Publisher's Synopsis
Delve into a profound reevaluation of the relationship between the chief Israelite deity, Yahweh, and his people in "The Divine Body: Revisiting Yahweh's Relationship with Israel." This thesis questions the prevailing interpretations of Yahweh's connection with Israel, often depicted through the marriage metaphor in which Yahweh is the husband and Israel the wife, using sexual language to convey expectations and feelings.
The work challenges the notion that divine sexuality is 'pagan' and that Yahweh 'transcends' it. To provide historical context, it examines ancient West Asian literature from Sumer, Ugarit, and Egypt, which boldly portrays divine sexuality. The thesis then scrutinizes various biblical passages, including those structured by the marriage metaphor (Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah) and others that touch on themes like bones, temples, urination, circumcision, and loins.
