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  • From: "Kevin Graham" <kevlds AT hotmail.com>
  • To: kwrandolph AT email.com
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] physical attributes, was Doctorates (PhD or ThD?)
  • Date: Tue, 06 Sep 2005 15:16:04 +0000


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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