No Graven Image?: Israelite Aniconism in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context

This is the first in-depth study of the Israelite prohibition of images in the light of comparative material from the surrounding cultures. The author proposes a distinction between tolerant de facto aniconism and programmatic aniconism and argues that there was a development from West Semitic de facto aniconism (cults focussed on aniconic stelae) to programmatic aniconism (Israelite iconoclasm and the prohibition in the decalogue). Aniconism as such is found to be a conventional practice in several West Semitic cultures; the development into programmatic aniconism is, however, an Israelite phenomenon.

There were two main forms of aniconism in the ancient Near East: material aniconism (aniconic symbols such as stelae, masseboth) and empty-space aniconism (empty thrones). Various cultures in the ancient Near East yield important comparative material. The emphasis is on West Semitic cults with open-air cult places (high places, bamoth), which had sacrificial slaughter and a sacral meal shared by the participants and their god (represented by an aniconic stele), in contrast with Mesopotamian temples, with the care and feeding of the gods (represented by a cultic image). The author deals with the following cultural areas: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria, Phoenicia, Arabia, the Nabatean domain, and Palestine.