Naomi Janowitz is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California at Davis.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Transliteration Chart

1. Images of Ascent

Ascent as a Ritual Practice
Analyzing Nonsense: A Functional Approach to Language

2. Introduction to the Text

The Text's Coherence, Date, and Place of Origin
The Ideology of the Divine Name

3. Translation and Notes

4. The Patterns and Poetics of Ascent: Employing the Name

5. The Pragmatics of Ascent and the Problem of Ritual Language

Creating the Words for Ascent
Creating the Forms for Ascent
Current Study of Ritual Language

Appendix One: The Textual Evidence

Manuscript Evidence
Textual Divisions and Variants
Major Variants
Sources and Parallels
Coherence of the Textual Content

Appendix Two: Old Testament Theories of Language

Notes

Bibliography

Index