יום חמישי, 31 בדצמבר 2015

The Throne Vision in the Book of Daniel 7, 9-10 as a Case Study Towards Anthropomorphism in Second Temple Literature

Rivka RavivBeit Mikra vol. 60 (2015), No. 2, An abstract


The Bialik Institute
The prophetic vision of the throne in Daniel (7, 9-10) is probably the most daring description of God found in the bible, containing unparalleled anthropomorphic revelations within the bible.  The biblical passage depicts God sitting on His throne in judgment, surrounded by tens of thousands of angels, with the color of His clothing as well as the hair on His head also described. 

    This article examines the various methods that the writers of Second Temple Literature employed to contend with this singular portrayal as well as their relationship to the various anthropomorphic revelations in it. It commences with an examination of this prophetic vision within the background of the bible itself, especially to its parallels in: I Kgs 22, Isa 7, and Ezek 1.
     The conclusion drawn in the article is that in general the writers opposed anthropomorphisms found in this description – they usually toned it down with the aid of reasonable exegesis. In one case the writer even ignored all the problematic elements. Only in the Septuagint we found acceptable of the description without any transformations. This conclusion strengthens the common notion that the creators of this Literature were anti-anthropomorphism in this period.  


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