An Egyptian View of the Monotheism of Second Isaiah
This article reexamines the contested issue of the nature of the monotheism of Second Isaiah. I approach this subject with an interdisciplinary method that compares the declarations of monotheism in Second Isaiah with those in ancient Egyptian religious texts (primarily hymns). I argue that the Egyp...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
Published: |
2024
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In: |
The catholic biblical quarterly
Year: 2024, Volume: 86, Issue: 1, Pages: 15-36 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Jesaja 40-55
/ Monotheism
/ Ancient Egyptian
/ Egypt (Antiquity)
/ Egyptian language
/ Literature
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IxTheo Classification: | BC Ancient Orient; religion HB Old Testament TB Antiquity |
Further subjects: | B
Polytheism
B Second Isaiah B Monotheism B Egypt B Egypt and the Bible |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | This article reexamines the contested issue of the nature of the monotheism of Second Isaiah. I approach this subject with an interdisciplinary method that compares the declarations of monotheism in Second Isaiah with those in ancient Egyptian religious texts (primarily hymns). I argue that the Egyptian material may illuminate the monotheistic declarations of Second Isaiah by setting those declarations in a cross-cultural ancient Near Eastern rhetorical context. This comparative approach reinforces the reading of the text that sees Second Isaiah's monotheism as a monotheism of perspective that exalts Yhwh above the gods of the nations, rather than as a strict ontological monotheism that altogether denies the existence of deities other than Yhwh. This article, accordingly, makes the additional case for the utility of Egyptian evidence in topics related to critical biblical scholarship. |
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ISSN: | 2163-2529 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: The catholic biblical quarterly
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