gentho

Reading Exodus I found several references to "Gods" and I'm curious as to why this terminology is used when Christianity is obviously a monotheistic religion.

Examples (out of the New International Version):

Exodus 15:11 Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?

Exodus 18:11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods

And there is several more instances where the wording seems to imply the existance of more than one god. Can somebody please clarify or explain the meaning of this plural terminology?

gentho

Doctor X

First, Christianity is not obviously a monotheist religion. How one resolves a god "up there" and another god or "son of a god" praying to him is anyone's guess. Applying current theological understanding to the time is not necessarily appropriate.

Second, Exodus is not a Christian text.

Third, the OT is not monotheistic. You are correct that the texts preserve this polytheism. The idea that developed into what we consider monotheism is that "MY Big Daddy is better than YOUR Big Daddy."

Welcome to the forums . . . two drink minimum. . . .

--J.D.

LP675

Out of curiosity what did you mean by his statement?
Briefly, what are the major texts you would say support this theory? (That the OT is not monotheistic). Also can you direct me to any online essays you believe make a compelling case for polytheism in the OT?

LP

Doctor X

Christians did not write it.

Faith is all the evidence I need [Stop that.--Ed.] okay . . . okay . . . by coincidence I happened to have this reference next to me:

From a footnote in support he quotes:

Note well the opening to Job where you have a gathering of the gods--the heavenly host--and that wonderful bit in Genesis 6: 1-2 where the "sons of the gods"--bene elohim visit da wimminfolk and . . . er . . . well.

That is just for start.

For a good on-line discussion of the texts and iconographic evidence:

BibleOrigins

What is interesting is one of the articles tries to reject the Documentary Hypothesis. All he does is argue for a redactor which is not denied by the DH, and fails to address the evidence for the DH--or why, frankly, his theory is better. Why scholarship is fun.

--J.D.

Reference:

from the book The Triumph of Elohim: From Yahwisms to Judaisms, Edelman DV, ed. Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995

Edelman DV: "Introduction"

Handy LK: "The Appearance of Pantheon in Judah"

Niehr H: "The Rise of YHWH in Judahite and Israelite Religion: Methodological and Religio-Historical Aspects"

Dean Anderson

Don't forget Exodus 12:12...
Where YHWH decides to beat up the Egyptian gods to prove that he is harder than they are.

The usual Christian-monotheist apologetic for this verse is that YHWH will have a temper-tantrum and destroy the statues that the Egyptians have built to their imaginary gods.

This doesn't work, however, since the Hebrew is clear that it is talking here about actual gods using the same terms that it uses for gods like YHWH - rather than talking about stautes or idols which are described using completely different terminology when they are mentioned in other places in the OT.

Doctor X

People forget the religious aspects of war. [What?--Ed.] It involves your god versus their god and who loses loses a religion. This comes out in the mythic past of the OT--trying to make YHWH "triumphant" over other gods.

From Edelman above:

--J.D.

CX

Because Xianity borrowed it's god from the Hebrews. The hebrews were polytheistic. Until the emregence and hegemony of the "Yahwists" the proto-israelites recognized many deities, most notably the Canaanite deity "El". This is reflected in the earliest layers of Hebrew tradition.

Doctor X

Fine . . . CX . . . be more succinct . . . see if I care. . . .

--J.D.

CX

Was I being succinct or just lazy? Hmmmmm......

Zucco

Try A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong. You can pick it up on Amazon for as little as $6. It answers your question and much, much more. Fascinating, eye-opening stuff.