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The ancient Near Eastern mode of thought is not at all intuitive to us moderns, but our understanding of ancient perspectives can only approach accuracy when we begin to penetrate ancient texts on their own terms rather than imposing our own world view. In this task, we are aided by the ever-growing corpus of literature that is being recovered and analyzed.After an introduction that presents some of the history of comparative studies and how it has been applied to the study of ancient texts in general and cosmology in particular, Walton focuses in the first half of this book on the ancient Near Eastern texts that inform our understanding about ancient ways of thinking about cosmology. Of primary interest are the texts that can help us discern the parameters of ancient perspectives on cosmic ontology—that is, how the writers perceived origins. Texts from across the ancient Near East are presented, including primarily Egyptian, Sumerian, and Akkadian texts, but occasionally also Ugaritic and Hittite, as appropriate. Walton’s intention, first of all, is to understand the texts but also to demonstrate that a functional ontology pervaded the cognitive environment of the ancient Near East. This functional ontology involves more than just the idea that ordering the cosmos was the focus of the cosmological texts. He posits that, in the ancient world, bringing about order and functionality was the very essence of creative activity. He also pays close attention to the ancient ideology of temples to show the close connection between temples and the functioning cosmos.The second half of the book is devoted to a fresh analysis of Genesis 1:1–2:4. Walton offers studies of significant Hebrew terms and seeks to show that the Israelite texts evidence a functional ontology and a cosmology that is constructed with temple ideology in mind, as in the rest of the ancient Near East. He contends that Genesis 1 never was an account of material origins but that, as in the rest of the ancient world, the focus of “creation texts” was to order the cosmos by initiating functions for the components of the cosmos. He further contends that the cosmology of Genesis 1 is founded on the premise that the cosmos should be understood in temple terms. All of this is intended to demonstrate that, when we read Genesis 1 as the ancient document it is, rather than trying to read it in light of our own world view, the text comes to life in ways that help recover the energy it had in its original context. At the same time, it provides a new perspective on Genesis 1 in relation to what have long been controversial issues. Far from being a borrowed text, Genesis 1 offers a unique theology, even while it speaks from the platform of its contemporaneous cognitive environment.

Biblical cosmology. --- Cosmogony. --- Cosmology --- Cosmology, Biblical --- Creation --- Bible. --- Gen 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Genesis 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Criticism, interpretation, etc. --- Biblical cosmology --- Cosmogony --- 222.2 --- 291.217 --- 291.217 Cosmogonie. Strijd van de goden onder elkaar en tegen de mens --- Cosmogonie. Strijd van de goden onder elkaar en tegen de mens --- Genesis --- Weltbild. --- Exegese. --- Genesis 1. --- Alter Orient.

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Medieval commentaries on the origin and history of language used biblical history, from Creation to the Tower of Babel, as their starting-point, and described the progressive impairment of an originally perfect language. Biblical and classical sources raised questions for both medieval poets and commentators about the nature of language, its participation in the Fall, and its possible redemption. John M. Fyler focuses on how three major poets - Chaucer, Dante, and Jean de Meun - participated in these debates about language. He offers fresh analyses of how the history of language is described and debated in the Divine Comedy, the Canterbury Tales and the Roman de la Rose. While Dante follows the Augustinian idea of the Fall and subsequent redemption of language, Jean de Meun and Chaucer are skeptical about the possibilities for linguistic redemption and resign themselves, at least half-comically, to the linguistic implications of the Fall and the declining world.

Language and languages --- Langage et langues --- History --- Histoire --- Chaucer, Geoffrey, --- Dante Alighieri, --- Jean, --- Bible. --- Criticism, interpretation, etc. --- Historical linguistics --- Diachronic linguistics --- Dynamic linguistics --- Evolutionary linguistics --- Language and history --- Linguistics --- Chaucer, Jeffrey, --- Chʻiao-sou, Chieh-fu-lei, --- Chieh-fu-lei Chʻiao-sou, --- Choser, Dzheffri, --- Choser, Zheoffreĭ, --- Cosvr, Jvoffrvi, --- Tishūsar, Zhiyūfrī, --- Dante Alighieri --- Alighieri, Dante --- Dante, Alighieri --- Alih'eri, Dante --- Chopinel, Jean, --- Clopinel, Jean, --- De Meun, Jean, --- Jean Chopinel de Meun, --- Jean Clopinel de Meun, --- Jean de Meun, --- Jehan, --- Meun, Jean de, --- Clopinel, J. --- Gen 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Genesis 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Alihii︠e︡ri, Dante, --- Alaghieri, Dante, --- Aldigeri, Dante, --- Aligeri, Dante, --- Allighieri, Dante, --- Aligerius, Dantes, --- Aligheri, Dante, --- Alighieri, Dante, --- Alleghieri, Dante, --- Durante Alighieri, --- Tan-ting, --- Danding, --- Dāntī Alījyīrī, --- Alīyīrī, Dāntī, --- Dante Alih'i︠e︡ri, --- Dante, --- Dant Aligīeri, --- Aligīeri, Dant, --- Dantte, --- Tantte, --- Dantis Alagherius, --- Danthe Alighieri, --- Alighieri, Danthe, --- Dante Alig'i︠e︡ri, --- Alig'i︠e︡ri, Dante, --- Ailígiéirí, Dainté, --- Dantė Aligjeris, --- Dānté ʼAligiyéri, --- Makākavi Tāntē, --- Tāntē Alikiyari, --- Alikiyari, Tāntē, --- אליגיירי דנטי --- אליגירי, דנטי --- דאנטי אליגיירי --- דאנטי אליגיירי, --- דאנט, --- דנטה אליגיירי, --- דנטה אליגירי, --- דנטי אליגיארי, --- דנטי אליגירי, --- دانتى ألغييري --- دانتي أليجيري،, --- ダンテ, --- Данте Аліґгіері, --- Historical linguistics. --- Arts and Humanities --- Literature

