The Silent God

The silence of God is a recurring theme in modern reflection. It is not only addressed in theology, religious studies and philosophy, but also in literary fiction, film and theatre. The authors show that the concept of a silent deity emerged in the ancient Near East (including Greece). What did the Ancients mean when they assumed that under circumstances their deities remained silent? What reasons are discernable for silence between human beings and their gods? For the first time the close interrelation between the divine and the human in the revelatory process is demonstrated here on the basis of a wealth of translated ancient texts. In an intriguing epilogue, the authors explore the theological consequences of what they have found.

Marjo C.A. Korpel, D.D. (1990), Theological University, Kampen, is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Utrecht University. Her publications concern Canaanite and Israelite religion, as well as Old Testament exegesis. Among her books are A Rift in the Clouds: Ugaritic and Hebrew Descriptions of the Divine (Ugarit-Verlag, 1990) and The Structure of the Book of Ruth (Van Gorcum, 2001). She is the Executive Editor of the Pericope series.

Johannes C. de Moor, Ph.D. (1971), Free University, Amsterdam, is emeritus Professor of Semitic languages of the Theological University Kampen, Netherlands. He has published extensively on Ugaritic, Hebrew and Targumic Aramaic. He is editor of many international publications and is a honorary member of several learned societies.