Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter_Kirk AT SIL.ORG]

Was it such a small minority? It certainly seems to have been an 
influential one at times, e.g. under Hezekiah and Josiah. So I wonder 
if a better analogy would be with the (actually existing) histories of 
the USA written by the "religious right"? As an outsider (from 
England) how should I judge these? (Not to be answered on this list!)

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
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Subject: (text) Monotheistic?
Author:  a.c.smith AT juno.com at internet
Date:    13/01/1999 05:31


We've debated about monotheism before in this B-Hebrew list over the last 
few years.

Please note that the text of the Tanakh itself implies that the nation of 
Israel was practicing polytheism until the return from the Babylonian 
Exile.

Over and over again, starting with Moses, and then the Judges, and then 
the Prophets, the people have to be brow-beaten into monotheism, but soon 
fall away again. Clearly, Israel was essentially a polytheistic society.

The monotheistic YHVH-ists were clearly  small minority. But note the 
following:

Israelite society was polytheistic.
The world-view of the Tanakh is monotheistic.

Thus the Tanakh represents a minority view-point: the embattled but 
stubborn group of monotheists, loyal to the YHVH of Sinai. (Imagine if a 
group of Amishmen wrote a history of the U.S.A. - a small, loyal, and 
stubborn group of religious purists writing the history of a nation prone 
to idolatry.)

Monotheism became the majority view after the exile. The truth of the 
Tanakh finally was recognized by the majority of the people.

a.c.smith AT juno.com
http://www.lcms.org
http://www.lcms.com
http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/5680


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