Persuading the Divine
On the Composition of Hittite Prayers
by Lidewij E. van de Peut
Through textual, structural, and comparative analysis Lidewij E. van de Peut examines three related aspects of the composition of Hittite prayers: their rhetorical function, the structure of the texts, and the extent to which older prayers have been reused to create new ones. This is done by reviewing the entire Hittite prayer corpus and two detailed case studies. In addition, a definition and typology of the genre is established and the unique status of the Prayer to Telipinu (CTH 377) within the corpus of Hittite prayers is discussed. The first case study examines the use and function of one specific rhetorical device in Hittite prayer: the proverb. The second case study concerns the composition of a rare example of a prayer that was created by reusing the text of older prayers: the Prayer for Mursili II to the Sun-goddess of Arinna (CTH 376.II). This text and its closely related prayers provide a unique opportunity to unravel how older prayers could be reused while ensuring the text retained its rhetorical function and logically sound structure. This study demonstrates that Hittite prayers were rhetorical speeches addressed to deities. Through prayer the Hittite king tried to persuade the gods to resolve his troubles. Each prayer is an individual and relatively free composition tailored to one specific problematic event. They were composed by learned scholars who consulted older prayers and employed arguments, stylistic devices, and various structural strategies to enhance the rhetoric of the prayers.
Through textual, structural, and comparative analysis Lidewij E. van de Peut examines three related aspects of the composition of Hittite prayers: their rhetorical function, the structure of the texts, and the extent to which older prayers have been reused to create new ones. This is done by reviewing the entire Hittite prayer corpus and two detailed case studies. In addition, a definition and typology of the genre is established and the unique status of the Prayer to Telipinu (CTH 377) within the corpus of Hittite prayers is discussed. The first case study examines the use and function of one specific rhetorical device in Hittite prayer: the proverb. The second case study concerns the composition of a rare example of a prayer that was created by reusing the text of older prayers: the Prayer for Mursili II to the Sun-goddess of Arinna (CTH 376.II). This text and its closely related prayers provide a unique opportunity to unravel how older prayers could be reused while ensuring the text retained its rhetorical function and logically sound structure. This study demonstrates that Hittite prayers were rhetorical speeches addressed to deities. Through prayer the Hittite king tried to persuade the gods to resolve his troubles. Each prayer is an individual and relatively free composition tailored to one specific problematic event. They were composed by learned scholars who consulted older prayers and employed arguments, stylistic devices, and various structural strategies to enhance the rhetoric of the prayers.
- By (author) Lidewij E van de Peut
Other Titles in this Series
Functional Differentiation in Hittite Festival Texts
An Analysis of the Old Manuscripts of the KI.LAM Great Assembly
Volume 65
Liturgie oder Literatur?
Die Kultrituale der Hethiter im transkulturellen Vergleich. Akten eines Werkstattgesprachs an der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur. Mainz, 2.-3. Dezember 2010
Volume 60
Two Festivals Celebrated by a Hittite Prince (CTH 647.I and II-III)
New Light on Local Cults in North-Central Anatolia in the Second Millennium BC
Volume 61
Schicksalsbestimmende Kommunikation
Sprachliche, gesellschaftliche und religiose Aspekte hethitischer Fluch-, Segens- und Eidesformeln
Volume 52
The Tablets and Their Scribes
The Palaeography of Hittite Cuneiform and Writing Practices in Hittite Anatolia. Proceedings of the Second International HFR Symposium, Mainz, 2–4 May 2024
Volume 73
Studies in Hittite Economic Administration
A New Edition of the Hittite Palace-Temple Administrative Corpus and Research on Allied Texts Found at Hattusa. Volume I: Background, Corpus Overview, Case Studies, Lexical Commentary, and Glossary
Volume 70
Studies in Hittite Economic Administration
A New Edition of the Hittite Palace-Temple Administrative Corpus and Research on Allied Texts Found at Hattusa. Volume II: Text Editions and Philological Commentary
Volume 71
Luwili
Hittite-Luwian Ritual Texts Attributed to Puriyanni, Kuwattalla and Silalluhi (CTH 758-763). Volume I: Edition and Commentary. Volume II: Discussion and Glossary
Volume 72
Cult, Temple, Sacred Spaces
Cult Practices and Cult Spaces in Hittite Anatolia and Neighbouring Cultures. Proceedings of the First International HFR Symposium, Mainz, 3-5 June 2019
Volume 66
At the Interface of Religion and Administration
The Hittite Cult Inventories: With a contribution by Adam Kryszen
Volume 68
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