New book started

Gen 2:5–3:24 seems to describe the creation of the first man in terms reminiscent of the creation of a divine image in the mīs pî pīt pî and the wpt-r rituals. There are parallels among them in content, overall progression, and, to some extent, purpose, suggesting that, despite the absence of the terms ṣelem and dəmût, Gen 2:5–3:24 implicitly presents the idea that the first man was, on some level, an “image of God.”—The "Image of God" in the Garden of Eden, page 2

<idle musing>
Now that's an intriguing way to start the book, isn't it? For those of you who don't know, the mīs pî pīt pî and wpt-r rituals were ANE and Egyptian (in that order) rituals that gave life to the images (idols) and made them active/living representations of the respective gods. Mind you, that's oversimplification, as the Egyptian one was also used to reanimate the mummy as well. But all of that will (hopefully) become more clear as we move through the book.

By the way, it's on sale right now at Eisenbrauns until the end of the month at 30% off:

The "Image of God" in the Garden of Eden
The Creation of Humankind in Genesis 2:5-3:24 in Light of the mis pi pit pi and wpt-r Rituals of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt
Siphrut: Literature and Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures 15
by Catherine McDowell
Eisenbrauns, 2015
Pp. ix + 246, English
Cloth, 6 x 9 inches
ISBN: 9781575063485
List Price: $47.50
Your Price: $33.25
www.eisenbrauns.com/item/MCDIMAGEO