Amon (אמון) in Rabbinic Midrash: Tracing the Development of the Concept and its Consequences for Rabbinic Theology

Amon (אמון) in Rabbinic Midrash: Tracing the development of the concept and its consequences for rabbinic theology

Most reflections on Wisdom (חוכמה) in rabbinic midrash bear on the interpretation of Proverbs 8:22-23 and 30-31. These verses are oft quoted and without exception applied to the Torah, to the effect that everything that is said about (Lady) Wisdom in Proverbs is now said about the Torah. As Stephanie Anthonioz demonstrates in her paper, to which the present one is a sequel, setting the meaning of the word amon (אמון) is notoriously difficult, even in the biblical text. This “gap” is an occasion for the rabbinic Sages to expand on this word and play with its various possible meanings. Not only the Sages, but also earlier authors of Jewish antiquity, such as Philo, exploit the various possible meanings of amon (nurse, nursling, artisan), in their readings of this verse. In this paper I will explore possible backgrounds for and intersections of some rabbinic midrashim that bear on this word, taking into account its reception history and interactions with contemporary Jewish and non-Jewish religious phenomena. Following up on Anthonioz’ paper I will see whether these rabbinic readings reflect varying views of the divine.