B4PZ MATERIALS AUXILIARS PER A PREFABRICATS DE FORMIGÓ

The overall methodology of the dissertation is comprised of three tasks, with each task utiliz- ing a distinct research method. The task of Part One is to formulate a conceptual hypothesis on the basis of a survey of evidence from ancient Israelite culture, both epigraphic and icono- graphic. The task of Part Two is to conduct a typological analysis of the hypothesis in comparison with, and in contrast to, inter-cultural evidence from various other ANE texts and applicable iconography. The task of Part Three is to articulate a logical synthesis of these findings, moving toward the expression of a pre-Christian, Yahwistic, and analogical theolo- gy of light as expressed (either explicitly or implicitly) by the OT text.

The research method for Part One will be to complete an inductive investigation of the intra-biblical and extra-biblical evidence from ancient Israelite culture pertaining to the conceptual relationship between YHWH and light in the cognitive environment of the OT text.

In Chapter 2, this inductive investigative method will be based on the OT linguistic data us- ing the principles of embodied conceptualization and will systematically move from concepts in the physical domain (i.e., the most tangible) to the less tangible personal domain and final- ly to the metaphysical domain (i.e., the least tangible). In Chapter 3, this textual data will then be compared with, and contrasted to, other extra-biblical data also within ancient Is- raelite culture, seeking out the structural and orientational metaphors that offer the most co- herent sense of all the data together.

The research method for Part Two will be to conduct a typological analysis of the ori- entational and structural metaphors and modes of thought in the ancient Israelite conceptual

world in its historical and cultural context, comparing and contrasting the motif of light in the OT with that of other ANE cultures in widening concentric circles of linguistic and literary contexts. In his ground-breaking cognitive study, The Unbeatable Light: Melammu and its

Biblical Parallels, Shaun Zelig Aster aptly describes the applicability of typological parallels

in literature and, in the process, mentions a case study that illustrates the need for this kind of analysis regarding the current topic.

Certain parallels found in text from different cultures are the result of innate similarities in the human condition in different societies. These similar conditions lead all people to write about themes such as rags-to-riches, escape from evil, comeuppance, and the like. The tendency to see the sun's radiance as a positive symbol also results from a similarity in the physical conditions of human life, which lead all humans to see solar radiance as life- giving. This type of parallel can be labelled typological, since the similarity lies in the type of theme or element. Such parallels do not attest to any unique or specific link between the two culturally distinct texts. When approaching a typological parallel, scholars ought to recognize the cause of the basic similarity between the phenomena, and then investigate the different ways in which the parallel motif is expressed in each text. The differences in ex- pression shed light on the underlying values present in the culture in which each text was produced. For example, there is a universal tendency to see radiance as a symbol of power (Aster 2012:6-7, emphasis original).

First of all, it should be noted that the primary example Aster uses for a typological parallel in ancient literature involves the light of the sun, affirming what he calls a "universal tendency" to utilize the phenomenon of radiance as a symbol for power, even in the OT (Aster

2012:124). However, I do not see the specific use of light in the OT primarily as a symbol or metaphor for power, either human or divine, although divine power is certainly included in the notion of YHWH's salvation (which is compared to light in some places, especially Psa

27:1). Conceptually, the metaphor of light is linked much more closely in the OT to the con- cepts of wisdom, life, and divine glory. What accounts for this difference? Does this have more to do with how the ancient Israelites conceived of light differently than their neighbors, or with a difference in how they conceived of divinity?

In answering these questions, this study will not utilize other ANE cultural world- views as a means of understanding the ancient Israelite worldview but rather will seek to un- derstand the ancient Israelite worldview in light of the worldviews of other ANE cultures. This important methodological distinction is demanded by the theory of embodied conceptu- alization and the context-dependent nature of human language, as has been affirmed by He- brew scholars in the past (Cassuto 1961a:1-5; Barr 1968:293-295). Chapter 4 will compare

and contrast the conceptual use of light in the OT with Syro-Canaanite literature (especially Aramaic and Ugaritic), because those cultural groups bear the closest similarities to ancient Israelite culture and the literature of the OT. Chapter 5 will then analyze the conceptual use of light in Mesopotamian culture, especially Babylonian and Persian texts, but considering Sumerian texts as well. Finally, Chapter 6 will consider the OT conceptual data alongside Egyptian literature and culture, especially Egyptian wisdom literature and other religious texts.

The research method for Part Three will be to articulate a logical synthesis of the con- clusions from the typological analysis of the conceptual data, bridging the gap from textual exegesis into theology proper. This process will be more holistic than systematic, as dictated by the nature of the task itself. Chapter 7 will not attempt to articulate a fully modern theolo- gy of light, but rather will aim to construct a specifically analogical ancient Israelite theology of light (as expressed in the OT) in modern language. The goal will be to spell out what can and cannot be said concerning both the similarity and dissimilarity between how the ancient Israelites conceptualized the divine nature of YHWH and the physical nature of light. Chapter

8 will then summarize the dissertation and explore some historical implications of the theo- logical conclusions, looking to identify potential cross-cultural influences and chronological developments of thought in the ancient world. These theological conclusions are vitally im- portant not only in the context of the development of early Jewish and early Christian theolo- gy, but also in their relationship to theologies latent in other ANE cultures of previous eras. Finally, the dissertation will end with some potential avenues for further research on this top- ic and some practical applications for the discipline of theology today.

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