Twilight of the Gods: Polytheism in the Hebrew BibleWestminster John Knox Press, 1 ian. 2005 - 108 pagini Since the middle of the twentieth century, one of biblical scholarship's chief assumptions has been that ancient Israel evolved out of the polytheism of surrounding cultures into an ethical monotheism. However, this consensus has fallen apart in recent years. Scholars now know that early Israel was surrounded by a very polytheistic culture and that many Israelites thought of Yahweh as the chief God among many gods. Furthermore, archaeology has shown that Yahweh was worshiped along with other gods throughout the period after the exile, when many shrines were in honor of "Yahweh and his Asherah." David Penchansky's Twilight of the Gods is the first accessible book that shows a historical Israel where polytheism and monotheism existed simultaneously in great conflict. He provides a historical introduction, followed by close readings of key Old Testament passages, where he demonstrates how to interpret difficult biblical texts that depict other gods or claim Yahweh is the only God within this new understanding of Israelite religion. |
Din interiorul cărții
Rezultatele 1 - 5 din 25
... beliefs far more var- ied than strict monotheism , the belief that only one God exists and all other gods are delusional . From the time of Genesis ( " Let us make humankind in our image , according to our likeness " ) to the Christian ...
... than God ' ontologically ' is that scholars tend to employ distinctions and assump- tions formed by Christian theological / philosophical tradition " ( 21 ) . Israelite belief . We must acknowledge that there are varieties Introduction xi.
... belief in one god . But such a definition does not preclude the belief in the existence of other gods . " You shall have no other gods before me " ( Exod . 20 : 3 ) By " before me , " the writer affirms that other gods actually exist ...
... belief in many gods , to belief in only one , moving from offering fearful and desperate sacrifices to frightening deities , to obeying Torah in order to please a singular and unique moral God . Some suggest that the text might have ...
... belief that his subjugation to Israel under its king Omri , along with Omri's son Ahab and his grandson Jehoram , was a result of the anger of the god Chemosh and that his overthrow of Israelite suzerainty was a result of Chemosh's ...
Cuprins
3 | |
Miqreh Happenstance in Ancient Israel | 13 |
Benê Elōbîm The Divine Council | 23 |
The Dissolution of the Divine Council | 33 |
AntiIdol Polemic An Attack on the Gods of Israel | 41 |
The Goddesses of Ancient Israel | 49 |
Lady Zion The Beautiful Goddess | 67 |
Asherah and Archaeology | 75 |
Conclusion | 91 |
Index of Scripture | 101 |