The emergence of monotheism in ancient Israel : an investigation of the relevant biblical and archaeological evidence

Abstract

The ancient Near East is the cradle of the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Amidst an environment of a whole array of polytheistic religions, a revolutionary concept emerged that revolved on a basic belief in one god as a sole and unique deity. This novel phenomenon of monotheism first appeared in Egypt under Pharaoh Akhenaten in the fourteenth century BC. 1 It is not clear whether this short-lived religion had any influence on the formation of the more influential monotheistic belief of Yahweh, which came about with the emergence and stabilization of the Israelite nation in Palestine in subsequent centuries. This study will concentrate on the emergence and development of the Israelite monotheistic faith. This phenomenon involved an intricate evolution, having two major strands moving towards the same direction, that of forming the Israelite monotheistic religion both in concept and in practice. On the one hand one finds the emergence and development of the Israelite monotheistic faith itself, and on the other hand the struggle that this belief in One God alone had with the pervasive polytheistic beliefs among which it was born.