Religion and Ethics in the Conception of Authority and Governance in the Ancient Near East: A Comparative Study of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia

Abstract

Authority and governance in the civilizations of the Ancient Near East were shaped by the influence of the religious dimension and ethical values, which contributed to defining the ruler's status, the sources of his legitimacy, and his functions, while regulating his relationship with the ruled and shaping conceptions of justice and righteous governance. Proceeding from this premise, the present study investigates the influence of religion and ethics on the conception of authority and governance in Ancient Near Eastern civilizations, through a comparative study of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia as civilizational models that gave rise to distinct patterns of political organization and the exercise of governance.

The study draws on three methodological approaches: the historical approach, to trace the evolution of conceptions of authority and governance within their respective civilizational and historical contexts; the comparative approach, to discern points of convergence and divergence among the three civilizations in the ways religious and ethical influence manifested in their political orders; and the descriptive-analytical approach, to examine the religious and ethical frameworks operative within each civilization and analyze their bearing on the structure and practice of governance.

The study concludes that authority and governance did not develop in isolation from the intellectual, religious, and ethical systems that predominated in the Ancient Near East. Religion constituted the primary framework through which power was rationalized and legitimized, while ethical values prescribed the normative ideals governing the exercise of rule and the ruler's obligations toward the governed. And that this connection did not take a single form in the three civilizations under study; a divergence rooted in the fact that authority and governance in each case were forged through a layered interaction between religious frameworks, ethical values, and the distinct political and social exigencies of each civilization.