Cognitive Science and Ancient Israelite Religion New Perspectives on Texts, Artifacts, and Culture Society for Old Testament Study Monographs Series

In this book, Brett Maiden employs the tools, research, and theories from the cognitive science of religion to explore religious thought and behavior in ancient Israel.  His study focuses on a key set of distinctions between intuitive and reflective types of cognitive processing, implicit and explicit concepts, and cognitively optimal and costly religious traditions. Through a series of case studies, Maiden examines a range of topics including popular and official religion, Deuteronomic theology, hybrid monsters in ancient iconography, divine cult statues in ancient Mesopotamia and the biblical idol polemics, and the Day of Atonement ritual in Leviticus 16. The range of media, including ancient texts, art, and archaeological data from ancient Israel, as well theoretical perspectives demonstrates how a dialogue between biblical scholars and cognitive researchers can be fostered.

1. Intuitive and Reflective Cognition, Optimal and Costly Religion; 2. Rethinking the Popular/Official Religion Dichotomy; 3. Deuteronomic Theology as Cognitively Costly Religion; 4. Counterintuitive Mischwesen: Hybrid Creatures in Syro-Palestinian Iconography and Cognition; 5. On Artifacts and Agency: The Mesopotamian MĪS PÎ Ritual, Biblical Idol Polemics, and Belief in Cult Statues; 6. Ritual and Cognition in the day of Atonement Ritual in Leviticus; 7. Conclusion; Bibliography.

Brett E. Maiden earned his PhD at Emory University, where he served as a writer a member of the interdisciplinary Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture.