Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Stephen Knapp <sknapp AT megsinet.net>]

George Athas wrote:
> 
> As we may be opening a slightly touchy can of worms, perhaps we better
> make this thread brief.

Since the monolatry/monotheist topic was discussed here some time ago I
did not wish to enter that ground again either.  Since Andrew Smith in
another post has nicely and concisely expressed my views on the nature
of Israelite religion during the period of monarchy (including the point
about minority Yahwism) I will leave it at that.  I do tend to think
that the references in Jeremiah, Isaiah 37, and Ezekiel to the worship
of wood and stone are meant to belittle the deities so represented by
claiming them to be nothing more than images with no substance.  I
associate that kind of rhetoric with the jibes of a monotheist who
rejects as deity any other putative diety but his own.  The simple fact
that we find similar rhetoric in three writings separated by space and
god knows how much time suggests that the rhetoric was not confined to
the three writers only, but was part of a body of tradition at least
from and after the mid-seventh century demise of Assyria (assuming we
can date Isaiah 37 to the time of the events it reports).  I don't think
you can find any place in the book of Jeremiah where he ever
acknowledges any reality to the gods Judah would have worshipped apart
from Yahweh.  That to me spells monotheist.  How late is Jeremiah? 
Hollady and the majority of other scholars are willing to associate at
least parts of the book to writing within the prophet's lifetime.  Since
the humiliation of other gods is widespread in the book, I expect that
the sentiments of the prophet echoed through the entire period of exile
and later.  It is reasonable to say that Yahwistic monotheism as I have
described it had at least a minority voice from early on in the exile.

Much more could be written to argue the point, of course, but I hope
that in the context of the previous discussion I have said enough.

-- 
Stephen A. Knapp, sknapp AT megsinet.net
PhD candidate, Old Testament Biblical Studies
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Part time faculty: Department of Theology
Valparaiso University (Indiana)