Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Dedication; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; 1. Authoritative Texts in the Hebrew and Cuneiform Traditions; 2. Formulating a New Comparative Approach; 3. Choosing the Right Texts; 4. Study One: Enūma Anu Enlil Tablet 63; 5. Study Two: Mul.Apin; 6. Study Three: The Laws of Hammurabi; 7. Study Four: Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh; 8. Study Five: Mīs Pî; 9. Study Six: Manuscripts of Pentateuchal Texts from Near the Dead Sea; 10. Interpreting the Evidence; Notes; Bibliography; Index of Ancient References; Index of Authors

Index of Subjects

Transforming Literature into Scripture examines how the early textual traditions of ancient Israel - stories, laws, and rituals - were transformed into sacred writings. By comparing evidence from two key collections from antiquity - the royal library at Nineveh and the biblical manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls - the book traces the stabilisation of textual traditions in the ancient Near East towards fixed literary prototypes. The study presents a new methodology which enables the quantification, categorisation and statistical analysis of texts from different languages, writing systems,