Yahweh and the Origins of Ancient Israel
by Nissim Amzallag
This book advances a new perspective on the birth of ancient Israel combining the archaeological data and biblical sources through the discovery of the metallurgical background of ancient Yahwism. It should concern archaeologists, biblical scholars, and readers with an interest in the development of the religions based on the biblical tradition.
Hardcover
English
Brand New
Publisher Description
In this book, Nissim Amzallag offers new perspectives on the birth of ancient Israel by combining recent archaeological discoveries with a new approach to ancient Yahwism. He investigates the renewal of the copper industry in the Early Iron Age Levant and its influence on the rise of new nations, and also explores the recently identified metallurgical context of ancient Yahwism in the Bible. By merging these two branches of evidence, Amzallag proposes that the roots of YHWH are found in a powerful deity who sponsored the emancipation movement that freed Israel from the Amorite/Egyptian hegemony. Amzallag identifies the early Israelite religion as an attempt to transform the esoteric traditions of Levantine metalworkers into the public worship of YHWH. These unusual origins provide insight into many of the unique aspects of Israelite theology that ultimately spurred the evolution towards monotheism. His volume also casts new light on the mysterious smelting-god, the figure around which many Bronze Age religions revolved.
Author Biography
Nissim Amzallag is Associate Researcher in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Ben Gurion University. He is the author of more than fifty papers and three books, most recently Psalm 29: A Canaanite Hymn to YHWH in the Psalter (Peeters, 2021).
Table of Contents
Part I. The Movement of Emancipation in the Southern Levant: 1. Baal and the Amorite hegemony; 2. Israel and the Amorites; 3. The fraternal alliance in the Southern Levant; 4. The substratum of the movement of emancipation; Part II. The Primeval Identity of YHWH: 5. The metallurgical background of ancient Yahwism; 6. YHWH and El; Part III. The Conception of Israel: 7. The Israelite singularity; 8. The exodus-conquest ideology; 9. Integrative Yahwism.
Promotional
Promotes a new understanding of the emergence of early Israel, founded on the previously ignored metallurgical background of ancient Yahwism.
Promotional "Headline"
Promotes a new understanding of the emergence of early Israel, founded on the previously ignored metallurgical background of ancient Yahwism.
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