A God of Volcanoes: Did Yahwism Take Root in Volcanic Ashes?
Since time immemorial countless scholars have sought to discover the location of Mount Sinai and the origin of the deity Yahweh. One theory, the Midianite–Kenite hypothesis, places the early Yahwistic tradition and the sacred mountain associated with it in Midian on the eastern shores of Aqabah, far...
| 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: |
Sage
2014
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 2014, Volume: 38, Issue: 4, Pages: 387-424 |
| Further subjects: | B
Yahwistic origins
B Pilgrimage B Arabia B Midian B volcano-god B Sinai-Horeb B Hallat al-Badr B Exodus B Theophany B harrats B Moses |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | Since time immemorial countless scholars have sought to discover the location of Mount Sinai and the origin of the deity Yahweh. One theory, the Midianite–Kenite hypothesis, places the early Yahwistic tradition and the sacred mountain associated with it in Midian on the eastern shores of Aqabah, far south of Canaan proper. This study combines the southern geographical placement of Yahweh's sacred mountain in Midian with biblical descriptions of the theophany at Sinai-Horeb—descriptions which have prompted scholars to interpret the events at the ‘mountain of God’ as volcanic in nature. Because the thesis of Yahweh as a volcano-god has virtually disappeared from the current scientific literature, it is worthwhile to present it once again. First revisiting the history of the ‘volcano hypothesis’ and prior scholarship, this study next advances an interdisciplinary approach and a new reformulation of the Midianite–Kenite hypothesis, combining geography, geology, and volcanology with the textual element that deals with ancient Midian and the Sinai-Horeb tradition. Finally, this study seeks to offer a scientific analysis of the texts, both poetic and narrative, which seem to indicate Sinai-Horeb was a volcanic mountain and pilgrimage site in northwest Saudi Arabia. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089214536484 |