The Man of Opened Eye: Ancient Near Eastern Revelatory Convention and the Balaam Cycle
Series: Bulletin for Biblical Research Dissertation Series
Format: Hardback
Pages: 200
ISBN: 9781463248451
Pub Date: October 2025
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Price: £85.00
Not yet published
Description:
Higher critical studies of the last century have raised important questions regarding the unity of Numbers 22–24. Balaam’s multifaceted profession, for example, is often considered a marker for blended traditions. This study proposes that the solutions to such issues lie in the comparative materials. Utilizing primary sources and recent studies, it highlights conventions of supernatural revelation that were common throughout the ancient Near East. Those conventions of prophecy and divination—of both practice and reporting—are then compared with the details of the Balaam Cycle, resulting in a cohesive reading of the story.