Monotheism- The belief that there is only one god. This was important at the time because most people believed there was more than one god. 29. Phoenicians- Spoke a Semitic language and settled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Lebanon Mountains.
Also, the Hebrews were monotheistic and they were taken over by the neo-Babylonians and were exiled which gave them no place to worship called the Babylonian exile. The Assyrians also separated the Hebrews into tribes that are considered lost to history called the 10 lost
The author uses both evidence and logic to deny and argue in favor of a connection between Akhenaten's version of monotheism and the early Hebrew version. For example, the author uses historical evidence suggesting that monotheism evolved "several centuries after Akhenaten's death" to deny that any connection exists between the two. He also argues that there is no direct evidence indicating that "Egyptian monotheists extend[ed] the aten's power beyond Egypt". Scholars also "would say [out] flatly that there weren't any Hebrews at all during the time". So, where did Hebrews get the idea of monotheism?
In the history of the hebrews the religion has displayed a remarkable adaptability and continuity. Starting when God flooded the world and spared nobody but Noah and his family, when God had Abraham leave Mesopotamia and settle in the land of the Canaanites, And when God had Moses lead his people out of slavery and into the promised land. All of these points change the face of the Hebrew culture and their religion. The Hebrews history was remarkable which they managed to survive as people and as a culture. From the Hebrews point of view the whole purpose was to illuminate their relationship with God When God was in the picture with the Hebrews things became different, God did not allow more than one god which is called monotheism.
Thesis Statement: Mesopotamians and Hebrews are depicted as very different when it comes to religious beliefs, but actually seem to have many similarities in many ways and has led to many of their laws and social stratification correlating. Topic Sentence 1: Since the ancient Hebrews were Monotheistic and the Mesopotamians were Polytheistic, they are naturally assumed to be completely unlike each other; that is simply not the case with these specific civilizations. Topic Sentence 2: The Gods or God in both the Polytheistic and Monotheistic religions have similar traits, but the beliefs of the civilians in both cultures can be viewed as different.
The people of Mesopotamia ( Tigris and Euphrates River Valley), and the Nile River Valley had a very strong belief in polytheism. The belief in a religion called polytheism, or the belief of many gods not just one in particular. The Egyptians worshipped as many as 2,000 gods, but the chief god was known as Ra the sun god,
In all these religions, God is the supreme-being whose power is never questionable (Fisher 247). However, there are different views on the monotheistic God from each of these religions. For example, Zoroastrianism views God as the source of good and not evil at any single instance. On the contrary, Judaists and Christians see God as the source of both evil and good. Moreover, the recognition of God as monotheistic was founded on the revelation key prophets received in each faith.
Hebrews 3: God the builder of all things Not only do Christians claim that their god is mighty and all-powerful but that he also created the entire universe and everything in it. He is said to have created man, beast, nature, and the heavens through his son, Jesus, who later came to earth and spoke to these people himself. If this is all true, then we have a very powerful god on our hands indeed. Not only did their god create a world for them to live in, but he also created their religion, their church, in order to properly serve him.
The Resemblance of Gods and Humans Throughout all religions, gods have always been seen as superior in every way possible. The division between humans and gods has always been prevalent and prominent. However, when the actions and motives of these gods are truly analyzed, it will become evident that the gods of Greek Mythology merely behave as humans with supernatural powers.
Ancient people being unaware about the outside world created for themselves the hierarchy of Gods to ask for protection and support. Example: Paganism had a tendency to be polytheistic. People worshipped a variety of gods and goddesses, spirits representing national and local heroes, as well as natural phenomena. Pagans also honored their ancestry and ancestors.
The worship of Baal appealed to the Israelites so strongly because, even though Yahweh was considered the God of power that guided the Israelites through the desert, the Israelites had another idea. As the Israelites got established into the land, they were confronted with productivity followers of Baal (Bratcher, 2016). They were aware that Baal was the leader of the majority of the ordinary concepts of daily normalcy, like the rain, harvest, and domestic animals. The Israelites continued with the worship of Yahweh, however, they wanted the worship of Baal into their repertoire, along with the worship of Yahweh. This concept was referred to syncretism; the Israelites maintained one God for urgent matters and another God for normal daily endeavors
Prayer is regularly commanded in Scripture, which are the holy writings of Christianity contained inside the Bible. Prayer requires you to believe and have faith in God’s willingness and ability to interact with us. There are more requirements such as belief in his overall personality, and most importantly his personal authority of all things. Prayer is the action of crying to heaven, spilling out your soul to the Lord, making supplication, finding God, bowing your knees, and coming closer to God. When I pray before I actually go to sleep, I kneel on both of my knees, bow my head, close my eyes, and place my hands together.
This is why monotheism is the worship and belief one "true" god. The origin of where monotheism started is not clear. Some say that it started when Moses brought it to the ancient Hebrews. Some say it evolved from polytheism. Others say there is a documented case of monotheism in Egypt during the rule of Akhenaten.
The Old Testament is the grand narrative of the Israelite’s relationship with a personable God who calls himself Yahweh, ‘I am who I am’, found primarily in the book of Psalms and collection of books known as the Pentateuch which play the integral role of laying out the interactions between Yahweh and his people. In the Pentateuch, the reader follows the story of the Israelites from creation to flood, patriarchs to captivity, and exodus to covenant and at the center of this journey is the God Yahweh, who can be observed as slowly revealing himself personally to Moses, the Israelites in Egypt and then again on the climatic meeting on Mt. Sinai. Here Yahweh reveals himself to be three things: a personable God who wants His people to flourish,
There are many names of God in the Old Testament, but I will be focusing on the primary names in Genesis. The meanings of people’s name in the bible are significant, many names God would change because their name was not sufficient to who they are in God’s eyes. It is difficult to have a name that claims all of who a person is, that is why there are many names of God. There is no single human word that can identify God, so God identifies himself with many names, so his followers better understand him. To begin, I will mention the primary names of God in Hebrew and what they mean.
