The God Resheph in the Ancient Near East

by Maciej M. Munnich

Book cover: The God Resheph in the Ancient Near East

Extent: 320 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Ancient Near East, Religious Studies

Series: Orientalische Religionen in der Antike

Series volume number: 11

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(September 2013)

ISBN: 9783161524912

7.44 x 10.39 inches

Price: $180.00

In stock

Resheph was quite a popular god in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC – especially in Syria – but during the 1st millennium his cult became extinct. Finally it was only maintained in several peripheral and isolated sites, such as in the Palmyra desert and in Cyprus. Maciej M. Munnich presents the written sources which mentioned Resheph and analyzes the features of Resheph’s cult. He emphasizes that there is no confirmation for the theory that Resheph was a lord of the netherworld. Resheph was a belligerent, aggressive god who used diseases to attack people, but who could also heal. Because of the long period of the cult and the geographical range, one can notice some local features: In Egypt, for instance, Resheph originally was venerated as the deity supporting the Pharaoh in battles, but then he was summoned mainly because of illness and everyday needs.


Resheph was quite a popular god in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC – especially in Syria – but during the 1st millennium his cult became extinct. Finally it was only maintained in several peripheral and isolated sites, such as in the Palmyra desert and in Cyprus. Maciej M. Munnich presents the written sources which mentioned Resheph and analyzes the features of Resheph’s cult. He emphasizes that there is no confirmation for the theory that Resheph was a lord of the netherworld. Resheph was a belligerent, aggressive god who used diseases to attack people, but who could also heal. Because of the long period of the cult and the geographical range, one can notice some local features: In Egypt, for instance, Resheph originally was venerated as the deity supporting the Pharaoh in battles, but then he was summoned mainly because of illness and everyday needs.

  • By (author) Maciej M Munnich

"...this excellent monograph is sure to be consulted by all serious students of ancient Near Eastern religion not only for its contribution to our understanding of a specific deity but for the careful model it provides of historical thoroughness coupled with methodological clarity, not to mention hefty doses of analytical patience." --Michael S. Moore, Review of Biblical Literature, 7.16.2015
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