Page - 27 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 02/01

The Body and Voice of God in the Hebrew Bible | 27www.jrfm.eu 2016, 2/1, 23–33 distinctions, however, are seldom quite so neat. As noted, Exodus 33 mixes strongly anthropomorphic with non-corporeal imagery, and Genesis 22 (the attempted sacri- fice of Isaac) has both God speaking directly to Abraham (vv. 1–2) and the interven- tion of God’s angel (vv. 11–12). The steps of progression over time are therefore not as clearly signposted or as linear as source criticism sometimes suggests – again the result is polyphonic. Let me next turn to the Targumim, Aramaic interpretive, or paraphrastic, and sometimes flexibly expansive “translations” of parts of what we now call the Hebrew Bible, particularly the Torah and the Nevi’im.16 In the Targumim the arguably later intra-Hebrew Bible concealment of divine anthropomorphism is clearly in evidence. The Targumim appear to have served in the first instance (probably from the century before the emergence of the Jesus Movement, i.e. from the last century BCE) as orally delivered explanations in the vernacular Aramaic, following recital of the canonical Hebrew text. From the first century CE these explanations were written down, with Targum Onqelos (of the Torah) and Targum Jonathan (of the Nevi’im) gaining some degree of authority. One very striking feature of the Targumim tradition is the eschewing of divine an- thropomorphism.17 Targum Onqelos thus routinely refers to God’s presence (shek- inâ), instead of to God directly. Even more commonplace is reference to God’s word (mēmrâ), the creative or the directive spoken word of God as God manifests his pow- er in the world. The tendency in the Targumim is to dilute or mitigate, even eliminate, anthropomorphism and directness and to move from physical to abstract imagery, even where the original intention is likely to have been metaphorical all along. Hence, Deuteronomy 30:6 says (clearly metaphorically) “YHWH your God circumcises your heart”, but Targum Onqelos has (the considerably less visceral) “the Lord your God will remove the foolishness of your heart”.18 Where Numbers 12:8 (cited above) has “the form of YHWH he [Moses] looks upon”, Targum Onqelos has the more distanced “he beholds the likeness of the glory of the Lord”.19 Where Exodus 15:3 has “YHWH is a man of war”, Targum Onqelos has “the Lord is the lord of victory in battles”. In place of “face to face”, Targum Onqelos has “word with word”. Parts of the divine body, too, are reinterpreted with more coyness – while, curiously, “hand” seems to remain 16 In the Jewish ordering of the Hebrew Bible, Nevi’im (Prophets) forms the second major literary division following Torah. 17 For a full and accessible discussion, which also provides an abundance of linguistic information, see Schochet 1966. Analogously, first-century Jewish philosopher Philo (c.20 BCE to c.50 CE), who explic- itly merged Judaism with Greek philosophy, renders Hebrew Bible anthropomorphisms in allegorical terms. Philo speaks of Jews shunning the notion that God has actual human form but explains such depiction in terms of human limitation, because we cannot conceive anything apart from ourselves, see On the Sacrifices of Abel and Cain 29.95–96. 18 Schochet 1966, 11. See also Targum 2016. 19 For a very full examination, with Aramaic text, see Drazin 1998.