KJCKorea
Journal Central

@article{ART002031324},
author={SEUNG IL KANG},
title={The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament},
journal={Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies},
issn={1229-0521},
year={2015},
volume={21},
number={3},
pages={156-183},
doi={10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156}

TY - JOUR
AU - SEUNG IL KANG
TI - The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament
JO - Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
PY - 2015
VL - 21
IS - 3
PB - Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
SP - 156
EP - 183
SN - 1229-0521
AB - The central aspect of the religions of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt was the care and feeding of the gods. The problem is how to care and feed the invisible deities. To resolve this issue, the ancients manufactured cult statues made of wood covered with gold and silver and precious stones, and clothed and fed them as if they were real gods. Once created in a workshop, the cult statue then underwent the so-called ritual of the Opening of the Mouth which was designed to animate the statue so it could eat, breathe, and see. This study briefly surveys the Opening of the Mouth ritual in Egypt and Mesopotamia and examines the possibility of the existence of YHWH's cult statue in ancient Israel. The in-depth analysis of biblical and archaeological evidence as well as historical references would reveal that there was probably YHWH's cult statue in the Solomonic Temple. In addition, it is shown that some prophets like Jeremiah and the Second Isaiah were acquainted with the procedures of the ritual as practiced in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and they pronounced the supremacy of YHWH by utilizing those elements in their own polemics against idol worship. The results of this study imply that the Yahwistic cult may have not been aniconic in its incipient stage, and would contribute to the understanding of the origin and development of the aniconic tendency of the religion of Israel.
KW - cult statue;the Opening of the Mouth;Second Isaiah;aniconism;Psalm 51
DO - 10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156
ER -

SEUNG IL KANG. (2015). The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 21(3), 156-183.

SEUNG IL KANG. 2015, "The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament", Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, vol.21, no.3 pp.156-183. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156

SEUNG IL KANG "The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 21.3 pp.156-183 (2015) : 156.

SEUNG IL KANG. The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament. 2015; 21(3), 156-183. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156

SEUNG IL KANG. "The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 21, no.3 (2015) : 156-183.doi: 10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156

SEUNG IL KANG. The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 21(3), 156-183. doi: 10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156

SEUNG IL KANG. The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies. 2015; 21(3) 156-183. doi: 10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156

SEUNG IL KANG. The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament. 2015; 21(3), 156-183. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156

SEUNG IL KANG. "The Cult Statue and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth in the Old Testament" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 21, no.3 (2015) : 156-183.doi: 10.24333/jkots.2015.21.3.156