: Joachim Schaper
: Media and Monotheism Presence, Representation, and Abstraction in Ancient Judah
: Mohr Siebeck
: 9783161575112
: Orientalische Religionen in der Antike
: 1
: CHF 123.40
:
: Christentum
: English
: 314
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: PDF
'Symbolising' - i.e., representing through the use of media - is a more elementary, more foundational activity than the self-conscious use of the intellect. Its exploration is central to this investigation of the transformation of the pre-exilic Yahweh religion into the monotheism of the post-exilic period. That transformation was triggered by a new constellation of key media in the pre-exilic and exilic periods: writing, images, and money. The central objective is to understand how their use contributed to a decisive increase in abstraction in representation and led to changes in the conceptualisation of divine presence and its representation that ultimately resulted in the transition from monolatry to monotheism. In this study, Joachim Schaper explores neglected areas of Judahite material culture and contributes to an in-depth reconstruction of Judah's religious history in its most important epoch, and thus of one of the key developments in the religious history of humanity.

Born in 1965; 1993: PhD (Cantab); 1999: Habilitation; 2005-12: Reader, then Professor in Hebrew, Old Testament and Early Jewish Studies; since 2012: Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages at the University of Aberdeen; 2016-19: President of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament.
Cover1
Titel4
Preface????????????????????????????8
Acknowledgments????????????????????????????????????????????10
Table of Contents12
Abbreviations????????????????????????????????????????14
Introduction??????????????????????????????????????20
Chapter 1: Images, Writing and Money: Three Media and the Rise of Monotheism23
1.1 The Visual, the Textual, and the Numerical in the Earliest Notation-Systems????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????23
1.2 The Earliest Alphabets and the Changing Constellation of the Visual, the Textual, and the Numerical????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????27
1.3 The Development of Writing in the Context of the Division of Labour????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????31
1.4 Presence, Representation, and Abstraction in Ancient Religions??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????33
1.41 Presence and Representation in (the Study of) Religion????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????34
1.411 Spoken Language and Written Texts: ‘Orality and Literacy’ and the ‘Technology of Writing’????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????39
1.412 Writing and Images, Verbal and Visual Representation, and Abstraction????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????47
1.413 Money, Representation, and Abstraction??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????51
1.5 Media and Monotheism??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????52
1.51 What Is a Medium???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????52
1.52 What Is Monotheism???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????56
1.521 ‘Monotheism’, Its Detractors, and the Question of Other ‘Monotheisms’ Influencing the Development of the Yahweh Religion??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????57
1.53 The Structure of the Present Study????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????70
Chapter 2: The Word–Image Dialectic and the ‘Production of Presence’??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????74
2.1 Conceptualisations of Divine Presence in Mesopotamia and in Greece??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????75
2.2 Early Conceptualisations of Divine Presence in Israel and in Pre-Exilic Judah: Judges 17–18????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????84
2.3 The Problem of Aniconism??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????89
2.4 Prophecy and the Word–Image Dialectic????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????93
2.41 Hosea??????????????????????????????????93
2.42 Deutero-Isaiah????????????????????????????????????????????????????99
2.421 The Terminology Used in the Anti-Idol Polemics of Isaiah 40–55??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????102
2.422 Anti-Idol Polemics in Isaiah 40–55 – a Dialogue with Genesis 1:26–27, Interpreted against the Background of Deuteronomy 4????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????106
2.423 Anti-Idol Polemics and Monotheism????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????111
2.43 Jeremiah????????????????????????????????????????113
2.44 Ezekiel??????????????????????????????????????121
2.5 The Word–Image Dialectic in the Hexateuch????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????127
2.51 Genesis 1:26–27??????????????????????????????????????????????????????127
2.52 Exodus: the Acousmatic Voice, Writing, and Images??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????134
2.521 Media in the Book of Exodus: Voices????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????135
2.522 Exodus 3: Hearing the Voice????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????136
2.523 Exodus 19 and 20: Hearing and Seeing – Experiencing the Divine Presence????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????138
2.524 Exodus 24: Yahweh’s Visuality and Visibility, His Voice, His Speech, and Its Notation????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????139
2.525 Exodus 32–34: Writing and Image????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????142
2.526 Media and Presence in the Book of Exodus: Anthropological Facts, Theological Statements????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????145
2.53 Deuteronomy 4: A New View of Reality????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????146
2.531 The Structure and Content of Deuteronomy 4:1–40????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????147
2.532 The Representation of Yahweh in Deuteronomy 4 as an Expression of Theoretical Monotheism??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????148
2.533 Absence and Presence, Word and Image – and the Uses of Divine and Human Writing????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????152
2.534 The ‘Dialectic of Seeing and Hearing’, the Deuteronomistic ‘Name Theology’, and the Signifier and the Signified?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????