A Hidden God: Isaiah 45’s Amun Polemic and Message to Egypt
This article demonstrates that Isa 45:1–19 is a pro-Persian oracle of well-being, promising the Achaemenid emperor that he will conquer Egypt, and subsequently impugning the theological ignorance of the Egyptians. The Egyptians misspeak in saying that Yhwh is a “Hidden God” like their own Amun (45:1...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2023
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| In: |
Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2023, Volume: 73, Issue: 2, Pages: 239-265 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Amun
/ Deus absconditus
/ Exodus tradition
/ Diaspora (Religion)
/ Bible. Jesaja 40-55
/ Bible. Jesaja 45
/ Exodus (Altenglisches Epos)
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HD Early Judaism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article demonstrates that Isa 45:1–19 is a pro-Persian oracle of well-being, promising the Achaemenid emperor that he will conquer Egypt, and subsequently impugning the theological ignorance of the Egyptians. The Egyptians misspeak in saying that Yhwh is a “Hidden God” like their own Amun (45:15). The unique title, the only reference to divine hiding that uses the reflexive hithpael, was chosen to echo the reflexive formulations in Egyptian texts (including during the early Persian Period) describing Amun’s self-hiding. Two other aspects of Amun’s mythology as creator are also alluded to: His close association with the primordial chaos (45:18–19) and his identification as the divine potter (45:9). Each would have been understandable to an audience in Egypt that lived among the cults of its deities in a very hybridized religious culture. They also would have been clear to elites in Jerusalem who were in regular contact with the Egyptian diaspora. |
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| ISSN: | 1568-5330 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Vetus Testamentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685330-bja10093 |