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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] skies in plural?

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  • From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
  • To: "b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] skies in plural?
  • Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2012 01:36:51 +0000

Ted,

The anthropomorphic issue is a bigger philosophical discussion that does not
actually take place in the texts. I think Ezekiel's visions are the only ones
where God's appearance is seen as 'like' something, but even then Ezekiel is
describing a shape or form. To my knowledge, there is no specific biblical
text that discusses the bodylessness of YHWH — only warnings against trying
to mimic him with manufactured statues. Evidently, though, he has a voice
that could be literally heard.

From the perspective of the writers, it seems they honestly believed that
YHWH had a particular form or shape that was quite human-like. For example,
the elders of Israel could have a meal with YHWH and observe his feet and
what was under them (Ex 24.10). Interestingly, what is under his feet in that
story is a solid pavement that is כעצם השׁמים לטהר ("like the substance of
the sky for purity"). Evidently we have here a comparison between what YHWH
stands on — a מעשׂה לבנת הספיר ("a work of sapphire bricks") — with the עצם
השׁמים ("the substance of the sky"). In other words, during this meal, YHWH
was observed standing on a dazzling blue pavement that resembled what the sky
was made of. The sky evidently was perceived to have had a עצם (a
"substance").

In terms of the astral luminaries, they are seen to be ברקיע (in the
ceiling/dome). Whether this means that they are fixed in the ceiling (like
our modern light fittings) or floating close to it like, perhaps, a helium
balloon, is a little hard to figure out. The context doesn't expressly make
that clear. Qohelet seems to view the sun as an independent orb that moves on
its own. Ptolemaic cosmology saw the stars and planets and being located
within the surface of moving spheres. But whether the writer of Gen 1 had the
same understanding is not clear. I'm happy for others to shed some light on
that one. <boom boom!>


GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
Sydney, Australia




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