Ancient Roots of Creation and Afterlife Beliefs

Interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research, aided by linguistics, archaeology, and prehistoric and historic data, provides a view of sacred and secular life in ancient times. In every Near Eastern and Indo-Iranian religion there was a belief in an orderly cosmos and society which could be troubled by an unorderly force. The social and political aspects of a society were organized and maintained by that cosmic order, and interpreted and reinforced by the religious authorities and heads of states. The cosmogonic and eschatological myths are reinforced in a society in the same manner. They justify the process of the creation and also the ensuing historical chronicles as understood by a society. Since the creation and beginning of everything are experienced and not historically documented, they are categorized as mythical. As an example, in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the doctrine of creation is solely based on the Book of Genesis; consequently, the religious concepts and theories regarding creation and humanity are constructed on the very same creation story. This book explores the religions of the Ancient Near East and their branches to explain their Semitic and Indo-European roots, their reverence for order and fear of chaos, heavenly rewards and unheavenly retributions, judgment and punishment, and their perspectives on death and the afterlife.

List of contents

Preface - List of Abbreviations and Symbols - The Background - Near East: Egypt and Mesopotamia - Indo-Europeans - Old Europe - Indo- Iranians - Vedic Indians - Zoroastrian Iranians - Afterword - Bibliography - Index.

About the author

Mitra Ara is a cultural historian and Professor of Persian and Iranian Studies in the College of Liberal and Creative Arts at San Francisco State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of several articles and books.

Product details

• Authors: Mitra Ara, Ara Mitra
• Publisher: Peter Lang
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 23.09.2022
• EAN: 9781433197970
• ISBN: 978-1-4331-9797-0
• No. of pages: 284
• Dimensions: 150 mm x 19 mm x 225 mm
• Weight: 489 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; GENESIS, death, HISTORY / Middle East / General, Afterlife, Roots, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General, FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY / German, FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY / Italian, Comparative Literature, Apocalypse, mitra, Philip, Middle Eastern history, Creation, Historical & comparative linguistics, Near East, Historical and comparative linguistics, Ancient, Eschatology, Beliefs, Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Vedic religion, Dunshea, Zoroastrian, Cosmogony, Ancient Roots of Creation and Afterlife Beliefs, Indo-Iranian, Mitra Ara