The origin of YHWH

[Dida]

There are a lot of literature on how the worship of other gods (Zues, Apollo, etc) came about, but very little on the evolution of the concept of that YHWH is the sole god.
From my understanding of the Bible, it seems likely that the Israelis first believed in a variety of deities until the time of Moses. Moses did not deny that other gods exist, but rather claimed that while there are other gods, YHWH is the only one the Israelis should worship because he is the one that will keep them from harm. This then evolved into a belief that YHWH is the only god.

 

[Azale]

Yahweh?

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Judaism was polytheism, then henotheism, then montheism, depending on the fashion at the time.

 

[ArneHD]

There are a lot of literature on how the worship of other gods (Zues, Apollo, etc) came about, but very little on the evolution of the concept of that YHWH is the sole god.
From my understanding of the Bible, it seems likely that the Israelis first believed in a variety of deities until the time of Moses. Moses did not deny that other gods exist, but rather claimed that while there are other gods, YHWH is the only one the Israelis should worship because he is the one that will keep them from harm. This then evolved into a belief that YHWH is the only god.

I think that the first monotheistic god on the Mediterranean coast was the Aten, and Egyptian sun god worshipped in the reign of Akhenaten. I am not sure if this helps, but I thought I should mention it.

 

[Miles Teg]

I think that the first monotheistic god on the Mediterranean coast was the Aten, and Egyptian sun god worshipped in the reign of Akhenaten. I am not sure if this helps, but I thought I should mention it.

Please, for the love of all that is good and just and wonderful in the world, do some research before spouting off garbage like that. Ask Plotinus, google it, I really don't care. Just educate yourself.

 

[Dida]

I think that the first monotheistic god on the Mediterranean coast was the Aten, and Egyptian sun god worshipped in the reign of Akhenaten. I am not sure if this helps, but I thought I should mention it.

Aten refers to the sun disc, originally an aspect of Egyptian sun god Ra. He's religion was not so much monotheistic as it was more monistic. Aten's position was by no mean unique, as the worship of Amun-Ra also reached almost monotheistic level, where other gods were widely considered aspects of him.

 

[ArneHD]

Hm, I didn't know that. I suppose I stand corrected.

Incidentally: This was what I was referring too.

 

[emzie]

I was going to recommend you find a copy of this book, but Google has one available for free. Nifty. It's not written for someone unfamiliar with the Old Testament.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=yvZUWbTftSgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Asimov's Guide to the Bible is fantastic for light reading on the subject. I have no idea where my copy of that has gone

 

[holy king]

i read somewhere he originally was the donkey headed god of palestinian donkey nomads, and that "jahwe" resembles the sound of a donkey.

 

[Dida]

What I don't quite understand about Yahweh is that, why a god who was supposed to be almighty and stood alone without equal can have such uniquely human (and flawed) psychology - he loves and is angered, feels revenge and remorse. The Bible even claimed that he was "a jealous god". What is there to be jealous about?
It seems to me that an all-powerful being would be more like it was described in the Tao Te Ching:

Nature is not kind;
It treats all things impartially.
...
Nature is like a bellows,
Empty, yet never ceasing its supply.
The more it moves, the more it yields;
...

 

[holy king]

because he had evolved from a polytheistic god.
the god of the bible isnt a philosophical construct outside any historical context.

 

[emzie]

because he had evolved from a polytheistic god.

More or less.

 

[sophie]

Judaism was polytheism, then henotheism, then montheism, depending on the fashion at the time.

Yeah, I remember my Roman History professor telling the class that Yahweh used to have a "girlfriend" that ancient Jews would depict in their water vessels I believe?

 

[Miles Teg]

Yeah, I remember my Roman History professor telling the class that Yahweh used to have a "girlfriend" that ancient Jews would depict in their water vessels I believe?

That would be Asherah. If you were a good boy and read your Bible, you might remember that the Israelites liked to stick Asherah poles in Yahweh's temple. Yahweh's girlfriend you see, liked to have a pole around, for undisclosed reasons. She was also very, very fond of hard wood.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, according to a NOVA series, Egypt conquered a peoples in the land of Midian shortly after the Canaanite peoples started rebuilding their culture after their fall into barbarity.

These conquered people had a mountain/god called YHW. The theory is that some of the people escaped the Egyptians and migrated to the Canaanite lands. They then proselytized about their god, and tied it to their escape from the conquest. This might be where the Moses myth comes from, though there's no evidence of an Exodus of a large group of people who'd be enslaved generations earlier.

I can't rewatch those segments, 'cause they're not available to me. I've contacted a local professor of Judaism (as well as asking Plotinus). The professor said that the series was known to be quite accurate.

The cementing of monotheism appears to have happened after Solomon's purported time. That's obviously well after any Egyptian loss of its Canaanite vassals.

 

[warpus]

Judging by the lack of vowels, the origin of Yhwh must be Czech.

 

[Miles Teg]

Judging by the lack of vowels, the origin of Yhwh must be Czech.

Th ncnt Hbrws, blss thr hrts, thght f vwls s mr lk sprfls grmmr thn ctul lttrs. Y cld pt thm n f y wntd, bt rll, t jst wsn't wrth th ffrt. Y fgrd t wht th fll wrd ws b th cntxt.

 

[Lockesdonkey]

Judging by the lack of vowels, the origin of Yhwh must be Czech.

Hebrew is a Semitic language. Words are constructed by regular modification of (usually) three-consonant roots; in most cases, writing the (short) vowels is extraneous. Long vowels are usually written out. Where the spelling is ambiguous, the context makes the intended meaning clear.

See also: abjad.

 

[Dida]

These conquered people had a mountain/god called YHW.

Wasn't that El Shaddai? This is perhaps where the term Elohim came from.

 

[Bill3000]

Judging by the lack of vowels, the origin of Yhwh must be Czech.

Czech lacks vowels in the same way that (rhotic) English lacks vowels in the word bird, and the last syllables of Adam and button.