On Deserted Landscapes and Divine Iconography: Iconographic Perspectives on the Origins of YHWH

Katharina Pyschny

doi:10.46586/er.12.2021.9263

Abstract

In light of three important trends and developments within recent research—first, the interpretation, the dating and the literary growth of the second commandment (Exod 20:4 ‖ Deut 5:8); second, the reevaluation of ancient Israel’s origins; and, third, the continuously increasing archaeological and iconographic record—the article surveys potential representations of YHWH from pre-exilic and post-exilic times in order to evaluate them against the background of YHWH’s origins. Without aiming at a clear identification of YHWH imagery, the study analyses a broad range of iconographic material: anthropomorphic and theriomorphic figurines, the motif of “the lord of the ostriches,” a cult stand from Taanach, the Bes-like figurines on the drawings from Kuntillet Ajrud, humanoid figures on a sherd from a strainer jar, the motif of an enthroned deity on a boat, the so-called horse and rider figurines and a famous Yehud coin depicting a deity on a winged wheel. Based on this evidence, it will be argued that the iconographic data can and should be included as a verifying or falsifying perspective into the discussion about YHWH’s origins. In order to fulfill this function, the iconographic evidence has to be studied without a specific religious-historical reconstruction in mind. Instead, the full range of possible interpretations and the polyvalent character of the imagery in particular should be taken into account.

Highlights

In the last decade, the question of YHWH’s origins became a hotspot within the [1] history of religion as evidenced by several recent monographs on this issue
Without aiming at a clear identification of YHWH imagery, the study analyses a broad range of iconographic material: anthropomorphic and theriomorphic figurines, the motif of “the lord of the ostriches,” a cult stand from Taanach, the Bes-like figurines on the drawings from Kuntillet Ajrud, humanoid figures on a sherd from a strainer jar, the motif of an enthroned deity on a boat, the so-called horse and rider figurines and a famous Yehud coin depicting a deity on a winged wheel
Before dealing with the iconographic material, a few remarks are in order with regard to the [10] underlying methodology and presuppositions: (a) Aniconism vs. iconism in ancient Israelite religion: One of the most important studies deal- [11] ing with Israelite aniconism has been provided by the learned Swedish scholar Tryggve

Summary

Introduction

The question of YHWH’s origins became a (renewed) hotspot within the [1] history of religion as evidenced by several recent monographs on this issue (see Fleming 2020; Flynn 2020; Lewis 2020; Miller II 2021; Pfitzmann 2020). The question of iconographic perspectives on YHWH (or his origins in particular) was [3] either never raised or quickly disregarded as jejune The former consensus of the ban of images as a theological cornerstone of the Hebrew Bible, which is an old tradition but practice as well, has been shattered in recent scholarship by three major developments on different levels of argumentation: first, the interpretation, the dating and the literary growth of the second commandment (Exod 20:4 ‖ Deut 5:8) and other Pentateuchal texts prohibiting the production and the use of cultic images; second, the reevaluation of ancient Israel’s origins; and, third, the continuously increasing archaeological and iconographic record. In accordance with the quantity and new availability of iconographic data, the interpretation of ancient Israel’s symbol system evolved into a distinct method in its own right (see Keel 1992) These trends and developments are not directly connected to the question of [7] YHWH’s historical origins, they have a significant impact on the way we approach and reconstruct the history of religion of ancient Israel including the beginnings of Yahwism. I will survey the alleged YHWH imagery from pre-exilic and post-exilic times, before elaborating on the methodological and religious-historical results of my study and their implications for YHWH’s origins in a third and final step

Methodology and Presuppositions