History of ancient Israel and Judah Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Religion== Although the specific process by which the Israelites adopted [[monotheism]] is unknown, it is certain that the transition was a gradual one and was not totally accomplished during the First Temple period.<ref name=":1" /> Yet, over time, the number of gods that the Israelites worshipped decreased, and figurative images vanished from their shrines. [[Yahwism]], as some scholars name this belief system, is often described as a form of [[henotheism]] or [[monolatry]]. Over the same time, a [[folk religion]] continued to be practised across Israel and Judah. These practices were influenced by the polytheistic beliefs of the surrounding ethnicities, and were denounced by the prophets.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dever |first=William G. |date=2019-12-12 |title=Archaeology and Folk or Family Religion in Ancient Israel |journal=Religions |volume=10 |issue=12 |pages=667 |doi=10.3390/rel10120667 |issn=2077-1444|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=Bob |last=Becking |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1052587466 |title=Only One God? : Monotheism in Ancient Israel and the Veneration of the Goddess Asherah. |date=2002 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-567-23212-0 |oclc=1052587466}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stern |first=Ephraim |date=2001 |title=Pagan Yahwism: The folk religion of ancient Israel |journal=Biblical Archaeology Review |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=20β29}}</ref> In addition to the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], there was public worship practised all over Israel and Judah in shrines and sanctuaries, outdoors, and close to city gates. In the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, the kings Hezekiah and Josiah of Judah implemented a number of significant religious reforms that aimed to centre worship of the God of Israel in Jerusalem and eliminate foreign customs.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Finkelstein |first1=Israel |last2=Silberman |first2=Neil Asher |date=2006 |title=Temple and Dynasty: Hezekiah, the Remaking of Judah and the Rise of the Pan-Israelite Ideology |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0309089206063428 |journal=Journal for the Study of the Old Testament |language=en |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=259β285 |doi=10.1177/0309089206063428 |s2cid=145087584 |issn=0309-0892}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Moulis |first=David Rafael |title=Hezekiah's Cultic Reforms according to the Archaeological Evidence |date=2019-11-08 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvr7fc18.11 |work=The Last Century in the History of Judah |pages=167β180 |publisher=SBL Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctvr7fc18.11 |s2cid=211652647 |access-date=2023-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Naβaman |first=Nadav |date=2011-01-01 |title=The Discovered Book and the Legitimation of Josiah's Reform |url=https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/sblpress/jbl/article/130/1/47/179514/The-Discovered-Book-and-the-Legitimation-of-Josiah |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |language=en |volume=130 |issue=1 |pages=47β62 |doi=10.2307/41304187 |jstor=41304187 |s2cid=153646048 |issn=0021-9231}}</ref> ===Henotheism=== [[File:El, the Canaanite creator deity, Megiddo, Stratum VII, Late Bronze II, 1400-1200 BC, bronze with gold leaf - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07734.JPG|thumb|El, the Canaanite creator deity, Megiddo, Stratum VII, Late Bronze II, 1400β1200 BCE, bronze with gold leaf β Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago β DSC07734 The Canaanite god El, who may have been the precursor to the Israelite god Yahweh.]] [[Henotheism]] is the act of worshipping a single god, without denying the existence of other deities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/henotheism|title=the definition of henotheism|website=Dictionary.com|language=en|access-date=2019-04-26}}</ref> Many scholars believe that before monotheism in ancient Israel, there came a transitional period; in this transitional period many followers of the Israelite religion worshipped the god Yahweh, but did not deny the existence of other deities accepted throughout the region.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The Routledge Companion to Theism|last1=Taliaferro|first1=Charles|last2=Harrison|first2=Victoria S.|last3=Goetz|first3=Stewart|publisher=Routledge|year=2012}}</ref> Henotheistic worship was not uncommon in the Ancient Near East, as many Iron Age nation states worshipped an elevated [[national god]] which was nonetheless only part of a wider pantheon; examples include [[Chemosh]] in [[Moab]], [[Qos (deity)|Qos]] in [[Edom]], [[Milkom]] in [[Ammon]], and [[Ashur (god)|Ashur]] in Assyria].<ref name="Levine">{{Cite journal|last=Levine|first=Baruch A.|author-link=Baruch A. Levine|title=Assyrian Ideology and Israelite Monotheism|journal=British Institute for the Study of Iraq|volume=67|issue=1|pages=411β27|jstor=4200589|year=2005}}</ref> [[Ancient Canaanite religion|Canaanite religion]] syncretized elements from neighbouring cultures, largely from [[Ancient Mesopotamian religion|Mesopotamian religious]] traditions.<ref name="Meek">{{Cite journal|last=Meek|first=Theophile James|author-link=Theophile James Meek|year=1942|title=Monotheism and the Religion of Israel|journal=[[Journal of Biblical Literature]]|volume=61|issue=1|pages=21β43|doi=10.2307/3262264|jstor=3262264}}</ref> Using Canaanite religion as a base was natural due to the fact that the Canaanite culture inhabited the same region prior to the emergence of Israelite culture.<ref name="Dever">{{Cite journal|last=Dever|first=William|title=Archaeological Sources for the History of Palestine: The Middle Bronze Age: The Zenith of the Urban Canaanite Era|journal=[[The Biblical Archaeologist]]|volume=50|issue=3|pages=149β77|jstor=3210059|year=1987|doi=10.2307/3210059|s2cid=165335710}}</ref> Israelite religion was no exception, as during the transitional period, Yahweh and [[El (deity)|El]] were syncretized in the Israelite pantheon.<ref name="Dever" /> El already occupied a reasonably important place in the Israelite religion. Even the name "Israel" is based on the name El, rather than Yahweh.<ref name="Coogan">{{cite book |last1=Coogan |first1=Michael David |last2=Coogan |first2=Michael D. |title=The Oxford History of the Biblical World |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-513937-2 |page=54 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4DVHJRFW3mYC&q=name+Israel+comes+from+El&pg=PA54 |access-date=3 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Mark S. |title=The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel |date=2002 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-3972-5 |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yM3AuBh4AsC&pg=PA31|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Giliad |first1=Elon |title=Why Is Israel Called Israel? |url=https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-why-is-israel-called-israel-1.5353207 |access-date=3 November 2019 |work=Haaretz |date=20 April 2015 |language=en}}</ref> It was this initial harmonization of Israelite and Canaanite religious thought that lead to Yahweh gradually absorbing several characteristics from Canaanite deities, in turn strengthening his own position as an all-powerful "One." Even still, monotheism in the region of ancient Israel and Judah did not take hold overnight, and during the intermediate stages most people are believed to have remained henotheistic.<ref name="Meek" /> During this intermediate period of henotheism many families worshipped different gods. Religion was very much centred around the family, as opposed to the community. The region of Israel and Judah was sparsely populated during the time of Moses. As such many different areas worshipped different gods, due to social isolation.<ref name="Caquot">{{Cite journal|last=Caquot|first=AndrΓ©|author-link=AndrΓ© Caquot|title=At the Origins of the Bible|journal=[[Near Eastern Archaeology (journal)|Near Eastern Archaeology]]|volume=63|issue=4|pages=225β27|jstor=3210793|year=2000|doi=10.2307/3210793|s2cid=164106346}}</ref> It was not until later on in Israelite history that people started to worship Yahweh alone and fully convert to monotheistic values. That switch occurred with the growth of power and influence of the Israelite kingdom and its rulers. Further details of this are contained in the Iron Age Yahwism section below. Evidence from the Bible suggests that henotheism did exist: "They [the Hebrews] went and served alien gods and paid homage to them, gods of whom they had no experience and whom he [Yahweh] did not allot to them" (Deut. 29.26). Many believe that this quote demonstrates that the early Israelite kingdom followed traditions similar to ancient Mesopotamia, where each major urban centre had a supreme god. Each culture embraced their patron god but did not deny the existence of other cultures' patron gods. In Assyria, the patron god was Ashur, and in ancient Israel, it was Yahweh; however, both Israelite and Assyrian cultures recognized each other's deities during this period.<ref name="Caquot" /> Some scholars have used the Bible as evidence to argue that most of the people alive during the events recounted in the Hebrew Bible, including Moses, were most likely henotheists. There are many quotes from the Hebrew Bible that are used to support this view. One such quote from Jewish tradition is the first commandment which in its entirety reads "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods before me."