Images of others
Subtitle: iconic politics in ancient Israel
By: Nathaniel B. Levtow.
Series: Biblical and Judaic studies from the University of California, San Diego -- v. 11
Publisher: Eisenbrauns
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Winona Lake, Ind
Language: eng
Number of pages: 211
ISBN-13: 9781575061467
Subjects: Bible. -- O.T. -- Criticism, interpretation, etc; Idols and images -- Biblical teaching; Idols and images -- Worship -- History; Iraq -- Religion; Iraq -- Civilization -- To 634
Description: "In this volume, Nathaniel Levtow articulately interacts with Mesopotamian and Israelite iconoclastic traditions, locating Israelite polemics against cult images among a spectrum of ancient West Asian literary genres and ritual practices that target the embodied deities of political opponents. Levtow argues that Israelite parodies of Mesopotamian iconic cult were not unique expressions of aniconic monotheism but assertions of Israelite political potency during and shortly after the Babylonian exile. By interpreting Israelite icon parodies in this context, Levtow rejects the idea of "idolatry" as a static, native Israelite descriptive category and highlights the ability of Israelite writers to compose authoritative classifications of cult that profoundly influenced ancient and modern understandings of iconic worship practices.

He concludes that biblical representations of iconic cult reveal dynamic acts of Israelite social formation and exemplify the enduring power of the cult images in ancient West Asian societies."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Interpretive traditions : idolatry, dualism, monotheism, aniconism; title: Redescribing Israelite parodies of iconic cult; title: Rites and writing in ancient Israel; title: Ritual and power; title: Classification; title: Social formation; title: Israelite icon parodies; title: An innovative genre of the exilic age; title: Jeremiah 10:1/16; title: The icon parodies of Second Isaiah; title: Psalms 115 and 135; title: Literary history, social history, and interpretive power; title: Classification and social formation; title: Mesopotamian iconic ritual; title: The mesopotamian cult image : ancient evidence and modern interpretations; title: The induction of the cult image in Mesopotamia: the mispi ritual; title: Iconic aspects of Mesopotamian warfare and historiography; title: The enthronement of the supreme deity; title: Mesopotamian iconic politics and Israelite icon parodies; title: Iconic politics in ancient Israel; title: Iconic traditions in the Hebrew Bible; title: The ark narrative; title: Deuteronomistic iconic political discourse; title: Ezekiel and the departure of yahweh; title: Israelite aniconism or Israelite iconic politics?.