Weep, O daughter of Zion : A study of the city-lament genre in the Hebrew Bible
F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp (Author)
"The present study seeks to call attention to a literary genre whose existence in the Hebrew Bible, until recently, has gone largely unnoticed, or at least, not fully appreciated. The city lament is a genre well-known from ancient Mesopotamia. The laments that make up this genre vividly depict and mournfully lament the destruction of some of the most important cities in Mesopotamia and their chief shrines. The biblical book of Lamentations has periodically been compared to some of the Mesopotamian city laments. This study proposes that the resemblances (as well as the differences) between Lamentations and these Mesopotamian city laments result because these texts are related at the level of genre. That is, the city-lament genre was part of both Mesopotamian and Israelite literary traditions. Lamentations is only the best example of the city-lament genre in the Hebrew Bible. Evidence of this genre occurs in the prophetic literature, especially in the "oracles against the nations", and in some psalms as well. Establishment of the city-lament genre's presence in the Hebrew Bible is achieved primarily through comparison with the generic repertoire of the Mesopotamian laments,. The study is grounded theoretically in modern genre theory."--taken from back cover
Print Book, English, 1993
Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, Roma, Italia, 1993