Images of the body in ancient Near Eastern civilizations are radically different from body images today. This has significant consequences for our understanding of the biblical notion of God's human shape; there are bound to be misconceptions. Andreas Wagner illuminates these misconceptions, and reveals the sometimes distant pictorial world of ancient body images. He contrasts these with contemporary models and makes the matter of the Old Testament concept of God's human form accessible and clear in this exciting, richly detailed work.

Wagner begins with three methodological...