https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/sb3978970

Reconstructing Israel: Restoration Eschatology in Early Judaism and Paul's Gentile Mission

The present study offers a comprehensive analysis of leonine imagery in the Hebrew Bible. After an introduction that discusses God-language and the theological significance of metaphor (Chapter 1), the biblical lion imagery is typed according to naturalistic or metaphorical use, along with various subdivisions (Chapter 2). When metaphorically employed, biblical lion imagery is found with four referents: the self/righteous, the enemy/wicked, the monarch/mighty one, and the deity. An analysis of the lion in the archaeological record of ancient Israel/Palestine from 1500-332 BCE is then offered (Chapter 3). In addition to finds from excavated sites, unprovenanced seals and related onomastica are discussed. The finds show: a) a common association of the lion with the monarch/mighty one and various deities; b) the presence of lion artifacts in cultic and official contexts; and c) evidence of artistic connections to other regions. Given the latter point, the study proceeds to investigate the use of the lion in the art and literature of the ancient Near East (Chapter 4). This vast corpus is organized according to rubric and function, categorizing the attested imagery as to whether it utilizes the lion as a negative image for the enemy or wicked; as a positive image for the monarch/mighty one or victor; or as an image for the gods and/or goddesses. The widespread use of the lion as a guardian of portals and gateways is also considered. In all three contexts (Hebrew Bible, archaeology of ancient Israel/Palestine, and ancient Near East), it is argued that the function of lion imagery as well as its main tenor in metaphorical presentations seem primarily dependent on the power and threat that this predatory animal represents.	
Chapter 5 brings the comparative data of Chapter 4 into dialogue with the materials presented in Chapters 2-3 in order to cast further light on the different uses of the lion in the Hebrew Bible. Similarities and differences are noted and assessed. It is argued that: 1) the lion as trope of threat and power is relatively stable across the different data sets; 2) the use of the lion with monarch/mighty one is quite different (and muted) in the biblical text when compared to the comparative and archaeological materials; 3) the use of the lion with Yahweh is similar in many ways to the comparative and archaeological contexts; and 4) the use of the lion as an image for the enemy is also similar but somewhat more pronounced in the Hebrew Bible (esp. in the Psalms). Possible explanations for #2 are offered, as is an investigation of Yahweh’s leonine profile. That profile could stem from the storm-god composite Baal-Seth or, more probably, from the tradition of violent leonine goddesses (esp. Sekhmet and/or Ishtar). A third possible source for the imagery is the use of militant lion metaphors in ancient Near Eastern royal inscriptions if, in fact, Israel’s use is not sui generis.	
Chapter 6 concludes the study by returning to the theological and metaphorical significance of zoomorphic imagery. Three appendices (lion terminology, semantic domain of lion imagery, biblical lion passages) and 483 images round out the volume.

https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/150391/1/Strawn_2005_What_Is_Stronger_than_a_Lion.pdf

What Is Stronger than a Lion?: Leonine Image and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East

it defines and limits the meaning of selem. Second, the two words are interchangeable; no distinction is discoverable between them. Third, both words are included in Genesis 1:26. However, only selem is used in Genesis 1:27, but the omission of d§mu®t does not diminish the meaning. Preuss, noting the occurrence and semantic field of the verb and noun forms for t...wm√;d defines it as a “copy,” “reproduction” or “image” (Preuss 1997:3.259). The eighth century prophet Isaiah warns the nation of Israel not to pursue lRs‹RÚpAh “the idol” (Is 40:19), since wáøl ...wk√rAo¶A;tt...wäm√;d_hAm...w l¡Ea N...wâyV;mådV;t yTMIm_lRa◊w “to whom will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?” (Is 40:18). Idols, which are creations of human hands, lack the “likeness” of the divine creator. Isaiah’s comparison is not applicable to the human, who is created in the “image...likeness” of God. The context of Isaiah 40 expresses comfort for God’s people (40:1), whose Lord has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand (40:12), sits enthroned above the circle of the earth (Is 40:22), and is the Everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth who does not grow weary or tired (40:28b). Idols do not compare. Feinberg (1972:236) notes the difference between sΩelem, which refers to human essence, and d§mu®t as the aspect of the person that changes. Both concepts evolve from the Greek and Latin father’s distinction between sΩelem, as the physical condition of the human, and d§mu®t which refers to the ethical expression of the divine image emanating from God. Although distinctions between image and likeness are noted, Kidner (2008:55) deduces that the words reinforce one another in Genesis 1:26, since the conjunction is absent

