Tin;
Anthropomorphism
JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
precise specification or definition of tliis Absolute can be derived only from tile conscious ronlenis
more
of soul-experience
Psycho-
and world-knowl-
edjie, tlien the orijriii of the ascription
human
characteristics to the Deity Genesis, finds an easy exiilanation; fornothinf; means so nuicli. nothing is so important, as our own conscious possessions, as. for instance, our faculties of sensation, emotion, thought. Accordingly, in our search for and discovery of the Author of all things, we attribute to Him the most, valuable traits we are awaie of; namely. tlK)se jiossessed by ourselves incompletely, in m<ie segments of a circle, as it were. Init posses.se(l by Mini in perWith regard fect measure, in the completed circle. to primitive religions the well-known epigram is certainly true, that "men created gods in their own image." Anthropomorphism is, of course, met with among all the peoples of anticpiity, not excluding Even Jahvism, before the great the most advanced. refoiTiiation by the Prophets, was not free from Anthropomorphism. It is unquestionably true that the Hiblical expressions of an anthro])omorphic nature, such as the hand of God. His arm. foot, mouth, ear, or eye, or His speaking, walking, iind laughing, merely describe in naive fashion the activity of God as living and working after the manner of human beings. But sucliexi>ressions woidd never have come into use had there not beena time when ])eople actuThat this ally had a sensuous conception of Deity. period of naive utterance was not limited to the pre.Tahvistic age is shown by numerous Biblical expressions, such as that He walked in the garden in the cool of the day ( Gen. iii. 8); He ate w ith At)rahani (Gen. xviii. 8); He wrote with His own hand upon the Nevertables of stone (Ex. xxxi. 18l. and the like. theless, this very anthropomorphic view, or, to be more exact, this authropopathic attitude this conception of the Deity as a being with affections similar to those of a human being contained the germs for the development of the conception of as being a mere tribal deity into a universal, ethical log-ical
of
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YHWH
Being. It was just this conception of YIIWII as a personality to whom neither wrath nor mercy nor love to whom, indeed, "nothing nor hat( Stages of human is alien " that, when deepened Develand eiuiobled, led necessarily to the opment. prophetic view of God; to the doctrine of a holy, spiritual Being.w ho, on the one hand, influences and actively maintains the orderly structure, organization, and system of the universe; and whose relationship to the individual and to tlie mass, on the other hand, is not conditioned by arbitrariness or momentary emotion, but is the This higher conoutcome of eternal, divine law. ception of Deity on the part of the Pro])hets determined also their attitude toward Anthropomorphism and Anthropopathism, Many jiassages of Hosea, one of the oldest Prophets who committed their prophecies to writing, will serve to illustrate this attitude. " The work of craftsmen." " the calf of Samaria." are some of the epithets which this prophet applies to the effigies on images <>i Y'H^VH. held sjicred by the people (Hosea. viii. 4. 6; .. 3; xiii. 2). Again, when the people, under the influence of their delusions. deemed it impossible that should withhold His pity from His people, he proclaimed in the name of "But I am God. and not man " (Hosea. xi. 9). Thus is so exalted above everything earthly that He should not be represented by an effigy or image lest He be dragged down into the sphere of the sensuous. Besides this. His very spiritual constitution is so intrinsically different in its
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YHWH
YHWH;
YHWH
622
essence from that of man that no comparison can be made. JIan may be overcome by a symiiathetic heart or a censuring con.seience; the character of "for he is not a man that he is firmer: sh<mld repent " (I Sam. xv. 29). Isjiiali was more practically successful in his efforts against the worship of sensuous representations of the Deity. He induced Hezekiali to destroy the brazen serpent, which may have dated back to the days of Moses (II Kings, xviii. 4). But before the Prophets, even I)avid,"a manafterGod'sown heart." as well as Laban of old, had ti niji/u'iii (small household idols in human form, used as donustic oracles) in Ills house (I Sam. xix. 13, 10; Gen. xxxi. :54). The lofty and novel conce|)tion by the Prophets of the essential characteristic of as etliical through which ethical nature, despite His sublimity and ineompn'hensibility. He has something in couuuon with
YHWH
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YHWH
man — becamea matterof fundamental importance
in
With the the development of the .Jewish religion. prevalence of legalism the immediateness of the relation between God and man ceased; in other words, the "Law " made the transcendent nature of God a postulate. Hence there may be noticed, in a few books of the Old Testament, a certain Beginning aversion to bringing the Creator into of Antidirect relations with Hiscreatures. To anthropo- the people God was no longer visible in morphism. person as described in the most vivid colors by the older sources but He was visible in "majesty" and "glory " instead (Ex. xvi. 7. 10. xl. .34 et m/. Lev. ix. 2;i; Num. xiv. 10, xvi. 19). It was no longer the actual personality of YIIWII that dwelt in the Tabernacle, but the mental image called up by His " Name " (DC) that there abode (Deut. xii. 5, 11; xvi. 2.0.11; xxvi, 2); .so likewise in the Temple dwells His name (II Kings, xxiii. 27; II Chron. xx. 9. xxxiii. 7). See Ginsburger, " Anthropomoriiliismus," pj). 202 el scq. It is evident, therefore, that the theological problem regarding Anthropomorphism that is. the endeavor to interpret the sensuous statements concerning God in the Bible so as to give them a spiritual meaning iscoeval with .Jewish theology itself. For it is obvious that there is a definite method and purpose in the consistent efforts of the nomistic writers to suljstitute new terms for those found in the ancient authorities, or to remodel entire accounts. Such revision is to be .seen, for example, in the .so-called " priestly code " where all theophanies are consistently omitted, and "the word " or "the presence of God" substituted for them. This reluctance to offend the Deity by anthropomorphic utterances concerning His person grew stronger with time, so that the use of the name which was felt to be a proper name, in contradistinction to the other appellations of the Deity in the Bible, was thereafter avoided (see Adon.^i). Aversion to Anthropomorphism exercised a great influence upon the men of the "Great Synagogue," who undertook to establish a sacred canon. For the more the belief in the letter increased, of the the more zealously did the leading Great Syu- spirits of Israel endeavor to bring the Scripture into harmony with their agogue. purer religious and ethical views. Quite unobjectionalile as it had seemed to the old, naive .ludaism that God should say. "I will dwell in your midst," in a later age, when the idea of the transcendence of God had become the i>revalent one, and the ancient simplicity of thought had disap]ieared. offense was taken at such an expression,
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YHWH,
Men
cause you to dwell " was favorite phrase of the ancient
and the phrase "I
shall
substituted for
A
it.
