Origins of Yahweh in a Polytheist Society - InspiringPhilosophy

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Uploaded: 12 Feb 2020 (7 years ago) · Shared: 25 Feb 2021

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Sources:
B. E. Becking, Meindert Dijkstra, Marjo C. A. Korpel, Karel Vriezen - Only One God? Monotheism in Ancient Israel and the Veneration of the Goddess Asherah

Jan Assman – Monotheism and Polytheism in "Religions of the Ancient World: a Guide,"
by Sarah Iles Johnston

Tryggve Mettinger - In Search of God

Bernecker, S., & Pritchard, D. - The Routledge Companion to Epistemology. Routledge.

Richard Hess - Israelite Religions

Patrick D. Miller, Paul D. Hanson, S. Dean McBride - Ancient Israelite Religion

Gerlinde Baumann - Trendy monotheism?

Christine Hayes Lectures - https://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145/lecture-1
https://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145/lecture-10

Yehezkel Kaufmann - The Bible and Mythological Polytheism

Roland De Vaux - Ancient Israel

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Karel van der Toorn - Family Religion in Babylonia, Syria and Israel

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Overview & Key Concepts

Who are InspiringPhilosophy?

My name is Michael Jones. I plan on creating a new video for InspiringPhilosophy.org every month dealing with philosophical and apologetic questions.

What is a Polytheist?

Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one deity, a type of theism. Polytheism contrasts with monotheism, the belief in only one deity

that is, in most cases, transcendent. Oftentimes, polytheistic religions reflect belief in a pantheon of deities that may themselves have religious sects and rituals dedicated to them. Polytheism was common in the time and place of the Abrahamic religions, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Quran, central to Islam, quite explicitly denounces polytheism, though there is certainly evidence to suggest that the Hebrew Bible, which Judaism and Christianity are established upon, may have originally been polytheistic to some extent.

Who is Yahweh?

Yahweh was the national god of the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Judah. His exact origins are disputed, although they reach back to the

early Iron Age and even the Late Bronze: his name may have begun as an epithet of El, head of the Bronze Age Canaanite pantheon, but the earliest plausible mentions of Yahweh are in Egyptian texts that refer to a similar-sounding place name associated with the Shasu nomads of the southern Transjordan. In the oldest biblical literature, Yahweh is a typical ancient Near Eastern "divine warrior", who leads the heavenly army against Israel's enemies; he later became the main god of the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and of Judah, and over time the royal court and temple promoted Yahweh as the god of the entire cosmos, possessing all the positive qualities previously attributed to the other gods and goddesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.Where did the name Yahweh come from?

The name Yahweh is the principal, sacred vocalisation of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (YHWH), revealed historically to Moses in the Old Testament Book of Exodus as God's personal covenant name. Biblical scholars note its linguistic roots link directly to an archaic Hebrew verb meaning 'To Be,' signifying the eternal, self-existing, and uncreated nature of the Creator.

2.Are Muslims told to kill polytheists in the Quran?

Academic, context-based interpretations of the Quran indicate that verses regarding fighting (e.g., 9:5, 2:190) are historically situated within specific conflicts or treaty breaches rather than universal commands, emphasizing that the text generally prohibits indiscriminate violence, defends the sanctity of life (5:32), and allows for positive relations with peaceful non-Muslims (60:8).

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