The Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures in Five Minutes - Philippe Guillaume

The Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures in Five Minutes - Philippe Guillaume

44. Why Were the Ancestors De-divinized?

The Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures in Five Minutes - Philippe Guillaume

Diana V. Edelman [+-]
University of Oslo
Diana V. Edelman is Professor Emerita of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oslo. Her own research focuses on the history, archaeology, and literature of the southern Levant, the development of early forms of Judaisms, and ancient Near Eastern literature viewed from the perspective of social memory. She has thirteen seasons of excavation experience in Israel. While her research tends to focus on the Iron Age and Persian period, she is interested in earlier and later periods and a wide range of topics. Current interests include local responses to imperialism, royal ideology, the development of technology and agriculture, everyday life, issues involving religion and ritual, burial and afterlife beliefs, diaspora studies, migration studies, frontier studies, social memory, ancient economies, and ancient political organization. Her numerous publications include 17 authored or edited books, 44 chapters in edited volumes, 14 articles in refereed journals, 58 dictionary and encyclopedia articles, and 128 book reviews (as of 2/2015).

Description

During the existence of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, dead ancestors appear to have been considered divine beings who could intercede with more powerful gods on behalf of living relatives. This practice changed over time, when Yhwh became understood as the sole deity who could be petitioned directly by the living in household cult.

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Citation

Edelman, Diana. 44. Why Were the Ancestors De-divinized?. The Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures in Five Minutes. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 224-228 Feb 2024. ISBN 9781800504523. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=44893. Date accessed: 01 May 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.44893. Feb 2024

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