The Primeval Flood Catastrophe
Origins and Early Development in Mesopotamian Traditions
Y. S. Chen
Reviews and Awards
"The strength of the book is the breadth, depth, and comprehensiveness of material gathered, compared, and made accessible. It is the perfect starting point for any biblical scholar seeking to go deeper into the Flood Story's Mesopotamian antecedents." -- Elizabeth Ann Harper, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
"Chen's book is one of the most original and challenging contributions to the study of the Flood story . . . Chen's study is a model of careful, judicious argument and presentation of evidence in support of a thesis, based on wide reading, clearly articulated assumptions, and deep reflections. . . Everyone interested in the interconnections of Sumerian and Old Babylonian Akkadian literature should give this remarkable and meticulously presented inquiry closest attention. Furthermore, any serious study of the Mesopotamian Flood story hereafter will have to give the evidence it presents, as well as its conclusions, careful consideration." --Benjamin Foster, Archiv für Orientforschung
"Chen's book is a very thorough and theoretically aware examination of the literary evidence for the flood in early Mesopotamian literature." --Andrew George, Journal of the American Oriental Society
"Chen has produced a marvelous study of Mesopotamian flood traditions that has obvious implications for Assyriology—not only for further studies on Mesopotamian flood literature, traditions, and terminology but also for the study of the development of literary traditions in Mesopotamian texts." --Society of Biblical Literature