Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Kevin Graham" <kevlds AT hotmail.com>]

Hi Karl,

I think what you describe fits the allegorical method of interpretation 
best.


“The Jewish Hellenist Aristobulus was interrogated by his King about certain 
passages in the Bible, in which the hands, arms, face, legs, walking and 
resting of God are mentioned.”(A. Marmorstein, “Anthropomorphisms in the 
Earliest Haggada of the Diaspora,” in The Doctrine of Merits in Old 
Rabbinical Literature and The Old Rabbinic Doctrine of God, p.3) Aristobulus 
(160 B.C.), was the first Jew to use this allegorical method of 
interpretation. For Aristobulus, “the story of God's appearance on Mt. 
Sinai,” reveals the truth in allegory, as it represents “the coming into the 
world of the divine power which pervades the universe and proclaims the 
inaccessible light. The enormous multitude and the size of the encampment 
about Sinai indicate that God's presence is not confined to one locality, 
for he is everywhere.”(Robert P. Casey, “Clement of Alexandria and the 
Beginnings of Christian Platonism,” Harvard Theological Review 18 (1925): 
87)

Of course, none of this apologetic has anything to do with Moses or the 
Ancient view according to Judaism.


> From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
> To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] physical attributes, was  Doctorates (PhD or ThD?)
> Date: Tue, 06 Sep 2005 09:47:04 -0500
>
> I have read a third option, with which I
> agree, which states that often the
> references to body parts refer not to the
> physical objects, but to actions. An
> "upraised arm" is one that is involved with
> ction, such as work or warring. "Open eyes"
> are looking. A reference to "feet" points to
> mAccording to Casey, ovement. And so forth.
>
> I wonder if metaphor is a sufficient term to
> apply to such thinking? In a society where
> action seems to have been the basis of
> thought (contrast to most Western philosophy
> where form, hence also physical, forms the
> basis of consideration), would not much that
> we would take as descriptions of form be
> references to actions? It seems so to me.
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Peter Kirk" <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
> >
> > On 06/09/2005 02:08, Kevin Graham wrote:
> >
> > ...
> >
> > >
> > > Ancient Judaism understood God anthropomorphically. He had human
> > > form. Yahweh was enthroned in the temple, and had humanity
> > > created after his image. This eventually took a drastic turn
> > > towards the abstract, however, when Judaism became hellenized.
> > > Particularly with Arisobulus.
> >
> >
> > I think you would have to work hard to support your thesis that anyone,
> > at least in the theological mainstream which condemned idolatry,
> > believed that Yahweh had literal body parts, that the language about his
> > body parts is to be understood as anything other than metaphorical.
> > Sure, the Hebrew Bible authors could write for example that God had eyes
> > - but also that these eyes run around, 2 Chronicles 16:9 and Zechariah
> > 4:10. This can only be metaphorical language.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Peter Kirk
> > peter AT qaya.org (personal)
> > peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
> > http://www.qaya.org/
>
> --
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