Monotheism In Ancient Israel

In the first century Palestine, during this period, many people from Judaism believed that there was only one God because of the Jewish biblical tradition. Since “both Jesus and his original disciples were children of Israel, that primarily explainable in terms of Jewish customs and beliefs” (pg. 43). The shared beliefs were from the Hebrew Bible, which proclaimed that there is one God of Israel by the name of Yahweh (Deut. 6:4-5). They did this by remembering the most important commandment (Mark 12:28-30). This made them loyal to worship the God of Israel named Yahweh.

The Hebrews served a monotheistic God, who they called Yahweh. He is an all-powerful and non human like being. They believed he made them in his image and gave them dominion over the earth. Their God was unlike any other gods at the time because he was friendly, compassionate, forgiving and all-powerful. God gave the Hebrews structure, a background, hope, and purpose. Every society needs rules to protect and keep the community in line. God gave Moses the ten commandments which they lived on.1 The Hebrews created the Bible a sacred book containing their lives and relationships with God. The Bible gave the Hebrews an understanding of how the world and humankind emerged. They also believed in an afterlife. Heaven for people who lived a righteous life and Hell for people who lived an unholy life in the eyes of God. So the Hebrews had a set of laws follow and hopes to believe in. This unified the Hebrews because they had the same goals, beliefs and obligation to suppress their desires for the well being of God and their society.

Judaism as well as its offshoot and formation into the Christian religion both place great emphasis on the notion of their monotheistic God as revealed in the early scriptures. To them God has revealed Himself as the one Lord of all. Evident in the first Commandment that was

The rise, development, and spread of monotheism (the belief in one God), is one of the most significant and fascinating dimensions of human civilization. The three major monotheistic faiths are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, these religions have spread to other kingdoms throughout the world by use of missionaries.

In modern times when one thinks of Monotheism, the first religion that comes to mind is Christianity. But what is Monotheism? Monotheism is the belief that there is only one god. But is Christianity the first group of people to believe in one god? The answer is no, monotheism comes a long way. Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion approximately 3500 years ago. The religion was founded by Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran. The second monotheistic religion known to man kind is Atenism founded by the Pharaoh Akhenaten. And the third Monotheistic religion is Judaism.

The monotheistic belief of Judaism recognises that God is omnipotent, omnipresent and pure spirit. The concept of the oneness of God, is expressed through the Shema which is an affirmation of faith Jews proclaim, commencing with “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”- Deuteronomy 6:4. This

Monotheism: The basic definition of monotheism is the belief in one God. The opposite of polytheism, which is the belief in many Gods, who each serve a different purpose. However, for a monotheistic religion, the God is all-knowing, all-seeing and all-powerful; this God would be the sole creator and provider. There are three major religions associated with monotheism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Greek Hellenism and Judaism share many similarities and differences in the amount of gods they follow, the way they fulfill the commands of their God(s), and the power man has on the earth. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, meaning all Jews follow after one God, Hashem. All worshiping and commandments fulfilled by Jewish people are towards Hashem. In the first commandment of the Ten Commandments, Hashem tells the Jewish people, “אנכי ה’ אלקיך...לא יהיה לך אלקים אחרים על פני”, which means “I am the Lord, your God… Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.”

Both Jews and Christians belief there is one god whose name is Jehovah, thus describing them as monotheistic religions. Furthermore, both believe in the same god. However,

Judaism was formed in 2000 bc. by Abraham in the land of Canaan. They were the first monotheistic religion, this means they only worship one god. They call their deity “God” (Jehovah in hebrew).

Monotheism is the belief in one God, whereas polytheism is the belief in more than one God. Many religions today hold the doctrine of monotheism and reject any ideas similar to polytheism. However, there are many religions that stand by the belief of polytheism, one being the Greco-Roman mythology. The Greeks and Romans worshipped their gods and goddesses in holy temples through sacrifice. This was similar to the way many Hebraic groups, such as the Israelites, worshiped their God.

If you're a Jew you can't have any other gods . According to the Ten Commandments it says that “2. you shall have no other to rival me”. This demonstrates that you have to believe in him and only him or you have to not follow the religion anymore to believe in another god.This can make someone’s life hard when he doesn't know what to follow and wants to follow all religions.

Hinduism and Judaism are both major religions and ancient religions in the world. Judaism is a western religion and a monotheistic religion. Where Hinduism is an eastern religion and there can be different Hinduism religions in which some Hinduism religion are polytheistic and other are monotheistic just like Judaism. These two religions, Hinduism and Judaism, may have different beliefs, but they both have their laws on how marriage and family should function. Although marriage and family life in Hinduism and Judaism have similarities, they as well have differences such in what the meaning of marriage is, parent’s roles, and children’s role.

Moses: Like the other monotheistic faiths, my people believe in one God, and only one. The Greek, for example, believe in more than one God; this makes them polytheistic.

Throughout the centuries, the Jewish people have maintained their customs and religion. One of the most common assumptions has been that the ancient Jews have always been monotheistic. Yet, upon closer examination, this conventional wisdom is inaccurate. Ugaritic texts, archeological data, and the Biblical narrative itself all demonstrate that the ancient Jews were not monotheistic, contrary to what many believe. In fact, there is proof that they acknowledged and sometimes worshipped other gods, as late as the seventh century CE. In order to grasp what this means, there needs to be an understanding of who the ancient Jews were, who their neighbors were, and what was worshipped at the time.