YHWH in the Wind(s)
His Creation, Destruction, and Restoration Drama
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
From interdisciplinary, intertextual, and comparative analytical perspectives, this book engages with the epistemologies of the Global South and Global North to reveal a fresh insight into the image of YHWH in the guise of the phenomenal wind(s) and the purpose of this image in the biblical Hebrew tradition. Therefore, this book showcases YHWH appearing with the potent wind(s) to create and transform chaos into cosmic order at primal creation. Likewise, this discourse presents YHWH breaking into the historical and social realm in his various sociopolitical roles to destroy all forms of chaotic force by his bluster of wind(s) and to establish, maintain, or restore world/social order founded on his rule of justice and righteousness. This accounts for the view that all creation and order originate from YHWH and are maintained by YHWH's innate rules of ethical governance. This fresh insight into the sights and sounds of YHWH asserting his rule in the dramaturgical wind(s) not only renders new meaning to biblical texts within their contexts but also offers a persuasive message and alluring theological reflections that can shape new discourses to engage and address contemporary theological and social issues of equity, justice, and harmony within YHWH's intended design of world and social order.
Endorsements (5)
“Violet Chiswa Gandiya’s close scrutiny of YHWH, the Hebrew Bible’s mighty creator god, invigorates the order-from-chaos motifs from traditional biblical studies with a new infusion of ideas drawn from African—in particular, Dogon—mythologies. The resulting inter-reading provides new inspiration and contemplation on ancient and influential sacred texts.”
“Violet Chiswa Gandiya writes out of a profound acquaintance with storm theophany and related aspects of the depiction of the God of Israel. In this accomplished monograph she attempts a partial resetting of the study of Israelite creation theology by engaging with traditions from the ‘Global South,’ represented here by the creation mythology of the Malian Dogon tribe. This energizes her presentation of Israel’s God as a God of Wind(s) rather than a Storm Deity and enables other fruitful comparisons that have both religious and societal implications. This perceptive study deals with the biblical texts in depth, is on top of the copious secondary literature, and has the ‘exegetical plus’ that one always hopes for in a theoretical approach to Old Testament topics.”
“Chiswa Gandiya’s book, YHWH in the Wind(s), is a literary masterpiece. Situating YHWH’s creativity and function in the primordial winds, and deriving support from interdisciplinary African creation mythology, Chiswa Gandiya charts new territory beyond traditional scholarship. The result is a fresh reading of YHWH’s role and activity in select biblical texts. I highly recommend this fascinating monograph to students of the Hebrew Bible, interdisciplinary scholars, and readers curious about the nature of divine activity in the scriptures.”
““Dr. Violet Chiswa Gandiya demonstrates a sound comparative approach to biblical and African myths. Her Afrocentric analysis brings out the unique elements in both myths while highlighting how the elements in the Dogon myth brings more understanding to the obscure elements in the biblical creation myths. This book is a must read to all who are interested an Afrocentric interpretation of ancient creation myths.”
“Violet Chiswa Gandiya here presents a masterful piece of work. She has drawn ideas from a vast array of resources and amassed more cogent evidence to produce a well-documented book. Her interdisciplinary and comparative analyses bring new meaning to texts most scholars have grappled with for centuries. By engaging with this insightful study of YHWH’s attributes in the chosen texts and those alluded to in the Dogon creation myth, Chiswa Gandiya has opened a new research path.”
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