IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISM
For a long time, aniconism has been presented as one of the most distinctive characteristics of the religion of ancient Israel. Aniconism refers to the absence or repudiation of divine images. Such a tradition was inconceivable to Israel’s neighbours, where the care, feeding, and clothing of a deit...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of the Free State
2018-06-01
|
| Series: | Acta Theologica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/3467 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823858929657970688 |
|---|---|
| author | S I Kang |
| author_facet | S I Kang |
| author_sort | S I Kang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
For a long time, aniconism has been presented as one of the most distinctive characteristics of the religion of ancient Israel. Aniconism refers to the absence or repudiation of divine images. Such a tradition was inconceivable to Israel’s neighbours, where the care, feeding, and clothing of a deity, represented in the form of a divine statue, played a central role in national cults (Jacobsen 1987:15-32; Berlejung 1997:45-72; Walker & Dick 2001; Roth 1992:113-147; Roth 1993:57-79). The issue of aniconism has, therefore, been the subject of much scholarly debate. In discussing the concept of aniconism, this article follows Mettinger’s (1995:18) distinction between de facto aniconism (the mere absence of iconic representations of a deity) and programmatic aniconism (the repudiation of such representations). Many theories on the origins of the strong aniconic tradition in Yahwism have been put forward. Some major theories will be critically reviewed, and a new synthesis with reference to archaeological and iconographic data will be presented.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b0362d79be48494a8cc6666f68a6b67b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1015-8758 2309-9089 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Theologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-b0362d79be48494a8cc6666f68a6b67b2025-02-11T09:50:29ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892018-06-0138110.38140/at.v38i1.3467IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISMS I Kang0Yonsei University For a long time, aniconism has been presented as one of the most distinctive characteristics of the religion of ancient Israel. Aniconism refers to the absence or repudiation of divine images. Such a tradition was inconceivable to Israel’s neighbours, where the care, feeding, and clothing of a deity, represented in the form of a divine statue, played a central role in national cults (Jacobsen 1987:15-32; Berlejung 1997:45-72; Walker & Dick 2001; Roth 1992:113-147; Roth 1993:57-79). The issue of aniconism has, therefore, been the subject of much scholarly debate. In discussing the concept of aniconism, this article follows Mettinger’s (1995:18) distinction between de facto aniconism (the mere absence of iconic representations of a deity) and programmatic aniconism (the repudiation of such representations). Many theories on the origins of the strong aniconic tradition in Yahwism have been put forward. Some major theories will be critically reviewed, and a new synthesis with reference to archaeological and iconographic data will be presented. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/3467AniconismDeuteronomistTempleYahweh’s cult statue |
| spellingShingle | S I Kang IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISM Acta Theologica Aniconism Deuteronomist Temple Yahweh’s cult statue |
| title | IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISM |
| title_full | IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISM |
| title_fullStr | IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISM |
| title_full_unstemmed | IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISM |
| title_short | IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ISRAELITE ANICONISM |
| title_sort | in search of the origins of israelite aniconism |
| topic | Aniconism Deuteronomist Temple Yahweh’s cult statue |
| url | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/3467 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sikang insearchoftheoriginsofisraeliteaniconism |