Encountering the Divine

By George W. Savran

An examination of the literary and theological dynamics of the divine-human encounter as reflected in theophany narratives in the Hebrew Bible. The point of departure for this study is a type-scene analysis which reveals a common structure to theophany narratives. Beginning with the separation of the protagonist from human society, the text moves to a visual and verbal revelation by the Deity, and records a range of human reactions to the experience. Each of the texts concludes with a description of a more externalized reaction, which marks the carrying over of the experience into a larger societal framework.

The analysis develops the underlying structural and contentual similarity among texts which have traditionally been understood as belonging to different literary genres. The discussion offers a nuanced treatment of the range of literary strategies employed by the narrative for addressing these elements.

In addition to a detailed analysis of each of the above components of the type-scene, there is discussion of issues such as the idea of the lethal nature of the encounter and intertextual relations between the narratives.

JSOTS 420

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0567043916
• ISBN13: 9780567043917
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"