Texts in Conversation
The Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon require oath-takers to report disloyal speech against the Assyrian crown prince, even from prophets. In Deuteronomy, Moses demands similar loyalty to God, commanding Israel to reject prophets who advocate for other gods.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 13:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods”—gods whom you have not previously known—“and let us serve them.” 3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being. 4 You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. 5 As for that prophet or dreamer, he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge evil from among you.
The Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon §§9–11
Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty (SAA 2 6)
Ancient Near East, Assyrian
101 You shall not sin against Assurbanipal, the great crown prince designate, whom Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, has ordered for you, nor against his brothers, sons by the same mother as Assurbanipal, the great crown prince designate, concerning whom he has concluded (this) treaty with you; you shall not bring your hands to (do) evil against them nor make insurrection or do anything which is not good to them. 108 If you hear any evil, improper, ugly word which is not seemly nor good to Assurbanipal, the great crown prince designate, son of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, your lord, either from the mouth of his enemy or from the mouth of his ally, or from the mouth of his brothers or from the mouth of his uncles, his cousins, his family, members of his father's line, or from the mouth of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, or from the mouth of a prophet, an ecstatic, an inquirer of oracles, or from the mouth of any human being at all, you shall not conceal it but come and report it to Assurbanipal, the great crown prince designate, son of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria. 123 You shall not do (anything) that is evil and improper to Assurbanipal the great crown prince designate, whom Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, has ordered for you; you shall not seize him and put him to death, nor hand him over to his enemy, nor oust him from the kingship of Assyria, nor sw[ear an oa]th to any other king or any other lord.
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Notes and References
“... CC's replacement of Hammurabi with Yahweh parallels Deuteronomy's replacement of the Neo-Assyrian monarch of vassal treaties with Yahweh. This may be seen in a comparison of Deuteronomy 13 with VTE §§10 and 12: 2 If in your midst a prophet or dream-dreamer arises... 3 ...saying "Let us follow after other gods..." 4 Do not listen to words of that prophet or dream-dreamer.... [...] §10 If you hear any evil, improper, ugly word which is not seemly nor good to Assurbanipal...from the mouth of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, or from the mouth of a prophet, ecstatic, an inquirer of oracles..., you shall not conceal it but come and report it to Assurbanipal. [...] The correspondences here, along with other correspondences, indicate that Deuteronomy has used Assyrian treaty (or treaties) in its formulation. It has created obligations of loyalty to the biblical deity by converting the Assyrian king into Yahweh. ...”
Wright, David P.
Inventing God's Law: How the Covenant Code of the Bible Used and Revised the Laws of Hammurabi
(p. 293) Oxford University Press, 2009
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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