The Personhood of God: Biblical Theology, Human Faith and the Divine Image
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A fascinating exploration of the many faces of God and what they reveal about our own humanityHe was a whole pantheon in Himself.... He constantly appeared in many and ever-changing roles lest He be frozen and converted into the dumb idols He Himself despised. God was a polyvalent personality who, by mirroring to man His many faces, provided the models that man so needed to survive and flourish. This is the true humanity of God. -from the Introduction In scholarly but accessible terms, with many startling and controversial insights, renowned Bible scholar Dr. Yochanan Muffs examines the anthropomorphic evolution of the Divine Image-from creator of the cosmos to God the father, God the husband, God the king, God the "chess-player," God the ultimate master-and how these different images of God have shaped our faith and world view. Muffs also examines how expressions of divine power, divine will and divine love throughout the Bible have helped develop the contemporary human condition and our enriching dialectic between faith and doubt.
ForewordIntroduction : monotheism, anthropomorphism, and the personhood of God11Paganism and biblical religion92The essence of biblical process193Theological anthropomorphism294The Gods and the law355Family and nation : two versions of national formation456Biblical anthropomorphism557The living machine618Divine aspirations : four aspects of kingship659Power, love, and justice : the positive expression of the divine will8310On the uses of divine power8911Image and imagination in the Bible9712Theology and poetics10313Toward a phenomenology of the senses11314Intent, volition, and the roots of rabbinic prayer12315Joy in the liturgy13316Love and alacrity in other liturgies14517The priestly benediction15118God and the world15919A Jewish view of God's relation to the world17120Judaism and secular culture17921On the demythologizing of religion189
