Introductory Matters

Abstract

Chapter One articulates what is entailed in writing a comprehensive work on ancient Israelite religion. After surveying the massive nature of the task, it describes the scope of the present work. The concept of divinity is chosen as an organizing principle. The contents of the following ten chapters are then described in brief. These include: (2) the history of scholarship on ancient Israelite religion; (3) methodology; (4) El worship; (5) the iconography of the deity El; (6) the origin of the god Yahweh; (7) the iconography of Yahweh including the aniconic traditions; (8) how God is characterized as a warrior and a family deity; (9) how God is characterized as king and judge; (10) the holiness of God; (Ch. 11) conclusion. Chapters 8-10, in addition to describing divine traits, probe how divinity can be used as a lens with which to view the lived reality of religious experience.