Hermeneutic Strategies of Mesopotamian Scholars

Abstract

Commentaries represent the best-known evidence for scholarly activities and the exegetical tradition of Mesopotamia. However, commentaries were not the only textual expressions of exegetical activity and scholarship took many different forms. The aim of this article is to elucidate the ways and purposes of the use of various hermeneutic practices other than the writing of commentaries. By analyzing mostly hemerological compilations and simultaneous bilingual compositions, a particular kind of bilingual text, this article illustrates the multiplicity of forms, functions, and scholarly strategies of exegesis and how they are deployed for different kinds or genres of texts. These alternative strategies will be compared to commentaries and their unique features and limitations will be highlighted through an analytical approach.