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Although Maimonides' discussion of creation is one of his greatest contributions - he himself claims that belief in creation is second in importance only to belief in God - there is still considerable debate on what that contribution was. Kenneth Seeskin takes a close look at the problems Maimonides faced and the sources from which he drew. He argues that Maimonides meant exactly what he said: the world was created by a free act of God so that the existence of everything other than God is contingent. In religious terms, existence is a gift. In order to reach this conclusion, Seeskin examines Maimonides' view of God, miracles, the limits of human knowledge, and the claims of astronomy to be a science. Clearly written and closely argued, Maimonides on the Origin of the World takes up questions of perennial interest.

Creation. --- Philosophy, Ancient. --- Philosophy, Medieval. --- Jewish philosophy --- Création --- Philosophie ancienne --- Philosophie médiévale --- Philosophie juive --- Maimonides, Moses, --- Bible. --- Criticism, interpretation, etc., Jewish. --- Philosophy, Jewish. --- Création --- Philosophie médiévale --- Creation --- Philosophy, Ancient --- Philosophy, Medieval --- Medieval philosophy --- Scholasticism --- Ancient philosophy --- Greek philosophy --- Philosophy, Greek --- Philosophy, Roman --- Roman philosophy --- Jews --- Philosophy, Jewish --- Philosophy, Israeli --- Biblical cosmogony --- Cosmogony --- Natural theology --- Teleology --- Beginning --- Biblical cosmology --- Creation windows --- Creationism --- Evolution --- Philosophy --- Maïmonide, Moïse, --- Májmúni, Móse, --- Maimonides, --- Maimonid, --- Rambam, --- Mûsâ Maimûnî, --- Maimûnî, Mûsâ, --- Ibn Maymūn, Mūsá, --- Mosche ben Maimun, --- Maimonide, Mosè, --- Moses ben Maimon, --- Mosheh ben Maimon, --- Maymūn, Mūsá ibn, --- Maimon, Moses ben, --- Maimon, Mosheh ben, --- Mūsá ibn Maimūn, --- Maimun, Mosche ben, --- Moshe ben Maimon, --- Maimon, Moshe ben, --- Mosheh bar Maimon, --- Maimon, Mosheh bar, --- Mose ben Maimon, --- Maimon, Mose ben, --- Qurṭubī, Mūsá ibn Maymūn, --- Andalusī, Mūsá ibn Maymūn, --- Ram, --- Ram Bam, --- Mozes ben Maimon, --- Maimonides, Mozes, --- Maimoides, --- Mosheh, --- Maimoni, Mosheh, --- א. חיים --- בן מיימון, משה, --- בן מימון, משה --- בן מימון, משה, --- בן־מיימון, משה --- הרמב״ם --- הרמב״ם, --- יונה מגירונדי --- כ״ץ, אלי --- מושה בן מיימון, --- מיימון --- מיימון, משה --- מיימון, משה בר, --- מיימון, משה, --- מיימון, צשה בן --- מיימוני --- מיימוני, משה --- מימון, גד --- מימון, משה --- מימון, משה בן, --- מימון, משה, --- מימונידס, משה --- ממימון, משה --- משה בו מימון --- משה בון מימון, --- משה במן מימון --- משה בן מיימון --- משה בן מיימון, רמב״ם, 1135־1204 --- משה בן מיימון, רמב״ם, --- משה בן מיימון, --- משה בן מימון --- משה בן מימון־־משנה תורה־־הלכות תשובה־־פירושים --- משה בן מימון, --- משה בן מימון--משנה תורה--הלכות דעות--פירושים --- משה בן מימון.משנה תורה --- משה בן מימון.משנה תורה־־באורים --- משה בן מימין, --- משה בן מימן --- משה בן מימן, --- משה בר מיימון --- משה בר מיימון, --- משה בר מימון --- משה בר מימון, --- משה בר מײמון רמב״ם, --- משה ברבי מיימון --- משה נן מיימוני, --- משה נן מימון --- משה קן מימון, --- משה, המיימוני --- פרנקל, שבתי, --- רבמ״ם --- רבנו משה בן מיימון, --- רמב"ם --- רמב״ם, --- ר״מ --- ابن ميمون، موسى --- ابن ميمون، موسى، --- Gen 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Genesis 1 (Book of the Old Testament) --- Arts and Humanities --- Religion --- Maimonides, Moses, - 1135-1204. --- Jewish philosophy.