A pluralist approach to the philosophical analysis of the concept of generic אל –hood in the hebrew bible

Abstract

In the Hebrew Bible the concept of generic אל -hood denotes a curious type of property instantiated by Yhwh and related beings. Traditional linguistic, literary, historical and theological analyses have greatly enhanced our understanding of its extension but have neglected questions related to its intention. In this paper the author seeks to fill the gap in the research through the aid of analytic philosophy in the form of conceptual analysis. Following a short overview of philosophical theories of conceptual structure and a suggested outline for future inquiries, the study asks whether the pluralist approach of Weiskopf (2008) might not offer a functional means of conceptual clarification. To illustrate why this may be the case, the analysis concludes with a philosophical typology of generic אל -hood as property.