The study concludes that the term habba`al in the OT is not a uniformly understood proper noun but a title, “the baal”, that had distinct uses in the north and the south. In northern sources, “the baal” refers to the Phoenician storm deity introduced by the Omrides—likely unders…
This study sets forth the thesis that Isaiah used the concept of the `ēsâ (plan or decision) of Yahweh as a unique theologoumenon to express a coherent divine agency of Yahweh that manifested itself in the theological and historical matrix of the eighth century B.C.E. in Judah a…
The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the knowledge of Yahweh motif in the Book of Exodus in order to determine its significance in the overall design of the book. The problem arose out of the observation that in a reading of the biblical text, one's attention is drawn…
The book of Exodus defines the divine name [special characters omitted], providing a description of God’s character that is fundamental for biblical and theological reflection. Most have found this definition in Exod 3:13–15, in the supposedly original form “Yahweh,” which relat…
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the place of the nations in the book of Isaiah, particularly focusing on the prophecies that deal with the gentile nations positively in relation to salvation on Mount Zion. This work argues the thesis that the book of Isaiah presen…
The goal of this thesis was to appropriate the image of Yahweh as father for modern Christendom in light of feminist critiques of the image. The methods in accomplishing this task were as follows: defining feminism and feminist biblical interpretation, conveying the critiques of…
Sex appears as a prominent literary theme in Near Eastern mythology. As a mysterious power that inexplicably draws humans together and that can miraculously result in the creation of new life, sex served in these traditions as a force connected with the most powerful beings in t…
Although the Septuagint translation of the Balaam account is in many ways similar to that found elsewhere in the LXX Pentateuch, two aspects of the translation are distinctive in the LXX and important indicators of the translator's interpretation of the text. First, the translat…
This dissertation examines ancient conceptions of Near Eastern deities whose names consistently included geographic epithets, which functioned like last names. In Neo-Assyrian (ca. 900-630 B.C.E.) texts, Ištar-of-Nineveh and Ištar-of-Arbela are often included as divine witnesses…
Previous studies of Jacob's story in Genesis have treated Jacob's vow to God in one of two general ways. One way sees Jacob's vow to God in Gen 28:20-22 as a consistent but isolated moment in the series of tricks Jacob plays on other characters. He makes his acceptance of Yahweh…
Numbers 1:1–10:10 contains a variety of tensions and disjunctures that make it unusually difficult for readers. This study focuses on divine presence as a vital theme capable of drawing together this diversity. Using principles of discourse analysis, each literary unit is assume…
This study analyzes the use of the name and titles of God in the 'announcement formula' (traditionally, "messenger formula") kh `mr +PN (Kohamar Adonai "thus has said Yahweh") and the 'declaration formula' n`m + PN (N'um Adonai "oracle of/declared Yahweh") in the book of Jeremia…
"This book investigates the issue of the singularity versus the multiplicity of ancient Near Eastern deities who are known by a common first name but differentiated by their last names, or geographic epithets. It focuses primarily on the Ishtar divine names in Mesopotamia, Baal …
