“Three Bodies of God” presented by Francis Landy — an online presentation hosted by CSRS

Three Bodies of God
Francis Landy

Thursday, January 26
5:00-6:00 p.m.
DTB A110 and online
Join via Zoom at uvic.ca/csrs/events

In this lecture I will propose that there are three basic con- cepts of deity in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East, analogous to the three bodies of the Buddha. On one level, YHWH, like other deities, is dramatized as a super-person, with human thoughts and emotions. On another level, YHWH is a symbol for the values and identity of Israel. On a third level, YHWH is the basis of reality. The interaction of the three levels constitutes the dynamic tension of the Bible.

Francis Landy is an Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies from the University of Alberta, specializing in the study of the Hebrew Bible. His book, Utopia, Catastrophe, and Poetry in Isaiah (Oxford UP) will be published this year.