The Lord God of Gods : Divinity and Deification in Early Judaism / Silviu Bunta.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bunta, Silviu, Author.

Series:

Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures and its Contexts ; 35

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

God (Judaism).

Judaism--History--Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D.

Judaism.

Judaism--History--To 70 A.D.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (357 p.)

Place of Publication:

Piscataway, NJ : Gorgias Press, [2021]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The investigation of this book into early Jewish experiences of God begins with calls to discard any categorical and definitional approaches to the literature of early Judaism, and several enduring preconceptions about its mysticism and theology (particularly the relegation of its mysticism to particular texts and themes, and the molding of its theology in the image of medieval and post-medieval Jewish and Christian monotheisms). With this abandonment, the symbolic language of early Jewish texts gives sharper contours to a pre-formal theology, a theology in which God and divinity are more subjects of experience and recognition than of propositions. This clarity leads the investigation to the conclusion that early Judaism is thoroughly mystical and experiences a theology which is neither polytheistic, nor monotheistic, but deificational: there is only one divine selfhood, the divinity of “God,” but he shares his selfhood with “gods,” to varying degrees and always at his discretion. With some important differentiations which are also introduced here, this theology undergirds almost the entirety of early Judaism—the Bible, post-biblical texts, and even classical rabbinic literature. The greatest development over time is only that the boundaries between God and gods become at once clearer and less rigid.

Contents:

Frontmatter

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Chapter One. Introduction

PART ONE: DIVINITY AND DEIFICATION BEFORE THE EXILE

Chapter Two. The Biblical Features of Divinity

Chapter Three. The Ancient Near Eastern Context of Judahite Theologies

Chapter Four. The Other Gods—Inclusion and Exclusion in the Godhead

PART TWO: THE EMERGENCE OF THEOMORPHIC ANTHROPOLOGIES AND THE EXCLUSION OF HUMANITY FROM DIVINITY IN THE EXILIC AND PERSIAN PERIOD

INTRODUCTION

Chapter Five. Exilic and Postexilic Reassessments of the Divine Presence

Chapter Six. The Emergence of Theomorphism and the Exclusion of Humanity from the Godhead in Ezekiel 28 and 31

Chapter Seven. (Non-)divine “Mediators” and the Angelification of YHWH’s Council

PART THREE: EZEKIEL THE TRAGEDIAN, DANIEL 2–4, PSEUDO-ORPHEUS, AND THE MERGING OF THE WAYS

Chapter Eight. Hellenization and the (Re)definition of Jewishness

Chapter Nine. The Deified Moses in Ezekiel the Tragedian’s Exagoge

Chapter Ten. The Deified Daniel in Daniel 2-4

Chapter Eleven. Boundaries and Crossings in Pseudo- Orpheus: Moses as a God

Chapter Twelve. Crossing the Divine Borders in 4Q491c and 4Q427 7 I

PART FOUR: DEIFICATION IN LATE ANTIQUITY JUDAISM: CONTINUITIES AND DEVELOPMENTS

Chapter Thirteen. The Inclusion and Exclusion of Humanity and Angels in the Divine in Rabbinic Judaism

Chapter Fourteen. Adam and the Kabod

Chapter Fifteen. Adam-Light Speculations

Chapter Sixteen. The Enormous Body of Adam

Chapter Seventeen. Adam’s Body of Knowledge

Chapter Eighteen. The Angelic Veneration of Adam

Chapter Nineteen. Conclusions

Select Bibliography

Indices

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 02. Mrz 2022)

ISBN:

1-4632-4334-0

OCLC:

1291506639