possible thanks to a postdoctoral contract at the Institut del Pròxim Orient Antic (IPOA) of the University of Barcelona (modality 1. Margarita Salas), funded by the Ministerio de Universidades (Spanish government) and the Next Generation (EU). All the abbreviations used here can be found in the Chicago Hittite Dictionary L-N, xv-xxx, P, vii-xxix and Š, vii-viii. 2. Van Gessel (1998 and 2001). 3. laman.hittites.org (last time checked 19/01/2024).