Ezekiel's Inaugural Vision

Driver, G. R.

doi:10.1163/156853351x00094

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The description of a material called ḥašmal in this celestial milieu, in Ezek 1:4, supports this [28] interpretation. The term ḥašmal is a hapax, but the homolog terms from cognate languages designate both "amber" and "gold alloys" (Driver 1951;Bodi 1991, 82-90). In Ezek 1:4, ḥašmal is described as within the fire, from where it radiates intensely.…”

Section: The Copper Altarmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Metallurgical Perspective on the Birth of Ancient Israel

Amzallag¹

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The re-emergence of the copper industry in the Arabah valley between the twelfth and ninth centuries BCE stimulated wealth and economic development across the whole Southern Levant. Combining this reality with the metallurgical background of ancient Yahwism provides a material basis for the spread, from the early Iron Age, of the worship of YHWH in ancient Israel and neighboring nations, especially Edom. These findings strengthen the Qenite hypothesis of the origin of the Israelite religion. They also suggest that an official cult of YHWH, replacing a traditional esoteric dimension, is the main novelty of the Israelite religion. The claim of YHWH’s intervention in history, apparently absent from traditional Yahwism, is the other theological novelty advanced by the Israelites. This article suggests that both innovations are rooted in a desert-shaped form of Yahwism especially adapted to the way of life and the environment of Northwestern Arabia, the land of Biblical Midian.

show abstract

Section: The Copper Altarmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Metallurgical Perspective on the Birth of Ancient Israel

Amzallag¹

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More generally, metallurgy has been identified as an activity essentially related to YHWH, independently of any expression of anger (Amzallag 2009). This is revealed, for example, in the Ezekiel vision of the celestial universe as a giant furnace in Ezekiel 1 (Driver 1951;Amzallag 2013, pp. 164-66) and by the representation of the sun as a giant loop of molten metal that issues from the daily activity of such a celestial furnace (Amzallag 2015a, pp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Are the “Long Nostrils” of YHWH?

Amzallag

2017

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The mention of YHWH's "nostrils" ( Religions 2017, 8, 190; doi:10.3390 Abstract:The mention of YHWH's "nostrils" (ʾapayīm) in the Bible is classically interpreted as a metonymy of the face and/or a metaphor for anger. The reference to their length and even to their elongation, however, rules out any entirely satisfying explanation in this semantic context. If this term is construed as a tuyère, as is identified in Dan 10:20, the use of ʾapayīm in Ex 15:8 becomes clear. This interpretation also explains the denotation of patience and loving-kindness as ʾerek ʾapayīm (the so-called "long nostrils" of YHWH) because the air pressure generated by a blast from a tuyère (=its power) decreases proportionally to its length. Accordingly, the liturgical formulae that includes this expression (Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Joel 2:13; Jon 4:2; Pss 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Neh 9:17) praise YHWH for the forbearance of voluntarily restraining the power of his reaction to annoying events on earth. This interpretation also clarifies the use of ʾap/ʾapayīm in Isa 48:9; Jer 15:15, and Nah 1:3. Furthermore, these last-mentioned instances reveal that beyond their metaphoric meaning, the divine ʾapayīm evoke an essential attribute of YHWH. The significance of these findings is discussed in view of the duality of anthropomorphic and aniconic representations of YHWH in ancient Israel.

show abstract

Beyond Prestige and Magnificence: The Theological Significance of Gold in the Israelite Tabernacle

Amzallag

2019

H. Theolo. Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Examination of Exodus 25–31 and 35–40 shows that preciousness and aesthetic considerations were not the main precipitants of the use of gold in the tabernacle. Rather, the distribution of this metal in both the tabernacle and the priestly garments reveals a theological criterion for its use and distribution. It is suggested here that this criterion is rooted in pre-Israelite Yahwism, and that it emanates from the parallel of gold, approached as the metal produced by YHWH, and copper, its human-made counterpart. Accordingly, YHWH’s residence within the tabernacle is associated with pure gold, whereas the function of communion with the Israelites in this facility is attached to a gold-copper alloy (ordinary gold). It is shown that the theological significance of gold related in Exodus contrasts with the considerations of prestige and magnificence associated in Kings with the use of gold in the Jerusalem temple. These observations reveal a divergence between the Priestly and the Deuteronomistic sources in regard to the status of gold and, by extension, of the pre-Israelite background of Yahwism. It is concluded that the description of the tabernacle in Exodus challenges the abandonment of the theological dimension of gold and metallurgy in the Jerusalem temple in the late monarchic period or, alternately, serves as fundament for a theodicy that justifies the fall of the city.

show abstract

Ezekiel's Inaugural Vision

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

A Metallurgical Perspective on the Birth of Ancient Israel

A Metallurgical Perspective on the Birth of Ancient Israel

What Are the “Long Nostrils” of YHWH?

Beyond Prestige and Magnificence: The Theological Significance of Gold in the Israelite Tabernacle

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About