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The similarities between the Timna tent sanctuary and the Israelite tent of meeting corroborate the Midianite ascendancy over the early Israelite religion related in the Bible. The Arabian origin of the volcanic theophany attached to YHWH in the Bible and the representation of the Garden of Eden (and the temple of YHWH) as an oasis both support this conclusion. These interactions demonstrate a desert influence on the two foremost singularities of the Israelite theology: (i) the idea of man–god closeness and even interdependency free of the metallurgical traditions and inspired by the oasis-shaped representation of Eden and (ii) the idea of YHWH intervening on earth by means of explosive and destructive events related to the volcanic activity in Northwestern Arabia.
The Early Iron Age was a period of global recession in the Near East. At this time, however, the Southern Levant experienced a wave of urbanization and economic development that led to the emergence of new political entities, including Israel. This abnormal resilience apparently resulted from the renewal of the Arabah copper industry. This activity stimulated the emergence of two networks of metal transportation and working, around which emerged Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Judah, and the early core of Israel. Copper metallurgy became, therefore, a material support for the movement of emancipation and the cooperation between the newly emerging political entities affiliated with the fraternal alliance.
In this book, Nissim Amzallag offers new perspectives on the birth of ancient Israel by combining recent archaeological discoveries with a new approach to ancient Yahwism. He investigates the renewal of the copper industry in the Early Iron Age Levant and its influence on the rise of new nations, and also explores the recently identified metallurgical context of ancient Yahwism in the Bible. By merging these two branches of evidence, Amzallag proposes that the roots of YHWH are found in a powerful deity who sponsored the emancipation movement that freed Israel from the Amorite/Egyptian hegemony. Amzallag identifies the early Israelite religion as an attempt to transform the esoteric traditions of Levantine metalworkers into the public worship of YHWH. These unusual origins provide insight into many of the unique aspects of Israelite theology that ultimately spurred the evolution towards monotheism. His volume also casts new light on the mysterious smelting-god, the figure around which many Bronze Age religions revolved.
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