Examines the dilemma of whether ancient Near Eastern images - while
providing unique aspects of the world-views of the cultures from which
the Bible arose - can be interpreted in a way that traceably relates
them to the biblical text. To avoid the danger of using images merely as
illustrations for concepts found in the Bible, one first needs to behold
the image with its own right to been seen. The essays within this volume
describe the methods developed by Othmar Keel for bringing imagery into
a dialogue with texts from the ancient Orient and their own
interpretation, including previously unpublished material from Keel.
The contributions begin with an overview of the scholarly work of Keel
and the development of his aims and methods, including a revision of an
article dealing with semiology in the interpretation of art. The book
proceeds to address the research history of iconology in art history,
presenting the methodology of Erwin Panofsky and one of his influential
predecessors, Charles Clermont-Ganneau, in contrast with Keel's three
methodological steps leading from iconographic analysis to iconology.
Contributors then present two case studies of how Keel's method can be
applied to interpret Egyptian and Mesopotamian images, allowing insights
into the worldview of an ancient culture and the aim of iconology. The
book concludes with a report about how iconographic analysis and
iconology is taught on University level.
