The wise and the alchemist: considerations about חכמה and the Homo Faber in Exodus from Mircea Eliade

Authors

  • Felipe Silva Carmo Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2317-8051.cllh.2023.205684

Keywords:

Wisom, Alchemy, Exodus, Eliade, Metallurgy

Abstract

The current study of biblical wisdom implies, among the academics involved with the motif, the revisiting and re-elaboration of traditional concepts usually applied in a limited way to the understanding of the subject. As a current procedure in biblical studies concerning wisdom, this work proposes to analyze the term חָכְמָח in a specific context, associated with “craft”, “manual skill” or “expertise”, and portions of Exodus involving the accomplishment of commissions for the building of the tabernacle by Bezalel and Aholiab. In order to deepen the reading, this article departs from Mircea Eliade’s theoretical elaborations on Homo Faber, specifically its relationship with metallurgical practice as a precursor of alchemical philosophy. The article finds that the performance of Bezalel and Aholiabe is considerably adapted to Eliade’s elaborations since the craftsmen’s activity is expressed as a divine commission, supernatural experience, magical-ritualistic action and imitation of the divine creative action for the building of the tabernacle as imago mundi.

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Published

2023-07-16

Issue

Section

LITERATURA, ESTUDOS BÍBLICOS E LINGUÍSTICOS

How to Cite

Carmo, F. S. (2023). The wise and the alchemist: considerations about חכמה and the Homo Faber in Exodus from Mircea Eliade. Cadernos De Língua E Literatura Hebraica, 23, 170-191. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2317-8051.cllh.2023.205684