rlogan

I think this is better left to the Jewish interpretations. I think you will find that they did tolerate the idea of "household Gods". This is touched upon in this web quickie article:

Who wrote the Pentateuch

There is a summary of the documentary hypothesis in there. But "Who Wrote the Bible" by Friedman would ba a good source to have on the shelf...

Magus55

That verse isn't referring to real gods, its referring to the worship of gods as though they are real. The Jews were worshipping idols and pagan gods as though they were real, which is why the commandment was placed. There are no other real gods.

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and beside me [there is] no God.

mike_decock

Exactly. They wouldn't be worshipping other gods if they didn't believe there were other gods. The belief in more than one gods is polytheism. Like I said, early Jews were polytheistic.

Exactly. Isaiah, much later, is arguing for monotheism.

That's what I mean when I say there is a theological evolution from polytheism to monotheism. I would like to see if anyone has shown the chronology of this evolution but I don't know of any reliable sources for dating the OT.

-Mike...

sharon45

It's yes his court of angels in Heaven, and it's G-d's "spiritual" image. G-d has no other image in Jewish belief, all of the universe is G-d.

Do christians still like to think of god as an old man with a long white beard?

Magus55

Angels don't have God's spiritual image either. Angels weren't created in God's image. I've heard this claim that its referring to the angels. Its a very poor argument, and the rest of the Bible disagrees.

sharon45

It's not an arguement, it's Jewish belief, christian belief is the "trinity", as I said earlier. If you have a problem with these beliefs in counter from this passage, then, your problems have only just begun when it comes to the rest of the bible.

Magus55

Jewish belief is wrong. Genesis 1 has nothing to do with the court of angels. Angels are biune, God is triune. Humans have body, soul, and spirit like God. Angels don't, therefore, humans couldn't have been made in the image of angels.

sharon45

Magus, "Spiritual" image, you keep avoiding this, G-d has no body, no soul.

Magus55

Yes God does.

rlogan

Mike - I think this book review will help:

Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 4 (2002-2003) -

Review of Mark S. Smith, The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001). Pp. xviii + 325. ISBN 019513480X. $ 60.

Book review on Monotheism

In short:

"monotheism was a late development in the Babylonian Exile and
subsequent years"

It was a bit surprising not only the degree of polytheism in early Jewish history, but traditions such as *gasp* infant sacrifice.

So in response to the opneing post, it is abundantly clear to me that the Genesis language means something akin to a "college of Gods". The Gods Committee. God Club.