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Title: Allusions to the Stream of Tradition in Neo-Assyrian Oracles
Author(s): HALTON, Charles
Journal: Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Volume: 46    Date: 2009   
Pages: 50-61
DOI: 10.2143/ANES.46.0.2040709

Abstract :
The purpose of this article is to begin the evaluation of the rhetorical aims and strategies of the use of allusions within Neo-Assyrian oracles. These allusions are to some of the most prominent texts within the Mesopotamian literary stream of tradition: Adapa and the South Wind, Atra-ḫasīs, and the Gilgameš Epic. The authors borrowed imagery from these works and fused it with their own rhetorical purposes. Prophets even used allusions that contained a complex set of apparently conflicting associations. The use of subtle allusions that often contain complex associations should cause modern readers to more greatly appreciate the rhetorical abilities of the Neo-Assyrian prophets.

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