Hamori E.J. When Gods Were Men

Esther J. Hamori “When Gods Were Men”

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Herausgegeben von John Barton · Reinhard G. Kratz Choon-Leong Seow · Markus Witte

Band 384

≥ Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

Esther J. Hamori

“When Gods Were Men” The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature

≥ Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

앝 Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the ANSI 앪 to ensure permanence and durability.

ISBN 978-3-11-020348-6 ISSN 0934-2575 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. 쑔 Copyright 2008 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Germany Cover design: Christopher Schneider, Berlin

To my dear parents, Andras and Ruth Hamori and to Daniel Fleming, teacher and friend

Acknowledgments This book is dedicated to my parents, who listened to me work through these ideas for years over walks in Central Park, paint rollers in Ithaca, and everything bagels in Princeton; and to Daniel Fleming, whose integration of rigorous critique and unwavering support was instrumental in the growth of the project. He is the most wonderful mentor a young scholar could ask for. I am grateful to several people for reading drafts of various chapters, including Mark Smith, whose constructive challenges helped me to sharpen my own views, and Katharyn Waidler, whose philosophical critiques propelled me into exciting new territory. I would like to thank my colleagues and students at Union Theological Seminary, my former colleagues at Cornell University and Sarah Lawrence College, and the faculty of the Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University.

—Isaac Ibn Ghiyath

Š‹•Žȱ˜ȱ˜—Ž—œȱȱ Š‹•Žȱ˜ȱ˜—Ž—œȱ

Œ”—˜ •Ž–Ž—œȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ  Š‹•Žȱ˜ȱ˜—Ž—œȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ  ‹‹›ŽŸ’Š’˜—œȱŠ—ȱ’•Šȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ  ˜˜”œǰȱ ˜ž›—Š•œǰȱŠ—ȱŽ›’Žœȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ —Œ’Ž—ȱŠ—ȱŽ’ŽŸŠ•ȱ˜ž›ŒŽœȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ’—ž’œ’Œǰȱ ’œ˜›’ŒŠ•ǰȱŠ—ȱŽŒ‘—’ŒŠ•ȱŽ›–œȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ’•Šȱ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ ǯ

ǯ ȱ ȱ ǯ ȱ ȱ

ŗǯ —›˜žŒ’˜—DZȱ‘Žȱ)|