A fascinating exploration of the many faces of God and what they reveal about our own humanity
He was a whole pantheon in Himself…. He constantly appeared in many and ever-changing roles lest He be frozen and converted into the dumb idols He Himself despised. God was a polyvalent personality who, by mirroring to man His many faces, provided the models that man so needed to survive and flourish. This is the true humanity of God.
from the Introduction
In scholarly but accessible terms, with many startling and controversial insights, renowned Bible scholar Dr. Yochanan Muffs examines the anthropomorphic evolution of the Divine Imagefrom creator of the cosmos to God the father, God the husband, God the king, God the chess-player, God the ultimate masterand how these different images of God have shaped our faith and world view. Muffs also examines how expressions of divine power, divine will and divine love throughout the Bible have helped develop the contemporary human condition and our enriching dialectic between faith and doubt.
Dr. Yochanan Muffs, for more than four decades a beloved teacher at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), holds the Distinguished Service Professorship in Bible and Religion at JTS and has made major contributions in biblical studies, Semitic languages, the history of the ancient Near East and Jewish religion and thought in general. Dr. Muffss central work has been in the understanding of biblical text through comparative philological study. His two books, Studies in the Aramaic Legal Papyri from Elephantine and Love and Joy: Law, Language and Religion in Ancient Israel are unparalleled studies in this area.
A fascinating exploration of the many faces of God and what they reveal about our own humanity
He was a whole pantheon in Himself…. He constantly appeared in many and ever-changing roles lest He be frozen and converted into the dumb idols He Himself despised. God was a polyvalent personality who, by mirroring to man His many faces, provided the models that man so needed to survive and flourish. This is the true humanity of God.
from the Introduction
In scholarly but accessible terms, with many startling and controversial insights, renowned Bible scholar Dr. Yochanan Muffs examines the anthropomorphic evolution of the Divine Imagefrom creator of the cosmos to God the father, God the husband, God the king, God the chess-player, God the ultimate masterand how these different images of God have shaped our faith and world view. Muffs also examines how expressions of divine power, divine will and divine love throughout the Bible have helped develop the contemporary human condition and our enriching dialectic between faith and doubt.
Dr. Yochanan Muffs, for more than four decades a beloved teacher at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), holds the Distinguished Service Professorship in Bible and Religion at JTS and has made major contributions in biblical studies, Semitic languages, the history of the ancient Near East and Jewish religion and thought in general. Dr. Muffss central work has been in the understanding of biblical text through comparative philological study. His two books, Studies in the Aramaic Legal Papyri from Elephantine and Love and Joy: Law, Language and Religion in Ancient Israel are unparalleled studies in this area.