Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan

Scribal Traditions in Emar

Jun IKEDA

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 1-15
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_1

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C. Wilcke found two different paleographical systems among cuneiform tablets from Emar and the vicinities: Syrian type and Syro-Hittite. This paper supports the existence of two scribal traditions in accordance with these paleographical systems from orthographic and linguistic point of view. It further tries to correlate these two scribal traditions with three major subcorpora of Akkadian texts from Emar, i. e. documents bearing the name of one of the kings of Emar (Royal documents), those referring to Ninurta and the elders (Ninurta documents) and those mentioning kings and princes of Carchemish as well as Hittite dignitaries (Carchemish documents). It concludes that Royal documents and Carchemish documents represent the Syrian tradition and the Syro-Hittite respectively and that Ninurta documents basically belonged to the Syrian scribal tradition, but a part of them were written by scribes who apparently belonged to the other tradition.

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The Musical Score from Ugarit

Matahisa KOITABASHI

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 16-32
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_16

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This paper deals with RS 15. 30+15. 49+17. 389 (H. 6) excavated in Ras Shamra, from a cultural historical point of view.
We can see that the Hurrianized Akkadian terms, together with the numerals of H. 6 are related to a type of musical instruction. We know many terms for musical instructions in ancient Near Eastern texts for example, in the Convers Tablet and in the headings of the Book of Pslam. We have also identified the cheironomy in the reliefs of ancient Egypt. The musical instruction of H. 6 is very unique, because it is the letter notation which shows how to sing a song in detail. The terms and the writing system of H. 6 indicate that the notation of this text was influenced by Mesopotamian culture. This notation might have been brought from Mesopotamia to Ugarit by the Hurrians. And it is characteristic that this Hurrian system of musical notation was used in the kingdom of Ugarit.
We can identify the designation for the genre of the song (nid qabli) in the colophon of the H. 6 text. This term is related to a type of mode. The mode of H. 6 can be interpreted by means of the Babylonian tuning text (U. 7/80). This tuning text may indicate that the ancient Babylonians had a heptatonic system in making use of the fourth and fifth. This heptatonic system of using the fourth and fifth is well known in Greek musical theory. We can see that the nid qabli mode in the H. 6 text is related to the Lydian one. Therefore, the musical life of Ugarit suggests a linkage between Babylonian and Greek musical life.

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The Narrative Order and Early Biblical Interpretation

On the Origin of Muqdam Meuhar

Isaiah TESHIMA

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 33-47
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_33

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Muqdam (u) Meuhar is a technique of rabbinic interpretation, which suggests the reversal of the textual order as a solution to exegetical difficulties. The technique was first attested to as an exegetical principle in the Mishnah of Rabbi Eliezer, and later, was used by medieval grammarians, such as Jonah Ibn Janah, Solomon Parchon, and David Kimhi, to resolve syntactical, lexical difficulties of the biblical text.
A noteworthy development was, however, that the technique was originally perceived in the Mishnah of R. Eliezer as a solution to problems in the chronological order of biblical narratives. Furthermore, the term, Muqdam Meuhar, was not really attested in Tannaitic and Amoraic sources, despite the fact that the sages frequently discussed among themselves on problems in the order of text.
To explain the uniqueness of this exegetical tradition, the present paper will compare the technique of Muqdam Meuhar with the practice of Hysteron Proteron- a similar rule of Roman literary critics-as found in Servius' commentary on Virgil's Aeneid, regarding that Muqdam Meuhar was the rabbinic calque of Hysteron Proteron. In particular, the paper will focus on controversial aspects of the technique as applied to chronological problems in the order of the biblical narratives.

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The Christian Migrations in the Early Islamic Times

Keiko OHTA

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 48-65
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_48

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In the early Islamic centuries, in which Muslim governments had continued to have territorial ambitions, we can see not only large quantitative Muslim migrations, but also any number of non-Muslim migrations. This article focalizes on Christian migrations between the seventh and the ninth centuries, because their movements seem to have had relation to change of populations in the Middle East. The more useful sources on this experiment are Middle Eastern Christian documents which give us precious informations neglected by Muslim authors.
Part (1) is composed of a list of records on Christian migrations which have connected with policies and military or administrative purposes of Muslim authorities. All the records are typical in their forms and features.
Then, part (2) examines each form of migrations; captured inhabitants on battles and so on; forced emigrants; forced immigrants; peoples allowed to emigrate; peoples allowed to return to their countries, especially by exchange of captives; people forced to return their countries. And I discussed their features, purposes, and historical backgrounds.
In part (3), I will discuss Christian migrations unrelated to Muslim intentions to compare with the cases in part (1). And part (4) concludes with a analysis of the relations between Muslim rule and Christian migrations, and the influences of these migrations to the Middle Eastern societies.

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Jurisprudence of Mappo al-Juwaini on Extinction of Shari'a

Koh NAKATA

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 66-82
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_66

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In the history of Islamic legal thought, al-Juwaini's al-Ghiyathi is a unique work, because he devotes himself in its last chapter to dealing with the possibility of Mappo (borrowed from a Buddhist concept), the era of extinction of the Shari'a, not in an eschatological way but in a juristical way.
He says that the knowledge of the fundamentals of Shari'a will be lost among people after the disappearance of its legal authorities, i. e., mujtahids and transmitters of madhhabs, which will occur after the disappearance of the political authorities, i. e., caliphs and sultans.
According to his understanding, the extinction of the knowledge will happen not because of the lack and decrease of books, but because of the increase of hairsplitting debates and pedantic disputes which occupy so much the minds of people and students as to make them tired at last.
al-Juwaini compares Muslims in the era of extinction of the Shari'a with people whom the message of Islam has not reached. He concludes that, besides the beliefs in the unity of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, Muslim's sole obligation in such an era is to make himself ready for observance of the prescriptions of Shari'a, hoping to get to know them someday. Because there is no obligation without receiving the divine commandments according to the Ash'ari school to which al-Juwaini belongs.
In his opinion the details of the Shari'a can not be understood without guidance of its authorities. So the utmost which can be hoped in case the legal authorities as well as the political authorities have disappeared, is that individual muslims reconstruct the fundamentals of the Shari'a from the remaining writings on the subject and apply the fundamentals to their own situations.

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The Beginning of Dairy Products in Western Asia

Yutaka MIYAKE

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 83-101
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_83

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Loan Contracts and Other Texts about Debt from Emar

Satoshi ONO

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 102-115
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_102

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Daniel GIMARET, La doctrine d'al-Ash'ari Paris, Les éditions du Cerf, 1990. 601 ps

Kazuko SHIOJIRI

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 116-122
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_116

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[title in Japanese]

Kikuko SUZUKI

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 123-129
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_123

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[title in Japanese]

Yasushi TONAGA

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 130-138
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_130

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[title in Japanese]

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 147-172
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_147

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Erratum

1996 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages e1
Published: 1996
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.39.2_e1

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