Hebrew and Jewish epic poetry

Biblical poetry such as the Song of the Sea and the Song of Deborah may be considered early examples of Jewish epic poetry, though very short by normal epic standards. Both songs are compared by scholars to Canaanite and Assyrian epic poetry.[1][2]

There are a few medieval and later works, some translations or adaptations of works in other languages, and other adaptations of Biblical material. It is fair to say that few of these achieved very wide or lasting fame, even within the Jewish community. The most lasting were composed in Yiddish. It has been argued that Jewish attitudes discouraged the promotion of hero figures, generally a feature of the epic form. It has also been argued that few if any of the works mentioned below are truly epic, if only on the grounds of length.

  1. ^ The Song of Deborah and the Epic of Tukulti-Ninurta, by P. C. Craigie, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 88, No. 3 (Sep., 1969), pp. 253-265
  2. ^ Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic: Essays in the History of the Religion of Israel, by Frank Moore Cross, Harvard University Press, 1997, pp. 131-144

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