The Invention of God

321 Pages·2015·4.89 MB·English

by  Thomas Römer

THE INVENTION OF GOD

T H E I N V E N T I O N O F G O D
T HOM A S RÖMER
TRANSLATED BY
RAYMOND GEUSS
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
LONDON, ENGLAND
2015
Copyright © 2015 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First printing
Originally published in French as L'Invention de Dieu by Th omas Römer,
illustrations by Fabian Pfi tzmann, copyright © Éditions du Seuil, 2014.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Römer, Th omas, 1955–
[Invention de Dieu. En glish]
Th e invention of God / Th omas Römer ; translated by Raymond Geuss.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-674-50497-4 (alk. paper)
1. Bible. 2. Mono the ism. 3. God (Judaism) 4. Gods in the Bible. I. Title.
BS680.G57R6613 2015
296.3'11— dc23 2015012161
CONTENTS
Translator’s Note vii
System of Hebrew Transcription viii
Introduction 1
1. Th e God of Israel and His Name 24
2. Th e Geographic Origin of Yhwh 35
3. Moses and the Midianites 51
4. How Did Yhwh Become the God of Israel? 71
5. Th e Entrance of Yhwh into Jerusalem 86
6. Th e Cult of Yhwh in Israel 104
7. Th e Cult of Yhwh in Judah 124
8. Th e Statue of Yhwh in Judah 141
9. Yhwh and His Asherah 160
10. Th e Fall of Samaria and the Rise of Judah 173
11. Th e Reform of Josiah 191
12. F rom One God to the Only God 210
Conclusion 242
Notes 255
Index 295

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE
Names of persons and places have been standardized to those used in
the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. For those that do not
occur in the NRSV, the relevant volume of Cambridge History has been
used. All dates are BC (or BCE) except where otherwise specifi ed. Given
that Th omas Römer oft en wishes to make substantive points that de-
pend on part icu l ar readings, translations are always of Römer’s French
versions of biblical texts, although I have usually consulted the King
James version and the NRSV for phrasing.
SYSTEM OF HEBREW TRANSCRIPTION
THE CONSONANTS
Letter Name Transliteration Pronunciation
א alef ʾ silent or glottal stop
ב beth b /b/ or /v/
ג gimel g /g/ (gourd)
ד daleth d /d/
ה he h /h/
ו waw w /w/
ז zayin z /z/
ח ḥeth ḥ /ḥ/ (German Bach)
ט ṭeth ṭ /t/
י yod y /y/
ך כ kaf k /k/ or /kh/ (kh like Bach)
ל lamed l /l/
מ ם mem m /m/
ן נ nun n /n/
ס samekh s /s/
SYSTEM OF HEBREW TRANSCRIPTION ix
Letter Name Transliteration Pronunciation
ע ayin ʿ voiced guttural (no En glish
equivalent)
ף פ pe p /p/ or /f/
ץ צ ṣade ṣ /ts/
ק qof q /k/
ר reš r /r/
שׁ šin š /sh/
שׂ śin ś /s/
ת taw t /t/
THE VOWELS
Sign Name Transliteration Pronunciation
9 pataḥ a /a/ (father)
8 ḥatef pataḥ ă /a/ (father)
7 qameṣ ā /a/ (father)
7 qameṣ ḥatuf o /o/ (off )
6 ḥatef qameṣ ŏ /o/ (off )
4 segol e /e/ (end)
5 ḥatef segol ĕ /e/ (end)
י4 segol yod ê /e/ (end)
3 ṣere ē /a/ (fate)
י3 ṣere yod ê /a/ (fate)
2 ḥireq i /ee/ (meet)
ֹ ḥolem ō /o/ (zone)
1 qibbuṣ u /oo/ (boot)
וֹ full ḥolem ô /o/ (zone)
וּ šureq û /oo/ (boot)
0 vocal shewa ĕ /a/ (about)