Vom Kultbild Jahwes zum Bilderverbot. Oder: Vom Nutzen der Religionsgeschichte für die Theologie

Mentioning the calf in Bethel, 1 Kgs 12 presupposes a cultic image of Yhwh in the Northern Kingdom. The argument in Dtn 4 suggest an anthropomorphic image of Yhwh in the temple of Yerushalem. The location of the cherubim in 1 Kgs 6 and the Phoenician material in comparison point to the image of an enthronement. Image interdiction, in this case the ban on the cultic image of Yhwh, developed after the image of Yhwh was lost due to the destruction of the temple. It is with this image interdiction that Dtn 4 takes into account the concealment of God as experienced in the catastrophe of 587. The image is replaced by the Torah with the decalogue and the image interdiction as the main commandment.