Where the Gods Are: Spatial Dimensions of Anthropomorphism in the Biblical World
in Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library
Pages
248
Publisher
Yale University Press
Published
6/28/2016
ISBN-13
9780300209228
The issue of how to represent God is a concern both ancient and contemporary. In this wide-ranging and authoritative study, renowned biblical scholar Mark Smith investigates the symbols, meanings, and narratives in the Hebrew Bible, Ugaritic texts, and ancient iconography, which attempt to describe deities in relation to humans. Smith uses a novel approach to show how the Bible depicts God in human and animal forms—and sometimes both together. Mediating between the ancients’ theories and the work of modern thinkers, Smith’s boldly original work uncovers the foundational understandings of deities and space.