Conceptions of transgression and its consequences in the Mesopotamian exorcistic corpus

Thesis

My doctoral thesis aims to develop a new approach to Mesopotamian conceptions of transgression and its consequences, in particular according to the first-millennium BC exorcistic corpus (āšipūtu). I begin by assessing key ancient terminology and concepts, including those relating to transgression and its punishment. The role of māmītu-curse, for example, as a ‘self-curse’ that punishes transgression has long been recognized in the modern secondary literature. A more in-depth study of the concept of māmītu-curse, including newly published and unpublished material, allows me to expand our understanding of its scope and function, as well as recognize that arratu-curse formed a complementary concept.

The remainder of the thesis follows a tripartite structure. The first part examines the portrayal of acts of transgression as potential causes of divine punishment, including aspects of this portrayal that problematize the idea of individual responsibility, such as contagion and the demonization of self-curse. In the second part, I investigate how the punishment of transgression manifested in cultic, social, and economic problems, as well as physical and psychological symptoms within the patient. Analogical thinking linking cause and manifestation offer further insights into the conceptualization of transgression and its punishment. In the third part, I assess the methods employed by the exorcist to remove the patient’s state of suffering, which offer further insights into how this state and its causes were conceptualized.

Some of the key aspects of Mesopotamian conceptions of transgression that I have identified include the fact that a transgression did not need to be identified to release its consequences, and the role the ideology of divine punishment played in maintaining the balance and structures governing the proper function of the universe and human society. Overall, my findings provide a significant new approach to the understanding of transgression and divine punishment in late Mesopotamian scholarship. This will have further applications for the study of āšipūtu material, as well as for the comparative study of religious thought in Mesopotamia and beyond.

Authors: Howe, A

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English