45 THE TEARS OF GOD IN THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH tion serves an important function 62. It maintains a seemingly broken relationship and offers hope that YHWH will heal the pain. IV. Conclusion: divine pathos in Jeremiah I have argued that many scholars mistakenly deny the tears of YHWH and make Jeremiah alone the one who weeps in Jer 8,23; 9,9.17; 13,17; 14,17. Similarly, LXX modifies the language of MT in order to avoid referring to YHWH weeping in every example ex- cept 8,23 where LXX seems to assume that Jeremiah speaks, but not God. Most modern interpreters have attempted to obfuscate the divine tears without modifying the MT by arguing that Jeremiah rather than YHWH speaks. Given the clarity of the Hebrew text about divine weeping in certain places (Jer 9,9; 14,17; 48,32) and the general overlap of prophetic and divine voices elsewhere (Jer 8,23; 9,17; 13,17), the denial that YHWH weeps seems motivated by theological concerns rather than exegesis. However, these con- cerns are not made explicit. Interpreters from LXX to modern scholars appear to be motivated by the assumption that God is im- passive and therefore YHWH may not be said to weep. The OT includes considerable language of divine pathos that scholars freely acknowledge, but weeping is a particularly powerful bodily manifestation of emotional disturbance that many Western cultures regard as unmasculine. Consequently, divine weeping may appear less “acceptable” than, for example, divine anger. Tradition- ally, anthropomorphic language about God has been understood in a metaphorical or analogical sense rather than as literal truth about the bodily or emotional life of God. Over the past century or more, however, this traditional understanding has been sharply chal- lenged. Many theologians now speak of the pathos or suffering of God, and argue that God experiences emotional states including grief and sorrow. Consequently, the biblical language of God’s pathos has been read more literally 63. Those who deny any divine weeping in Jeremiah may be reacting against this modern develop- ment. Jerome, by contrast, could acknowledge the weeping of FRETHEIM, Jeremiah, 155-156. 62 FRETHEIM, Suffering of God; A.J. HESCHEL, The Prophets (Jewish Pub- 63 lication Society of America; New York 1962) esp. 221-278. © Gregorian Biblical Press 2012 - Tutti i diritti riservati