In ancient Near Eastern literature, the 'heavenly council' represents the most authoritative decision-making agent in the universe and history. It is depicted by means of various typical expressions that are extensively used. Its presentation and concept are projected from the human council system; consequently, both the divine and human councils could illuminate each other. While such characteristics are also embedded in the 'heavenly council' of the Hebrew Bible, its employment is intriguing in that: 1) generally the heavenly council is the place where the God of Israel is incomparably central; 2) the major scenes of the heavenly council (i.e. 1 Kgs 22.19-23, Isa 6, Job 1.6-12, 2.1-6, Ps 82, Zech 3 and Dan 7.9-14), which are literaraly marked-off as type-scenes, are pivotal passages since they either emphatically represent the very theme, or are seriously engaged in generating the ultimate meaning, of their literary context; and 3) such tendencies are closely associated with 'theodicy', especially when they are employed in the context of crisis in YHWH monotheism.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:568785 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Kee, Min Suc |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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