Media and Monotheism (eBook)

Cover 1
Titel 4
Preface???????????????????????????? 8
Acknowledgments???????????????????????????????????????????? 10
Table of Contents 12
Abbreviations???????????????????????????????????????? 14
Introduction?????????????????????????????????????? 20
Chapter 1: Images, Writing and Money: Three Media and the Rise of Monotheism 23
1.1 The Visual, the Textual, and the Numerical in the Earliest Notation-Systems???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 23
1.2 The Earliest Alphabets and the Changing Constellation of the Visual, the Textual, and the Numerical???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 27
1.3 The Development of Writing in the Context of the Division of Labour???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 31
1.4 Presence, Representation, and Abstraction in Ancient Religions?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 33
1.41 Presence and Representation in (the Study of) Religion???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 34
1.411 Spoken Language and Written Texts: ‘Orality and Literacy’ and the ‘Technology of Writing’???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 39
1.412 Writing and Images, Verbal and Visual Representation, and Abstraction???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 47
1.413 Money, Representation, and Abstraction?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 51
1.5 Media and Monotheism?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 52
1.51 What Is a Medium??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 52
1.52 What Is Monotheism??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 56
1.521 ‘Monotheism’, Its Detractors, and the Question of Other ‘Monotheisms’ Influencing the Development of the Yahweh Religion?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 57
1.53 The Structure of the Present Study???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 70
Chapter 2: The Word–Image Dialectic and the ‘Production of Presence’?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 74
2.1 Conceptualisations of Divine Presence in Mesopotamia and in Greece?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 75
2.2 Early Conceptualisations of Divine Presence in Israel and in Pre-Exilic Judah: Judges 17–18???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 84
2.3 The Problem of Aniconism?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 89
2.4 Prophecy and the Word–Image Dialectic???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 93
2.41 Hosea?????????????????????????????????? 93
2.42 Deutero-Isaiah???????????????????????????????????????????????????? 99
2.421 The Terminology Used in the Anti-Idol Polemics of Isaiah 40–55?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 102
2.422 Anti-Idol Polemics in Isaiah 40–55 – a Dialogue with Genesis 1:26–27, Interpreted against the Background of Deuteronomy 4???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 106
2.423 Anti-Idol Polemics and Monotheism???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 111
2.43 Jeremiah???????????????????????????????????????? 113
2.44 Ezekiel?????????????????????????????????????? 121
2.5 The Word–Image Dialectic in the Hexateuch???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 127
2.51 Genesis 1:26–27?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 127
2.52 Exodus: the Acousmatic Voice, Writing, and Images?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 134
2.521 Media in the Book of Exodus: Voices???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 135
2.522 Exodus 3: Hearing the Voice???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 136
2.523 Exodus 19 and 20: Hearing and Seeing – Experiencing the Divine Presence???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 138
2.524 Exodus 24: Yahweh’s Visuality and Visibility, His Voice, His Speech, and Its Notation???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 139
2.525 Exodus 32–34: Writing and Image???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 142
2.526 Media and Presence in the Book of Exodus: Anthropological Facts, Theological Statements???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 145
2.53 Deuteronomy 4: A New View of Reality???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 146
2.531 The Structure and Content of Deuteronomy 4:1–40???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 147
2.532 The Representation of Yahweh in Deuteronomy 4 as an Expression of Theoretical Monotheism?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 148
2.533 Absence and Presence, Word and Image – and the Uses of Divine and Human Writing???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 152
2.534 The ‘Dialectic of Seeing and Hearing’, the Deuteronomistic ‘Name Theology’, and the Signifier and the Signified???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 159
2.54 Writing, Memory, and Divine Presence in Deuteronomy and Joshua???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 167
2.6 From Images to Writing, from Presence to Representation : The Transition towards ‘Metaphysics’ and Monotheism???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 178
2.7 Writing as a Human Technology and as a Divine Activity in the Hebrew Bible?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 190
2.8 The (Spoken) Word and ‘Real Presence’, Writing, and Individuation???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 193
Chapter 3: Money, the Self, the State – and God???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202
3.1 On (Value-)Abstraction and the Origins of Money???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 203
3.2 The Judahite Weight System, Pre-Coinage Money, and the Rise of Coinage?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 210
3.3 Value-Abstraction, Writing, and the Rise of a New Social Formation?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 215
3.4 Value-Abstraction, the Subject/Object Divide, and Monotheism?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 225
Chapter 4: Representation through Abstraction: A ‘Progress in Intellectuality’????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 230
4.1 Writing, Pictorial Representation, and Aniconicity?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 230
4.2 A ‘Progress in Intellectuality’??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 231
4.3 The Image and the (Spoken and Written) Name???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 233
4.4 From Presence to Representation: The ‘Progress in Intellectuality’ Revisited?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 235
Chapter 5: Representation, the Rise of the Subject, and the Emergence of Monotheism: Summary and Outlook 243
5.1 The Judahite Transition to Monotheism???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 243
5.2 Israelite Monotheism – a Product of the ‘Axial Age’??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 254
Bibliography?????????????????????????????????????? 260
Index of Sources?????????????????????????????????????????????? 296
Index of Names?????????????????????????????????????????? 302
Index of Subjects???????????????????????????????????????????????? 307