Public Self and Private Self in the World of the Hebrew Bible

Karel van der Toorn

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Public Self and Private Self in the World of the Hebrew Bible

In: Religionspraxis und IndividualitÃ¤t

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Karel van der Toorn

Karel van der Toorn
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 153â167

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.30965/9783846765760_009

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Abstract

Contemporary theories of personhood tend to distinguish between the inner self of human individuals and the social or public self they project to the outer world. The two entertain a relationship of discrepancy. While the inner self is true and authentic, the social self is a mask that hides the real person. All of us have a range of personas (literally, âmasksâ) at our disposition, each suited to a particular social performance depending on the dictates of circumstance. This opposition between inner self and public self is foreign to the concept of personhood in the early Middle East. Where we have âpersonalâ religion, the ancients have âfamilyâ religion â meaning the god to whom individuals are particularly devoted is âthe god of the father.â It is an inherited identity. The same reality is reflected in personal names: they run in the family, as though the new generation takes over the role the older generation has ceased to play. In Babylonia, a man may use the seal of his father or grandfather as his personal signature. In another realm, the use of formulary prayers throughout the ancient Near East fits the reality of a scripted version of personhood. And yet the Hebrew Bible does distinguish between the inner and the outer human being. âMan sees only what is visible, but Yahweh sees into the heartâ (1 Samuel 16:7). In all of this, the article asks whether the Bible is more modern than we would like to believe, or perhaps we are less different than we would like to believe.

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Religionspraxis und IndividualitÃ¤t

Die Bedeutung von PersÃ¶nlicher FrÃ¶mmigkeit und Family Religion fÃ¼r das Personkonzept in der Antike

E-Book ISBN:: 9783846765760

Publisher:: Brill | Fink

Print Publication Date:: 16 Apr 2021

Subjects
- Religious Studies
  - History of Religion

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African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

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Public Self and Private Self in the World of the Hebrew Bible

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Religionspraxis und IndividualitÃ¤t

Die Bedeutung von PersÃ¶nlicher FrÃ¶mmigkeit und Family Religion fÃ¼r das Personkonzept in der Antike

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