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  • From: Lloyd Barre <barre AT c-zone.net>
  • To: "B-Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Cc:
  • Subject: A Synthesis of Ancient Palestinian Religion
  • Date: 26 Feb 99 13:14:49 -0800


Dear Peter,

The two page post that I sent you was indeed bloated by formatting. I had no
idea that this would occur. For the same reason, it was rejected by
b-Hebrew. My decision to attach a file was out of a concern for courtesy, as
it would allow the recipient to chose to read it or not in addition to the
fact that it retains more sophisticated formatting.

My latest thinking on the two traditions regarding the revelation of the
Tetragrammaton is that their author's engaged in benign brainwashing. Their
goal was to convince their audience that both El and Yahweh were Elohim, a
view which they did not themselves share. They regarded these two gods are
citizens of polytheism and therefore sought to covertly convince their
audience of the enlightened perception of monotheism by identifying both El
and Yahweh with Elohim. Here we must be careful not to attribute
anachronistic values to the great thinkers. Their splendid ethical thought
reveals that in adopting this mode of pedagogy, they did so with a crystal
clear conscience. Their success has been perfect, convincing virtually all
that have given their thought serious consideration.

That we all have been brainwashed is evident from the responses to my thesis
that El and Yahweh are different gods. This is established by empirical
research beyond a doubt. Indeed were it not primarily because of these
Tetragrammaton traditions, the distinction would not have been challenged.
As it is, responses have been obviously fueled by psychological resistance,
not by basic common sense. Consider your own position. It is indefensible.
Just try.

In that I am certain that the West has been subjected to extremely powerful
theological persuasion, I will be posting an essay entitled, "Benign
Brainwashing in Ancient Israel: The Purpose and Technique of the
Tetragrammaton Traditions." My conclusion is this: Both E and P correctly
regared the dual existence of El and Yahweh as polytheism. E was convinced
by Mushite Yahwism that God was One and P learned that from E and also 2
Isaiah. In order to communicate their lofty theological conviction beyond
their circle, they adopted the strategy we find in our texts--El and Yahweh
were identified and absorbed into Elohim resulting in the birth of pure
Monotheism, the most stunning theological development in human history.

Allow me to attempt to disarmed the psychological resistance you have toward
these ideas. First, I am saying nothing new about the development of
Israelite religion. That the informed members this forum are one with regard
to Israelite henotheism and monotheism is but a sampling of the consensus
opinion. What we are unclear about is just how monotheism conquered
polytheistic thought. We have the answer before us. Why does this discovery
disturb us? It is not that El and Yahweh are different gods, it is that they
are gods and not E or P's God or God at all. This is why El, the god of
Israel has been lost. Imagine that! How did that happen. How could such an
obvious fact as this seduced modern biblical scholarship? Ancient benign
brainwashing.

If I were a modern theologian, I would have no reason to have problem with
all this. First, we actually have no reason to feel compelled to adopt any
of the theological positions of ancient Israel. Indeed, as moderns, we
cannot accept them at face value. We know far more than they did because we
are living 3000 years after them and have benefited from the knowledge of our
long, intellectual and theological heritage. The development of monotheism
by in Israel is a stunning but still ancient achievement. We need to put
things into perspective. Consider P's thought with that of our philosophical
theists such as Paul Tillich or Rudolph Bultmann. I would say they are just
a tad more sophisticated, wouldn't you? Would you seriously present yourself
to modern theology as a devotee ancient Levitical Yahwism? That's exactly
what you are doing. Why would anyone do such a thing? Benign brainwashing.
Behold the Elohist; Behold the Priestly Writer; Behold 2 Isaiah. The power !
of their persuasion is awesome, their technique masterful.

Can our psychology live with the conclusion that Yahweh (and El) were gods of
polytheism. Can we read the psalms knowing that a polytheistic god is the
object of their worship, that the fear of a god is the beginning of
knowledge, that the prophets spoke for a god? Intellectually, we have no
choice. Psychology, however, is another matter. We have religious
counselors for that. They are known as Pastors. But who will pastor the
shepherds on this? Not me. It's not my job. But I might do it if the money
is right or at least the perks.

The best way I know to dispel the work of our friends is to give you my
present overview of the structure of ancient Palestinian religions in outline
form. Basically there are two religions: Elism in the North and Yahwism in
the South. Here is how I isolate developments in both traditions:

I. The Northern Tribes

A. El with Hadad in Aram (Reflected in the Oracles of Balaam)
B. El without a vizier god in immigrant Jacob: Bethel, Peniel, Shechem
C. El with Yahweh
1. Son of El Elyon (Jerusalem): Deut 32:7-9
2. Son of El (Kadesh-Naphtali)
D. El is Yahweh (The Elohist)
E. El rejecting Yahweh under Jeroboam (Ps 82)
F. El with Tyrian Baal (Omride) verses Bedouin Yahwism in the North
(Elijah): 1 Kings 18:20ff)
G. El with Yahweh by default (Elisha-Jehu)
H. El and Bedouin Yahweh demythologized (1 Kings 19:1-18; Hosea)

II. The Southern Tribes

A. Bedouin Yahwism (Sinai, Edom): Yahweh Sabaoth, Song of Deborah;
Blessing of Moses, Ark, Tent.
B. Hebrew Yahwism (Bedouin Yahwists "cross over" into southern Palestine):
Abram, divine promise of a region in which
to settle and prosper: proto-J traditions about Abram (not
(Abraham).
C. Mushite Yahwism (Egyptian, Levitical): Ontological Mysticism; "I Am who
I Am." Non- Semitic and not Greek. LXX
recognized its meaning.
D. Royal imperialistic Yahwism I (Last Words of David; The Yahwist's Epic)
E. Royal Imperialistic Yahwism II (Solomon): Psalm 2 or with the above.
F. Sagacious Yahwism (Prov 1-9; Hezekian collection from Egypt)
G. Deuteronomic Yahwism (Deut and Dtr)
H. Proto-apocalypticism (Zachariah; 3 Isaiah)
I. Legal Yahwism (Ezra-Nehemiah; Chronicles)

Sources: Hirsch, Wellhausen, Gunkel, Alt, Noth, Fohrer, Cross, Weinfeld,
Knierim, Barr, Hanson, Gottwald, Mannheim, Sorokin, Berger-Luckmann, Kuhn.

For your neo-enlightenment,

Lloyd Barre

> **--------- Original Message follows...

>Dear Lloyd,

Thank you, but please don't send me such long E-mails in future.
20-30K is just about OK, but 139K is quite a problem to receive here.
I am not sure if I was glad or sorry that most of that space was
apparently wasted in the document formatting: at least you did not
expect me to read 139K of text.

You know my position: your Exodus passage is to be taken at face
value, that Yahweh and El were different names for the same high God.

I'm surprised you don't try to argue that the name Judah (Yehuda) is a
compound with YHWH.

Peter


.
> ** Original Subject: Re: An Open Letter
> ** Original Sender: Peter_Kirk AT SIL.ORG
> ** Original Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 11:41:23 -0500 (EST)
> **---------

>

Lloyd M. Barre, Ph.D.

barre AT c-zone.net
http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/AncientIsrael







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