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This study primarily aims to demonstrate that: 1.) the background material for Isa. 24-27 is Canaanite, as represented in the north Canaanite Ba’al tradition of Ugarit, 2.) Isa. 24-27 is not a series of isolated allusions to various segments of the Bal’al Myth, but a coherent framework and narrative progression that has been intentionally adopted from the Ba’al-Mot Myth, and 3.) the function of Isa. 24-27 is to describe the eternal and cosmic kingship of YHWH, while condemning Canaanite deities (i.e. E1, Ba’al and his rpum, Mot, Litan, Shapash, and perhaps Asherah) and cult institutions (i.e. Ba’al worship, the asherim and the marzēah). This indicates that the message of Isa. 24-27 is in keeping with the kingship and anti-idolatry themes present elsewhere in Isaiah. With this interpretation, there is a polemic continuity between Isa. 7-13, Isa. 14-23, and Isa. 24-27. It better connects Isa. 24-27 and Isa. 28. This study begins by reviewing the recent history of interpretation of Isa. 24-27. In Chapter Two various interpretations of the Ba’al Myth are reviewed, and an alternative interpretation is proposed. Chapter Three investigates the nature and functions of chthonic deities throughout the ancient Near East, and compares them to מָוֶת in the Hebrew Bible, with particular reference to Isa. 25:6-8. Chapter Four begins with an exegetical analysis of Isa. 25:6-8, which is followed by an inquiry into banqueting practices and banqueting in the mythic literature of the ancient Near East. Chapter Five seeks to define the marzēah in Ugarit, and also distinguishes between the funerary marzēah and other types of marzēah gatherings. Chapter Six argues that Mesopotamian and Egyptian myths influenced the Ugaritic conceptualisation of Litan, but that only these Ugaritic Litan traditions had a direct influence on the Hebrew Bible’s conceptualisation of Leviathan. The chapter concludes that Leviathan in Isa. 27:1 is part of the polemic against Mot and the establishing of YHWH’s cosmic kingship over every enemy, including Death and its allies. Chapter Seven is an analysis of the Ugaritic-Hebrew parallel word pairs in Isa. 24-27. Chapter Eight looks into additional evidence of the Ugaritic background in Isa. 24-27. Chapter Nine details the evidence of a Ugaritic background to Isa. 28, and defines the connections between Isa. 24-27 and 28, all of which contribute to the proclamation of YHWH’s kingship and the condemnation of Canaanite deities and cult practices that is evident throughout Isa. 24-28. Chapter Ten concludes not simply that there is an Ugaritic background to Isa. 24-27, but that most of the Ugaritic background material exists in a single myth, narrated in less than three cuneiform tablets (KTU 1.4-1.6). The only Ugaritic material that forms background to Isa. 24-27 and comes from outside the Ba’al-Mot Myth is related to kingship, death or the marzēah cult.

The 'chiron approach' is a well-recognised technique for converting carbohydrates and other naturally occurring compounds into new chiral target molecules. The success of this area of chemistry can be attributed to the vast array of novel methods for transforming carbohydrates that have been developed over the last 50 years. Chapter 1 describes some of the key discoveries and pioneers within the field of carbohydrate annulation. As part of the Jenkins groups' on-going studies into the development of new methods for carbohydrate annulation, we have demonstrated the ease in which simple carbohydrate derivatives can be cyclised by Ring Closing Metathesis (RCM). Using Grubbs ruthenium catalyst 176b, we have cyclised a range of substrates derived from D-glucose to give annulated products such as 307. Some of the adducts have been reduced by well known methodology to give chiral fragments such as 348 which may be used as 'chiron' in further synthesis (Chapter 2). (Fig. 10916A). We have also utilised the copper (I) triflate catalysed intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reaction to cyclise a range of carbohydrate derivatives such as 306 to afford enantiomerically pure products 400 and this represents a novel method to add to the increasingly wide range of techniques for annulating carbohydrates. (Fig. 10916B). To further extend the scope of the catalysed [2+2] photochemical ring closure reaction, we have investigated a variety of reagents in an attempt to make it an asymmetric catalytic process. The chiral diene 535 can be cyclised in the presence of a number of chiral catalysts such as 554 to give two enantiomeric tricyclic products 536a and 536b, which can be quantitatively analysed by chiral hplc. The chiral catalyst should favour on enantiomer over the other. We have considered a variety of substrates, reagents and reaction conditions, and the results are reported in chapter 4. (Fig. 10916C).