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.20.3?lang=bi&aliyot=0|title=Exodus 20:2|website=www.sefaria.org|access-date=2023-01-21}}</ref> This quote does not deny the existence of other gods; it merely states that Jews should consider Yahweh or God the supreme god, incomparable to other supernatural beings. Some scholars attribute the concept of angels and demons found in Judaism and Christianity to the tradition of henotheism. Instead of completely getting rid of the concept of other supernatural beings, these religions changed former deities into angels and demons.<ref name=Meek/> ===Iron Age Yahwism=== {{Main|Yahwism}} [[File:Baal Ugarit Louvre AO17330.jpg|thumb|The [[Canaanites|Canaanite]] god [[Baal]], 14thβ12th century BCE ([[Louvre]] museum, Paris)]] The religion of the Israelites of Iron Age I, like the [[Ancient Canaanite religion]] from which it evolved and other [[religions of the ancient Near East]], was based on a cult of ancestors and worship of family gods (the "gods of the fathers").<ref>Tubbs, Jonathan (2006) "The Canaanites" (BBC Books)</ref><ref>Van der Toorn 1996, p. 4.</ref> With the emergence of the monarchy at the beginning of Iron Age II the kings promoted their family god, Yahweh, as the god of the kingdom, but beyond the royal court, religion continued to be both polytheistic and family-centred.<ref>Van der Toorn 1996, pp. 181β82.</ref> The major deities were not numerous{{snd}}El, [[Asherah]], and Yahweh, with [[Baal]] as a fourth god, and perhaps [[Shamash]] (the sun) in the early period.<ref name=Smith57>Smith (2002), p. 57.</ref> At an early stage El and Yahweh became fused and Asherah did not continue as a separate state cult,<ref name=Smith57/> although she continued to be popular at a community level until Persian times.<ref>Dever (2005), p.</ref> Yahweh, the [[national god]] of both Israel and Judah, seems to have originated in [[Edom]] and [[Midian]] in southern Canaan and may have been brought to Israel by the [[Kenites]] and [[Midianites]] at an early stage.<ref>Van der Toorn 1999, pp. 911β13.</ref> There is a general consensus among scholars that the first formative event in the emergence of the distinctive religion described in the Bible was triggered by the destruction of Israel by Assyria in {{circa|{{BCE|722}}}}. Refugees from the northern kingdom fled to Judah, bringing with them laws and a prophetic tradition of Yahweh. This religion was subsequently adopted by the landowners of Judah, who in 640 BCE placed the eight-year-old [[Josiah]] on the throne. Judah at this time was a vassal state of Assyria, but Assyrian power collapsed in the 630s, and around 622 Josiah and his supporters launched a bid for independence expressed as loyalty to "Yahweh alone".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zFhvECwNQD0C&q=josiah%2C+book+of+kings%2C+assyria&pg=RA1-PA261|title=The Oxford History of the Biblical World|first1=Michael David|last1=Coogan|first2=Michael D.|last2=Coogan|date=January 8, 2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195139372|via=Google Books}}</ref> ===<span id="Second Temple">The Babylonian exile and Second Temple Judaism</span>=== {{Main|Second Temple Judaism}} According to the [[Deuteronomist]]s, as scholars call these Judean nationalists, the treaty with Yahweh would enable Israel's god to preserve both the city and the king in return for the people's worship and obedience. The destruction of Jerusalem, its Temple, and the Davidic dynasty by Babylon in 587/586 BCE was deeply traumatic and led to revisions of the national [[Traditional story|mythos]] during the Babylonian exile. This revision was expressed in the [[Deuteronomistic history]], the books of [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]], [[Books of Samuel|Samuel]] and [[Books of Kings|Kings]], which interpreted the Babylonian destruction as divinely-ordained punishment for the failure of Israel's kings to worship Yahweh to the exclusion of all other deities.<ref name=Dunn>Dunn and Rogerson, pp. 153β54</ref> The [[Second Temple period]] (520 BCE{{snd}}70 CE) differed in significant ways from what had gone before.<ref>Peck & Neusner, eds. (2003), p. 58</ref> Strict monotheism emerged among the priests of the Temple establishment during the seventh and sixth centuries BCE, as did beliefs regarding [[angel]]s and [[demon]]s.<ref>Grabbe (2004), pp. 243β44.</ref> At this time, [[Religious male circumcision#In the Tanakh|circumcision]], dietary laws, and [[Shabbat|Sabbath-observance]] gained more significance as symbols of [[Jewish identity]], and the institution of the [[synagogue]] became increasingly important, and most of the biblical literature, including the Torah, was substantially revised during this time.<ref>Peck & Neusner, eds. (2003), p. 59</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). 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