Through the images, the needs of the gods were met. In this way the image was central in the functioning of the Great Symbiosis. Much of its function entailed being able to receive the gifts of the people (food, drink, clothing, housing). Its ears, eyes, and nose were ritually opened so that it could function as the deity on Earth. The material construction of the image (by the most skilled artisans, using the finest materials) was concluded by ritual processes that transformed (if not transubstantiated) the image so that it could take its rightful place in the sanctuary. The making of cult images to be used in the shrines and sanctuaries of the ancient world took place amid complex rituals that provided for the image to be approved by the god with the result that he/she would adopt the image into his/her identification. 'The role of images in the religious practices of the ANE can be best understood by investigating the way they were manufactured. Having images of other deities would, of course, be a violation of the covenant arrangement between YHWH and Israel. The significance of this is far-reaching and cannot be overstated. Total aniconism in the ANE outside Israel is unknown. Aniconism is observable in various ways in other times and places in the ANE, but it is not programmatic as it is in Israel. Thus no parallel to the cult image is present in Israelite theology. It represented God’s presence, but it did not mediate it. In Israel, the ark of the covenant stood in the center of sacred space and represented a part of God’s throne, but it was not a receptacle for divine essence. In the ancient Near East (ANE), the temple lost its significance if the image was not installed. That means that all of the functions of the cult statues that were so central to temple ideology in the ancient Near East, if retained at all, had to be reassigned in Israel. People are the only image that YHWH tolerates. 'Israel is known for being aniconic-that is, no crafted cult image served as a receptacle for the divine presence. YHWH doesn’t mediate his presence through an image. The statement is not about sculpture or art. 'There are to be no local aspect of YHWH who serve only a portion of the community, but rather only one aspect of YHWH who holds one covenant over all Israel. The prohibition particularly excludes that sort of worship that is understood as meeting the needs of the Deity through the image.

'The command is that no image is to be used as the mediator of revelation or presence from Deity to people, or as the mediator of worship from the people to Deity. The priests served a mediatorial role, but their role was to present the offerings on behalf of the people rather than to receive the offerings on behalf of the deity. Furthermore, it did not mediate revelation or worship. The ark mediated the presence of Deity in a limited fashion, but not in the same way that an image did. John Walton writes, 'In Israel the temple housed the presence of YHWH, but did not mediate that presence.

Also because representations made not to be worshipped sometimes end up getting worshipped anyways (the bronze serpent). Interpretation gets difficult with Jesus because He is God and He is the perfect image of God. It is also the book that drew my attention to how cool 'glass mingled with fire' might be. (Francis Schaeffer's 'Art and the Bible' shies away from some more controversial questions, but does a great job of cataloguing the different types of depictions in the temple. Those are our example for how pictures can be made righteously. The way we interpret this image ban should not forbid the depictions made for the temple or tabernacle. Drawing from life, or even from a description, was not required. The commandment would include inaccurate, sloppy, or attempted images of things in heaven. The way 'heaven' is used, it would include angels, but it could also include birds.Īngels appear here and there, even in Old Testament times. It's not redundant with the previous sentence, in part, because some idols were made as worship conduits for God (the real one). I'm going to try to address what we all agree on (including some great points from other comments). So you've probably noticed that there's a variety of interpretations of this passage.

You shall not make any graven images