Exploring the Garden of Uzza 13 In spite of the difficulties of 1,29-30, it would appear that the book of Isaiah contains within it a handful of texts illustrating or alluding to the close association of gardens with death and burial; these texts also suggest that garden burials were credited with a certain religious value—a possibility which has been overlooked by most commenta- tors (48). It is not unreasonable, therefore, to propose that the Garden of Uzza is not a pleasure garden, but a mortuary garden, akin to the twng of Isa 65,3-5; 66,17 and perhaps also those of 1,29-30. Indeed, it may be that biblical ˆg/hng is, in certain contexts, better rendered “mortuary garden”, or even “cemetery”. Whilst this last is an attractive proposal, the limited attestations of biblical ˆg/hng in clear mortuary contexts preclude a more secure conclusion. However, this proposal does find notable support in Ugaritic religious practice. 2. A royal mortuary garden at Ugarit The important place of the royal cult of deified or divinized dead ancestors at Ugarit is well known, though its details remain a focus for lively debate. Amidst the wealth of liturgical texts relating to this important aspect of Ugaritic monarchy is a description of a series of sacrifices and other offerings made by, or with the participation of, the king and his children (KTU 1.106). The offerings appear to be donated to various members of the divine realms, including the royal dead ancestors (49) and rπp, a deity frequently associated with the dead (50). Strikingly, the designation given to one of the palace cult places in which these rituals occur is gn (lines 22, 23), which in Ugaritic, as in Biblical Hebrew, usually means “garden”. Moreover, the time at which this festival occurs is a spring month, which itself is designated gn (usually rendered in this context “Gannu”), perhaps reflecting the (48) Cf. N. WYATT, “‘Supposing Him to be the Gardener’ (John 20,15): A Study of the Paradise Motif in John”, ZNW 81 (1990) 21-38. Wyatt’s article includes a brief discussion of biblical references to the Garden of Uzza, though it does not refer to the garden cults of Isaiah. (49) See G. DEL OLMO LETE, Canaanite Religion According to the Liturgical Texts of Ugarit (Bethesda, MD 1999; repr. Winona Lake, IN 2004) 168-171, 220, 226, 229, and the literature cited there. (50) See, for example, P. XELLA, “Le dieu Rashap à Ugarit”, AAAS 29-30 (1979-80) 145-162; H. NIEHR, “Zur Entstehung von Dämonen in der Religions- gechichte Israels. Überlegungen zum Weg des Reπep durch die nordwest- semitische Religionsgeschichte”, Die Dämonen–Demons (eds. A. LANGE – H. LICHTENBERGER – K.E. DIETHARD RÖMHELD) (Tübingen 2003) 84-107.