Friday, December 14, 2018

William H. Propp on J and P both having an Anthropomorphic Conception of Deity

Some often argue that the Priestly (P) source is not anthropomorphic, unlike the Yahweh (J) source. However, this is simply wrong, and the biblical texts are consistent in viewing God as having a human form. As William Propp, then- professor of history and Judaic studies at the University of California, San Diego, noted:

P’s conception of God is often described as less anthropomorphic than J’s. This is a distortion. J’s Deity may be more intimate with humanity than P’s. But in J, Yahweh appears to Abram as a fire (Gen 1:26, 27; c. Ezek 1:26)). In all sources God possesses quasi-human faculties and limitations. (William H. Propp, Exodus 1-18: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary [AB 2; New York: Doubleday, 1999], 180, emphasis added)

On some of the biblical evidence for divine embodiment, see:


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