Esther J. Hamori “When Gods Were Men”
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Herausgegeben v...
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Esther J. Hamori “When Gods Were Men”
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Herausgegeben von John Barton · Reinhard G. Kratz Choon-Leong Seow · Markus Witte
Band 384
≥ Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
Esther J. Hamori
“When Gods Were Men” The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature
≥ Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
앝 Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the ANSI 앪 to ensure permanence and durability.
ISBN 978-3-11-020348-6 ISSN 0934-2575 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. 쑔 Copyright 2008 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Germany Cover design: Christopher Schneider, Berlin
To my dear parents, Andras and Ruth Hamori and to Daniel Fleming, teacher and friend
Acknowledgments This book is dedicated to my parents, who listened to me work through these ideas for years over walks in Central Park, paint rollers in Ithaca, and everything bagels in Princeton; and to Daniel Fleming, whose integration of rigorous critique and unwavering support was instrumental in the growth of the project. He is the most wonderful mentor a young scholar could ask for. I am grateful to several people for reading drafts of various chapters, including Mark Smith, whose constructive challenges helped me to sharpen my own views, and Katharyn Waidler, whose philosophical critiques propelled me into exciting new territory. I would like to thank my colleagues and students at Union Theological Seminary, my former colleagues at Cornell University and Sarah Lawrence College, and the faculty of the Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University.
—Isaac Ibn Ghiyath
ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱ
ȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ȱȱȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ȱȱȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǰȱ ǰȱȱȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ȱȱȱȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǰȱ ǰȱȱȱȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ
ǯ ȱ ȱ ǯ ȱ ȱ
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ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ Ŝśȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ŝŞȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ şŜȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ŗŖŗȱ
śǯ ȱ)|<s] ȱ¢ȱȱȱ¢ȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ŗŖŚ
X
Table of Contents
5.1 Mal)a4k{|<m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 5.2 The Divine World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 5.3 The )|<s] Theophany and Divine Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 6. Anthropomorphic Realism and the Ancient Near East . . . . . . . 129 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4
Anthropomorphism in Mesopotamian Mythology Anthropomorphism in Ugaritic Mythology . . . . . Anthropomorphism in Egyptian Mythology . . . . . Anthropomorphism in Hittite Mythology . . . . . . .
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129 144 146 148
7. Conclusions: The Embodied God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Index of Biblical References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
174
Index of Names and Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Abbreviations and Sigla Abbreviations and Sigla Books, Journals, and Series Books, Journals, and Series
AB
Anchor Bible
ALASP
Abhandlungen zur Literatur Alt-Syrien-Palästinas und Mesopotamiens
ANET
Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Edited by J. B. Pritchard. 3d ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.
ANETS
Ancient Near Eastern Texts and Studies
AnOr
Analecta orientalia
AnSt
Anatolian Studies
AOAT
Alter Orient und Altes Testament
ARM
Archives royals de Mari
BA
Biblical Archaeologist
BASOR
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
BBB
Bonner biblische Beiträge
BDB
The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew and English Lexicon. F. Brown, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 1979.
BerOl
Berit Olam
BH
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Edited by R. Kittel. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1990.
Bib
Biblica
BibInt
Biblical Interpretation
BibOr
Biblica et Orientalia
BJS
Brown Judaic Studies
BM
Beth Miqra
BSac
Bibliotheca sacra
XII
Abbreviations and Sigla
CAD
The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Edited by Ignace J. Gelb et al. Chicago: Oriental Institute, 1956-
CAT
The Cuneiform Alphabetic Texts from Ugarit, Ras Ibn Hani and Other Places. Edited by M. Dietrich, O. Loretz, and J. SanG $: $ H Die keilalphabetischen Texte aus Ugarit 6CB;I$ , ' $ &J 7+ !5 6CC9$
4
4
4D CBQ
4
D*
Catholic Biblical Quarterly * 7
$, %
4 4
*
& !
%
D
D
EphC
Ephemerides Carmelitica
< ,
4 68C;!
&
=$
The Theophany of Genesis 32:23-33
23
ously, Gunkel’s suggested parallels include Icelandic, German, AngloSaxon and Lithuanian stories, and include both tests of heroes against demons and monsters, and circumstances in which humans compel deities to grant them something they desire.90 However, as these two simultaneously-suggested motifs are very different, one must regard this—as in so many other cases—as the search for a literary template, not an analysis of the Genesis text itself. Many of the preceding interpretations add unnecessary complexity to the text. In Genesis 32:25, after sending his family and all that he has across the Jabbok, Jacob is left alone. The text is blunt and concise regarding what follows: “a man ()|<s] ) wrestled with him.” The ensuing description leaves no room for ambiguity regarding the man’s physical form. He cannot prevail against Jacob—that is, he is not supernaturally strong, but is fully tied to the realistic human form. He therefore resorts to dislocating Jacob’s hip. Yet even now he is not stronger than Jacob, but rather must ask to be let go! It is clear that he is in physical form concretely a man, and not simply a disguised divinity with superhuman strength. It is in the subsequent dialogue that his divine identity becomes equally clear. Jacob requests a blessing, and the man responds by renaming him, an act which reflects his divine nature. A similar concept is seen in Hosea 1:6-2:3 (Eng. 1:6-2:1). Yahweh tells Hosea to name his daughter Lo4) ruh[a4ma= (“She has not received compassion”), and explains, “for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel.” He then tells Hosea to name his son Lo4) (amm|< (“Not my people”), and explains, “for you are not my people.” Both explanations of the new names begin with a k|< formula, as in Genesis 32:29. Immediately following this, Yahweh proclaims hope for the children of Israel, saying, “In the place where it is said to them, ‘You are not my people (lo4)(amm|< )attem), it will be said to them, ‘Sons of the living God!’” Yahweh then instructs Hosea, “Say to your brothers, ‘(Amm|