This was well written, I’ll probably do my own research but not write out a full stack seeing as my other response flopped on engagement. You make some points that warrant further reading, and others I obviously reject.
Btw, the Smith quote is a screengrab from an Inspiring Philopsophy YouTube short, I didn’t deliberately edit a PDF or something. But it’s pretty clear that he explicitly rejects using Deuteronomy 32.8 as evidence for the polytheism theory
The Elephantine letter from a Jewish colony in Egypt showed that Asherah was still worshipped as the wife at the colonists’ own temple during the late Persian period. This means the monotheistic idea didn’t really developed until after Alexander the Great’s invasion.
El isn't a generic title for a deity just like deity isn't generic because the etymology of both "El" and "deity" contain ethno specific conception of the source of divinity. El simultaneously means the "up high" and the "powerful," basically ascribing divine preeminence to mountain tops and to the sky, which is more in line with a polytheistic hierarchy of physical and earthly realms than with a monistic God who is not conceived of as occupying the tops of mountains or the heavens of the sky (a conception that would later become blasphemous) but a more abstract, essential and unknowable plane of existence. Pretty damning when the very language that describes the unknowability of the primordial essence of the Abrahamic god in terms such as a "higher" power has origins in the pagan focus on earthly dimensions.
Incidentally I do agree the early Hebrews were polytheistic, but to me arguing that Yahweh and El couldn't possibly be synonyms for the same deity is the weakest argument for it, there are many examples of deities with multiple titles and kennings. Your other points were much stronger.
Tried to cover this as I could in a short reply. Kennings/names can be difficult and highly technical at times. For example (as stated), Tyr and El both mean "god" and both share similar descriptions, and each share pantheons with similarly named gods (ie, El-Shaddai, or Gauta-tyr for Odin). And, to be sure, El *is* a name for Yahweh. It's just that this came from a synthesis of two distinct gods, El and Yahweh.
This was well written, I’ll probably do my own research but not write out a full stack seeing as my other response flopped on engagement. You make some points that warrant further reading, and others I obviously reject.
Btw, the Smith quote is a screengrab from an Inspiring Philopsophy YouTube short, I didn’t deliberately edit a PDF or something. But it’s pretty clear that he explicitly rejects using Deuteronomy 32.8 as evidence for the polytheism theory
The Elephantine letter from a Jewish colony in Egypt showed that Asherah was still worshipped as the wife at the colonists’ own temple during the late Persian period. This means the monotheistic idea didn’t really developed until after Alexander the Great’s invasion.
cockmogged made me lol
El isn't a generic title for a deity just like deity isn't generic because the etymology of both "El" and "deity" contain ethno specific conception of the source of divinity. El simultaneously means the "up high" and the "powerful," basically ascribing divine preeminence to mountain tops and to the sky, which is more in line with a polytheistic hierarchy of physical and earthly realms than with a monistic God who is not conceived of as occupying the tops of mountains or the heavens of the sky (a conception that would later become blasphemous) but a more abstract, essential and unknowable plane of existence. Pretty damning when the very language that describes the unknowability of the primordial essence of the Abrahamic god in terms such as a "higher" power has origins in the pagan focus on earthly dimensions.
Very interesting article. Thank you.
Incidentally I do agree the early Hebrews were polytheistic, but to me arguing that Yahweh and El couldn't possibly be synonyms for the same deity is the weakest argument for it, there are many examples of deities with multiple titles and kennings. Your other points were much stronger.
Thank you
Tried to cover this as I could in a short reply. Kennings/names can be difficult and highly technical at times. For example (as stated), Tyr and El both mean "god" and both share similar descriptions, and each share pantheons with similarly named gods (ie, El-Shaddai, or Gauta-tyr for Odin). And, to be sure, El *is* a name for Yahweh. It's just that this came from a synthesis of two distinct gods, El and Yahweh.