The debilitating duo : shame and guilt in Psalm 32

TRUTH AND TERROR: A TEXT-ORIENTED ANALYSIS OF DANIEL 8:9-14

Truth and Terror: a Text-Oriented Analysis of Daniel 8:9-14

................................................................................................................................................. 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................ 6 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Genre and Language Theory ...................................................................................................... 27 1.2 Genre of the Book of Revelation ................................................................................................. 35 1.2.1 Epistle ................................................................................................................................. 37 1.2.2 Narrative ............................................................................................................................. 43 1.2.3 Prophecy ............................................................................................................................. 46 1.2.4 Apocalyptic ......................................................................................................................... 54 1.2.5 Apocalyptic Purpose ........................................................................................................... 62 1.3 Method ........................................................................................................................................ 67 1.4 Terminology ................................................................................................................................ 74 1.4.1 Imagery ............................................................................................................................... 78 1.4.2 Metaphor ............................................................................................................................. 81 1.4.3 Symbol ................................................................................................................................. 97 1.4.4 Analogy ............................................................................................................................. 102 1.4.5 Typology ............................................................................................................................ 107 1.5 Types of Linguistic/Literary Metaphors .................................................................................... 109 1.5.1 Verbs/Non-Copulative Sentences/Substantives ................................................................. 113 1.5.2 Copulative Sentences ........................................................................................................ 116 1.5.3 Genitive Case Metaphors .................................................................................................. 122 1.5.4 Attributive Construction Metaphors ................................................................................. 123 1.5.5 Prepositions ...................................................................................................................... 124 1.5.6 Associated Common Places .............................................................................................. 125 1.6 Review of Literature .................................................................................................................. 131 1.7 Conclusion to Methodology and Literature Review .................................................................. 145 2 CHAPTER TWO: A THEORY OF LINGUISTIC METAPHOR IN JOHN’S APOCALYPSE AS DEVELOPED FROM REVELATION 1 ................................................................................................. 147 2.1 Revelation 1:8 – I am the Alpha and the Omega ...................................................................... 148 2.1.1 Overview of Interpretations of I AM the Alpha and Omega ............................................. 149 2.1.2 Alpha and Omega as Merism ............................................................................................ 150 2.1.3 Alpha and Omega as Nomina Sacra ................................................................................. 152 2.1.4 Other Potential Sources of Alpha and Omega .................................................................. 162

The Alpha and Omega and Lampstands Metaphors: A Linguistic Theory of Metaphor as Applied to the Book of Revelation

Genesis 1-15

Pastors and scholars alike will herald the appearance of this second volume of Gordon Wenham's analysis of Genesis as a landmark event in the critical study of the Pentateuch. Dr. Wenham devoted fourteen years of his considerable scholarship and exegetical skills to write this exceptional work. This second volume in Wenham's Genesis study is destined to be widely acclaimed like the first volume. Dr. Moshe Greenberg, Professor of Biblical Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, praised Genesis 1-15 as "one of the richest and most informative works on Genesis in English." J. C. L. Gibson, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Edinburgh, called that volume "a very good commentary which combines meticulous exegesis with keen theological insight." Writing this second volume with both the scholar and pastor in mind, Dr. Wenham makes sure that his Comment and Explanation sections on each segment of the Genesis text can be read and appreciated by professionals without Hebrew language skills. At the same time he includes copious technical notes on Form/Structure/Setting that will challenge and instruct the most capable Hebrew experts. Out of his extensive examination of Genesis 16-50, Dr. Wenham has produced a careful commentary that interacts with contemporary scholarship in a restrained, informed manner, clearly affirming from beginning to end his underlying conclusions: * that the patriarchal stories contained in Genesis are not pagan god-myths born in the Canaanite culture but, instead, are records that deal with real historical figures; * that the multi-century oral transmission of the history is accurate and believable; * that uncertainties about dating the patriarchal period in Genesis are not too great to keep scholars from placing these events in the centuries shortly after 2000 B.C.E.; * that the Genesis picture of patriarchal life matches what we know about the family names, tribal customs, social laws, and domestic arrangements of the second millennium B.C.E. Gordon Wenham has produced a commentary destined to take a respected place in all critical studies of Genesis, challenging liberal and conservative readers alike to pay closer attention to what the Bible tells us. Serious students of Genesis will applaud Dr. Wenham's fine commentary as a genuine aid for all who seek to unravel the mysteries of Scripture and to know the mind of God.

Genesis 16-50

The Coherence of the Flood Narrative

Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary

In recent years revisionist scholars have attacked the Bible's picture of ancient Israel as a fiction. While the majority of scholars reject this claim, a spirit of uneasiness remains among those who affirm the Old Testament's reliability. This bracing book provides fresh evidence for the historical value of Scripture. Written by an international team of competent scholars, "Windows into Old Testament History seeks to rebuild the case for a positive appraisal of biblical Israel. In the first essay Jens Bruun Kofoed explores the models and methods of study employed by the so-called Copenhagen School. Nicolai Winther-Nielsen then turns to the question of how best to hear the verbal testimony of the biblical texts, proposing a pragmatic approach to reading scripture. The next three essays examine ways of testing the truth value of the texts within the ancient Near Eastern context: Richard S. Hess, Alan R. Millard, and Kenneth A. Kitchen each focus on archaeological and comparative literary studies that illustrate how extrabiblical evidence can clarify debated issues and elucidate questions that are raised by the biblical texts themselves. Two case studies of the book of Chronicles by Brian E. Kelly and Peter J. Williams then demonstrate in a practical way how biblical and extrabiblical evidence can be brought together to uncover Israel's history. The final essay by Iain W. Provan returns to the epistemological and philosophical concerns which began the book, seen anew in light of the contributors' fruitful work. Attacking head-on the major issues involved in this fascinating yet conflicted field, "Windows into OldTestament History is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the facts surrounding ancient Israel.

Gordon J. Wenham

Papers

Genesis 1-15

Genesis 16-50

The Coherence of the Flood Narrative

Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary

Windows into Old Testament history : evidence, argument, and the crisis of "biblical Israel"