Monotheism
Review of the previous post
The previous post, post Number 9 of 22 was post number 7 of 7 posts discussing Yahwism, and discussed changes in Yahwism.
Preview of this post
This post, post number 10 of 22, is post number 1 of 4 posts discussing the prophets and their relation to monotheism.
The prophets
The prophets, such as Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah predicted that YHWH could, and did, act beyond the physical borders of Israel and had power over other nations as well as over Israel[1]. The men taught, and, in some cases, wrote, during their lifetimes. The authors of the Bible used these writings, and often changed them, to make their points and fit the writings and teachings into the narrative. For example, scholars have been able to discern up to six stages of the work attributed in the Bible to Amos: the prophet’s own words, spoken in the mid-eighth century B.C.E. are the first of these stages, and the post-Exilic period, some three or four hundred years later, forms the final stage. This third stage has the Jews in the Exile or recently returned from the Exile in Babylon as the intended audience[2]. This extended the concept of Yahwism toward monotheism by giving YHWH power over other nations who had other gods. The prophets severely chastised the people for slipping away from Yahwism, see Hosea 12:3-5, Hosea 4:12-15, 8:11, 11:12,12:12, 13:1-2; Isaiah 1:29-30; Micah 4:5, 5:13-14 and threatened punishment from YHWH for such slipping thereby setting the stage for the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.
Preview of the next post
The next post, post number 11 of 22, is post number 2 of 4 posts discussing the prophets and their relation to monotheism, and discusses Amos as a first specific example.
[1] See Amos 1:3-2:3, 9:7, and 6:2; See also, Isiah 7:18-20, 5:26-30, 6:11-13, and 8:7. See also, Jeremiah 5:15ff, 6:22ff, 20:4ff. See, The Early History of God: “Through Elijah and Elisha, Yahweh works beyond Israel’s borders (1 Kings 17:14; 19:15; 2 Kings 5:1; 8:14). The story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 sets the stage for an expression that the action and plan of Yahweh extends beyond Israel’s national borders.” Of course, the prime example of the Hebrew God showing His power over other Gods is the plague story in Exodus, see also Isaiah 10:6.
[2] The final version of Amos’s words during the period of return from Babylonian Exile appear to soften the message of unrelenting doom of the original words, to proclaim Yahweh as a just God, who stands by and rescues the suffering and oppressed again and again speeding to their aid.