Full Description
This volume explores the poetic and philosophical boundaries between humanity and divinity across the Hebrew Bible, Graeco-Roman literature, and early Christian thought. Inspired by Psalm 8 and the verses of Sappho and Catullus, the title evokes the ancient tension between being human and "almost divine."
Essays by leading scholars examine prophetic transmission, divine legitimization of power, asceticism, animal symbolism, and mystical emptiness—tracing how ancient cultures conceptualized the divine-human interface. From Mesopotamian treaties and biblical naming to Latin hymnody and Indian mysticism, the volume traverses cultural and ontological boundaries.
Dedicated to Sten Hidal, whose pioneering work bridged Hebrew and Classical traditions, this collection honors his legacy by continuing the inquiry into what it means to be "a little less than a god."
Contents
Abbreviations
Introduction, Ola Wikander Lund University, Sweden and Blaženka Scheuer Lund University, Sweden
1. On the Probability of Anonymous Transmission of Prophetic Speech in the Hebrew Bible
David Davage, ALT School of Theology, Sweden; University of the Free State, South Africa
2. Legitimization of Power: Divine Approval and Human Affirmation in Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty and Deuteronomy 13
Jessica Alm, Stockholm School of Theology / University College Stockholm, Sweden
3. The Dog of Judah? Zoomorphic Framing of Caleb in Israelite Traditions
Blaženka Scheuer, Lund University, Sweden
4. Becoming Like the Virgin God: Jerome on Divinity, Humanity, and Asceticism
Katarina Pålsson, Lund University, Sweden
5. Coal from the Altar: The Neo-Gallican Hymns - Worthy Worship in Flawless Latin
Anders Piltz, Lund University, Sweden
6. "Thou Madest Him Almost unto an Indian Mystic" - Emptiness from Death to the Undying - in Qoheleth and Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin
Ola Wikander, Lund University, Sweden
Biblical Sources Index
Other Ancient Sources Index
About the Authors
