The work of Egyptologists, scholars in Ancient Oriental Studies and biblical exegesis concentrates on texts which are translated, commented on, and used as sources. The production and reception of texts in these closely interrelated cultures hardly seems comparable to corresponding models in our world. The present volume resulted from a conference on those differences and commonalities, and addresses the question of what constitutes a linguistic "text" in the cultures referred to. It presents papers on the reconstruction of culturally specific concepts of text from the perspective of the disciplines concerned.