this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2024
894 points (94.9% liked)
> Greentext
7506 readers
195 users here now
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
If you read the old testament in particular, god never denies the existence of other gods, only that he's the best one. Yahweh was actually just one god in an ancient pre Jewish pantheon. He was like Dionysus, a god of harvest and wine and rebirth. Different tribes had different chief gods, but all accepted the existence of the others. Just happened over time that the people who worshipped Yahweh were the only ones left and it became a monotheistic religion.
I'm sure back in the day, those gods were more similar to Greek gods, flawed and monstrous, and entities to fear. That's why the old testament god is such a psychopath.
Elohim (one of his several names; I like this one, because it betrays his Canaanitic roots) is one of several Canaanitic gods, which makes a lot more sense than him being the only god yet him being jealous of other gods (that don't exist).
Edit: El was also portrayed as a calf, which makes the worshipped golden calf make a lot more sense in the story of Israels formation. What does not make sense is the pre-Israelites going to a land they already lived in, historically speaking