Entertainment and Ancient Near Eastern Texts

The significance of Ancient Near Eastern Text can be witnessed within a plethora of areas in contemporary society, notably, entertainment. The most explicit examples are direct adaptations of literature emanating from the Near East, such as The Prince of Egypt (1998) and The Ten Commandments (1956), both depicting Exodus. Additionally, there are multiple versions of Noah’s Ark (1959, 1995, 1999). An example of a more indirect adaptation, making references to texts such as the Bible, would be Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

Aside from re-creating literature for the big screen, there are also multiple themes from Near Eastern literature that remain firmly entrenched in the entertainment culture. The entertainment business reserves the right to be selective in regards to appearance – and the main characters of many of our favorite films, everything from Star Wars to Gone with the Wind, utilize characters similar to heroes like Gilgamesh in that they are distinctly “attractive”.

Another theme explored is that of divine intervention portrayed in texts like The Righteous Sufferer and Job. Modern sitcoms such as Scrubs tackle the same subject. For example, in one episode, Doctor Perry Cox argues with a fellow nurse about why God would bring a fatal disease upon an innocent child, while the nurse’s claims essentially to allude to how God simply works in mysterious ways. Ultimately, there is a conclusion open to interpretation: the initial disease calls for tests that find other symptoms that at first were not noticed and now could be treated, but the child still loses his life to the ailment. In addition to Scrubs, the question of why God would bring certain conditions upon human beings is addressed in comics as well. X-Men the animated series presented Nightcrawler, a character whose physical mutation completely isolated him and brought nothing but harassment from the rest of humanity. Yet, he remained the symbol of piety throughout the series, always praying and accepting God’s way of things even through the worst persecution.