3-Week SASA Reading Group: Origins: Studies in the Cosmogony of the Ancient Near East

Have you ever wondered about the origins of life and the universe? If you have, you are not alone. The ancients sought to answer these questions of “origins” as well through what scholars call cosmogony (how the physical world came into being) and cosmology (how the world functions). This reading group will explore various understandings of the world and how it came into being by exploring the cosmogonies and cosmologies of the ancient Near East. Through primary source readings from Mesopotamia (Enki and the World Order, Enūma Eliš), Egypt (Memphite Theology, various coffin and pyramid texts), and the Levant (Genesis 1-2, Psalm 104) students will see that we share much in common with the ancients. Today, we are just as concerned with our environment and how we ought to relate to it to ensure flourishing. Equally so, we all want to know who we are with reference to the world…