Mayday :
The Old Testament wasn’t written in a vacuum. The Israelites lived in a world surrounded by polytheistic cultures like the Canaanites, Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and later the Greeks. early Hebrew texts, especially the Ten Commandments saying “you shall have no other gods before me,” the language reflects this context. It doesn’t deny that other people worshiped gods it acknowledges that reality but it draws a line, saying Israel’s devotion belongs exclusively to Yahweh. Scholars often call this “henotheism” or “monolatry,” meaning the worship of one god without necessarily denying the existence of others. Over time, especially as Israel’s identity solidified through exile, prophets, and temple worship, this devotion sharpened into a clearer monotheism. That’s why by the later prophets and certainly in post-exilic writings, you hear stronger declarations that Yahweh is not just Israel’s God but the only God, and all others are “idols” or false
2025-09-09 20:18:35