Origins of Yahweh

[Asherah]

I'm reading a book called The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Religious Traditions and it states the following:

"In the Old Middle Eastern Theology, El had appointed a god to each of the nations. Yahweh was the holy one of Isreal; Chemosh the holy one of Moab; and Milkom the holy one of Ammon."

Does anyone know if this is true? Where does one get such information? There isn't a citation in the book and so I was wondering where I could confirm this information. I would also like to read more on this topic. Can anyone recommend a good book covering the topic of the origins of Yahweh?

Thanks!

[history_geek]

I don't have any books at hand, however there is are some promising videos on YouTube:

A two part series by the user Evid3nc3 (unfortunately the four parted response by another user, itsthesuperfly, no longer exists, as he has closed his account. It was both well informed, as well as using a number of written sources), based largely on a book by Karen Armstrong called "A History of God"

3.3.3 Atheism: A History of God (Part 1)
3.3.3 Atheism: A History of God (Part 2)

And I also found a History Channel (take it as you will) documentary, staring the author herself
A History of God - History Channel (A&E)

I personally haven't read the book or seen the HC doc, but I can vouch for Evid3nc3's video. He also lists a number of other resources, so hopefully that gives you a start

[Asherah]

Cool, thanks! I'll check those out 

[Too Few Lions]

funnily enough, I've been reading quite a few books on this exact subject and was going to do a thread on pretty much the same thing at some point when I was a little less busy (work's pretty hectic at the mo).

Probably the best book I've read on the subject is by Mark S.Smith, The Early History of God

But yeah, the Israelites started off as Canaanites and worshipped gods like El, Baal and Asherah. At some point they adopted Yahweh into their pantheon as a warrior god, and under the monarchy he became the national god of Israel / Judah, sometime around the ninth century BCE. The statement about national gods is true, Ammon had Moloch, Edom had Kaus, Moab had Kemosh, Israel and Judah had Yahweh. These small kingdoms were mirroring the great empires of the age, Babylon had Marduk as its national creator god, and Assyria had Ashur.

The idea of El apportioning the nations out to various god appears in the Bible, in Deuteronomy 32.8-9,

'When the the Most High (El-yon) gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,
he set up the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel.
For Yahweh's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.'

(Jacob is a personalisation of Israel in the Old Testament)

The Old Testament was written by priests of Yahweh who represented a particularly intolerant strand that opposed the worship of these other Israelite gods, and a large part of the Old Testament was written in the 7th Century BCE under the auspices and rule of the particularly intolerant Yahwistic kings Hezekiah and Josiah.

Yahweh himself is believed to have originated in Edom (northern Saudi Arabia). El would have been the original chief god of the Israelites, he was the chief god of the Canaanites, and their name Isra-El derives from his. Many of the characteristics and language of El were absorbed into Yahweh as he became the main god of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

[Asherah]

Interesting. I found the book you mentioned at the library. Thanks!

[Augustus]

I remember watching a BBC documentary by Francesca Stavrakopoulou that from what i remember mentioned that if you trace it waaaaay back it all started from an Ethiopian tribe that worshiped Poseidon (cant remember if they said Poseidon eventually turned into El or Yahweh). I find it funny how in the bible he claims to be the only true god, yet comes from a large family of Deities

Maybe Yahweh was just jealous that he wasn't in charge so decided to make his own religion and pretend Zeus and that lot didn't exist?

[Gawen]

Just as I was absorbed into this interesting topic...someone comes along and derails it...*sigh*

Great topic Asherah...and great replies to the topic TFL and HG

[Too Few Lions]

yeah, it's a really interesting topic. I think once you realise that the Christian 'God' is in fact a 3000 year old western Semitic warrior god called Yahweh, he kind of loses any power he might hold over you, and the whole religion starts to look rather ridiculous.

[Tank]

Just as I was absorbed into this interesting topic...someone comes along and derails it...*sigh*

Great topic Asherah...and great replies to the topic TFL and HG

Derail removed to derail thread.

[Too Few Lions]

Just as I was absorbed into this interesting topic...someone comes along and derails it...*sigh*

Great topic Asherah...and great replies to the topic TFL and HG

Derail removed to derail thread.

good move! I've noticed there are quite a few of arian's posts there. I do like the way the thread radomly jumps from derail to derail making a nice surreal read

[Gawen]

Just as I was absorbed into this interesting topic...someone comes along and derails it...*sigh*

Great topic Asherah...and great replies to the topic TFL and HG

Derail removed to derail thread.

Thanks muchly...

[Sandra Craft]

I'd suggest Karen Armstrong's A History of God.

[Gawen]

FTL, which god was it then, that made the never ending covenants with the ancient Hebrews?

[Too Few Lions]

FTL, which god was it then, that made the never ending covenants with the ancient Hebrews?

That's a good question. I'd assume Yahweh, as most of the Hebrew Bible is a product of the priests of Yahweh, written from the 8th century BCE onwards. Plus a large part of it was written by intolerant Yahwists who were trying to promote this supposed covenant between Yahweh and Israel / Judah as reason for Israelites only worshipping their god, and as justification for the persecution and murder of followers of other Israelite/Canaanite deities.

Having said that, one of the epithets of El was El Berit 'El of the Covenant', so I imagine Yahweh derived his status as the god of the covenant from El. El could well have been the god of the covenant for the Israelites prior to the 8th/9th centuries BCE and the earliest writings in the Bible, particularly as they also derive their name from him.

[Gawen]

Interesting. I'll look into it a bit deeper. The next question would be, if El is the "most high" and Yahweh is the almost "most High", then who spawned Jesus?