Divine names, heavenly bodies, and human visions: the Septuagint and the transformation of ancient Israelite religion

One of the major changes with regard to the transition of ancient Israelitereligion into Early Judaism is the transformation of Yhwh from being the patron godof Israel, enthroned in Jerusalem, to being a universal (and invisible) deity residing inheaven. The first part of this paper surveys how the study of divine onomastic attrib-utes has been approached by Septuagint scholarship, highlighting how this corpuscrucially attests to a reconfiguration of Yhwh’s power and status, but also pointingout some methodological shortcomings which emerged in past research. The secondpart of the paper seeks to provide a new framework for the study of divine onomasticattributes in the Septuagint. Paying attention to the relationship between divine nameand embodiment, it correlates the deterritorialisation process of Yhwh, as attested bythe onomastic attributes, with broader issues concerning the conditions, forms andlimits of experiencing the divine presence in cultic contexts.