Description: In Jewish antiquity, as in modernity, titles were conferred on persons both as identifying markers of their function-related roles in society and as honorary epithets assigning specific status. In Egypt, even more so than in Mesopotamia, function-related and honorary appellations were so valued that officials and functionaries of varying stations collected the titles accrued in their lifetime and preserved them in titularies resembling modern-day resumes. Israelites serving at the royal courts in Jerusalem and Samaria, or in local administrations, held titles as well, though, based on extant sources, far fewer than neighboring countries. In the Service of the King examines the external and internal forces that shaped the use of titles in ancient Jewish society.

In this significant contribution to biblical research, Nili Sacher Fox analyzes the titles and roles of civil officials and functionaries -- including key ministers of the central government, regional administrators, and palace attendants -- in Israel and Judah during the monarchic period. For examines nineteen titles that fall into three categories: status-related titles, function-related titles, and miscellaneous designations that could be held by a variety of functionaries. To supplement the biblical evidence in this subject and for comparative purposes, For extensively utilizes data gathered from non-Israelite records. She also draws upon an expanded corpus of recently discovered Hebrew epigraphic material. A secondary focus of Fox's inquiry is a widely debated issue -- assessment of the impact of foreign influence on the Israeli state-organizations.

In the Service of the King will interest students and scholars of Jewishantiquity.

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