Synthesized answer
The passages do not directly describe the academic landscape in 1902 or specify an intellectual shift. However, the series title "The Ancient East" and the description of its studies as "setting forth the recent discoveries and investigations... especially as they bear upon the traditional views of early Eastern History" [1] imply that in 1902, traditional views of early Eastern history were being challenged by new archaeological and textual evidence from Babylonia, Assyria, and Egypt. The series aimed to facilitate a shift toward integrating these recent discoveries into a more scientifically grounded understanding, as the studies were "short, popular, but thoroughly scientific" [1].
The passages also note that the German originals had been appearing for eighteen months before the English translations [1], indicating a growing international scholarly effort. The content of Jeremias's own study acknowledges that "fragmentary material only is available" and that future excavations (e.g., the temple of Nergal at Kutha) would yield more knowledge [3], suggesting the academic landscape was one of active, ongoing discovery and incomplete knowledge. The series thus sought to bridge…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
← The Babylonian Conception of Heaven and Hell ( 1902 ) by Alfred Jeremias , translated by Jane Hutchison Introduction → Alfred Jeremias 3628760 The Babylonian Conception of Heaven and Hell 1902 Jane Hutchison The Ancient East No. IV THE BABYLONIAN CONCEPTION OF HEAVEN AND HELL BY DR. ALFRED JEREMIAS The Ancient East Under this title is being issued a series of short, popular, but thoroughly scientific studies, by the leading scholars of Germany, setting forth the recent discoveries and investigations in Babylonian, Assyrian and Egyptian History, Religion, and Archeology, especially as…
D. By Professor Alfred Wiedemann . THE TELL EL AMARNA PERIOD. By Dr. C. Niebuhr . THE BABYLONIAN AND THE HEBREW GENESIS. By Professor H Zimmern . THE BABYLONIAN CONCEPTION OF HEAVEN AND HELL. By Dr. Alfred Jeremias . THE POPULAR LITERATURE OF EGYPT. By Professor Alfred Wiedemann . In preparation. the BABYLONIAN CONCEPTION OF HEAVEN AND HELL BY ALFRED JEREMIAS, P h .D. PASTOR OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH AUTHOR OF "BABYLONISCH-ASSYRISCHEN VORSTELLUNGEN VOM LEBEN NACH DEM TODE," AND OF THE ARTICLES "IZDUBAR," "ISHTAR," ETC., IN ROSCHER'S "LEXICON" TRANSLATED BY J. HUTCHISON LONDON: DAVID NUTT 57–59…
626 B.C.) at whose command copies of the literary monuments of Babylonia were made on clay tablets by the royal scribes. Magnificent material for the investigation of Babylonian thought will be available if, in a happy future, the interrupted excavations in the library of Nineveh should ever be completed, but as yet only a small portion of the contents has been recovered and in a greatly damaged condition. Even then our knowledge of the Babylonian religion would still be lacking in essential data, namely the traditionary lore of the temples: this it is which would throw light on the…
75). F. Thureau-Dangin , "Inscription provenant d'un tombeau babylonien" ( Orienitalistische Lit. Zeitung , 1901, p. 5). Schwally , "Das Leben nach dem Tode nach den Vorstellungen des alten Israels." Giessen (1892). (A useful summary of purely Jewish ideas, but written without knowledge of, or reference to, the Babylonian evidence.) 5 s . Frey, Johs. Tod, "Seelenglaube und Seelenkult im alten Israel." Leipzig (1898). (Makes no use of Babylonian evidence.) 4 s . The translations of the Gilgamesh (Nimrod) epos by Alfred Jeremias: "Izdubar-Nimrud," Leipzig, 1891 ( cf . also his articles…
← The Babylonian Conception of Heaven and Hell The Babylonian Conception of Heaven and Hell by Alfred Jeremias , translated by Jane Hutchison Introduction Death and Burial → 3628766 The Babylonian Conception of Heaven and Hell — Introduction Jane Hutchison Alfred Jeremias THE BABYLONIAN CONCEPTION OF HEAVEN AND HELL Introduction. No consecutive account of the Babylonian religion can as yet be given, nor will it for many years come within the range of possibilities to achieve it. Abundant fragments of Babylonian religious and mythological literature have indeed been brought to light by the…
More questions about this book
- Based on this excerpt, how would you succinctly describe the *purpose* and *academic context* of Alfred Jeremias's work to someone unfamiliar with academic publishing?
- Dr. Jeremias is identified as a "Pastor of the Lutheran Church." How might this background potentially intersect with or influence his "thoroughly scientific" study of ancient Babylonian afterlife concepts?
- Examine the Bibliographical Appendix. What does this list of contemporary scholarly works reveal about the interdisciplinary nature of early 20th-century Near Eastern studies and the foundational research Jeremias built upon?
- Considering this work's 1902 publication date and its description as "popular, but thoroughly scientific," what potential strengths and limitations might arise when using it to understand ancient Babylonian beliefs in the 21st century?