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The Only God among the Gods

The Original Character of YHWH in Light of the Recent Scholarship

Summary/Abstract: In the Old Testament one may come across seemingly polytheistic passages. In Ps 82:1, for example, “God takes a stand in the divine council, gives judgment in the midst of the gods.” Who are these gods, and what is their relation to YHWH? After elucidating the North-West Semitic Iron Age concept of deity used with a wide variety of meanings (angels, spirits of the dead), the present study discusses religious historical theories concerning the development of polytheism in Israel and the alleged original character of YHWH. While in the past the God of Israel was considered a special type of deity in the region, more recent studies categorise YHWH as an El-type king-god, as a Baal-like storm-god, or as a hypostasis of the Edomite Qos. This article briefly surveys the issue in recent scholarship and weighs up the arguments.

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