The masʾal oracle: a survey of an ancient South Arabian divinatory practice

Among the pre-Islamic divinatory practices of Southern Arabia, the one referred to by the term masʾal is the most widely attested and probably indicated a type of institutional oracle. Some of the features of this ritual are discussed in an internal perspective, and outlined through a selection of textual extracts, which help delineate some of the recurring textual formulae, along with the motivations behind these ancient consultations. The recurring proclamations are also identified in the monumental inscriptions, which reveal the importance of this ritual on a personal and social level. The divine manifestation is thus stimulated to fulfill favors for the individual’s earthly life, but it is also central in the formalization of social norms, to settle disputes, to receive expiations for transgressions and sometimes even to identify the perpetrators of crimes. It seems that the masʾal oracle was not intended to foretell future events, but rather to elicit divine intervention in a short-term horizon. The main oracular deities are also reviewed, and an attempt is made to identify possible major oracular shrines within South Arabia. The procedure by which the oracle is questioned, and the ritual actors involved are also among the topics covered, although both points remain largely undefined based on the current fragmentary documentation.