When Gods Were Men

This study begins with the analysis of a type of divine appearance in the Old Testament, here called "human theophany", in which God is described as having a concrete human form. The book includes a delineation of various types of anthropomorphism (such as God appearing in concrete human form, as opposed to only in dreams), analysis of the implications of human theophany for ancient Israelite, Canaanite and Near Eastern religion, and discussion of human theophany in relation to appearances of angels.It also includes discussion of philosophical approaches to anthropomorphism.