{"product_id":"first-isaiah-and-the-disappearance-of-the-gods","title":"First Isaiah and the Disappearance of the Gods","description":"\u003cp\u003eIsaiah 1–39 uses the unique term אלילים—usually translated as “idols”— more than anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Using this linguistic phenomenon as a point of departure, Matthew J. Lynch reexamines the rhetorical strategies of First Isaiah, revealing a stronger monotheizing rhetoric than previously recognized.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStandard accounts of Israelite religion frequently insist that monotheism reached its apex during the exile, and especially in Deutero-Isaiah. By contrast, Lynch’s study brings to light an equally potent mode of monotheizing in First Isaiah. Lynch identifies three related rhetorical tendencies that emphasize yhwh’s supreme uniqueness: a rhetoric of avoidance, referring to other deities as idols (אלילים) to avoid conferring on them the status of gods (אלוהים); a rhetoric of exaltation, emphasizing yhwh’s truly exalted status in opposition to all that which exalted itself; and a rhetoric of abasement, fully subjugating all other claimants to absolute power—whether human or divine—before the divine king.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuccinctly and persuasively argued, Lynch’s book will change how biblical scholars understand the nature and development of Israelite monotheism.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pennsylvania State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54021362221400,"sku":null,"price":39.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781575068398_89ac6a59-c304-431f-9c6b-bc260fc76602.jpg?v=1778560244","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/first-isaiah-and-the-disappearance-of-the-gods","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}