The Bodies of God Lecture with Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer

www.DrAlGarza.info www.HebrewNTS.org https://algarza.academia.edu/ What if the God of the Hebrew Bible has multiple bodies—and can appear in more than one place at the same time? In this eye-opening discussion, Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer (Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at the Jewish Theological Seminary) explores the groundbreaking thesis of his award-winning book The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel. Far from the abstract, incorporeal deity many assume Judaism always taught, Sommer reveals that biblical and Second Temple sources actually present God as embodied—sometimes in human-like form, sometimes as a massive divine body that fills the temple or the cosmos, and sometimes as multiple simultaneous manifestations. He contrasts this fluid, multifaceted understanding of divine presence with the more rigid views found in ancient Near Eastern religions and later rabbinic theology. Key topics covered: The difference between “fluidity” and “multiplicity” models of divine embodiment in ancient Israel. How Deuteronomy and the Priestly source (P) disagree about God’s body and location. The startling parallels (and differences) between biblical ideas and ancient Near Eastern polytheism. Why many classical Jewish thinkers rejected these biblical concepts—and how modern Jewish theology can reclaim them. Implications for Jewish-Christian dialogue and contemporary philosophy of religion. Winner of the Jordan Schnitzer Book Award from the Association for Jewish Studies and praised by scholars across Jewish, Christian, and academic biblical studies, The Bodies of God is one of the most important works of biblical theology in the last several decades. 📚 Book: The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel by Benjamin D. Sommer https://amzn.to/[your-affiliate-link] (or Cambridge University Press link) 🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more deep dives into biblical scholarship, Jewish thought, and ancient religion! #BenjaminSommer #TheBodiesOfGod #HebrewBible #BiblicalTheology #JewishStudies #DivineEmbodiment #AncientIsrael #JewishTheology