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A Reevaluation Of Some Iconographic Motifs On The Taanach Cult Stand, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Since its discovery in 1968, the so-called “Taanach cult stand” has generated no small amount of scholarly controversy; indeed, the unique combination of images on the stand evoke a variety of interpretations, perhaps due to the sheer number of key iconographic motifs used in combination and their implications for the history of religion within the borders of ancient “Israel” in the 10th century BCE. The imagery on the Taanach stand raises a series of provocative questions regarding many recent discussions, such as: Was the Israelite national deity, YHWH, depicted iconographically in ancient Israel, and are any of these images on …