When the Old Testament specifically refers to two gods: “Most High” or “El” – the Father and Creator, and “Yahweh” – one of Most High’s 70 sons and champion of the Israelites?
We know that the people who lived in the ancient states of what is now Israel/Palestine, believed in a whole pantheon of gods or “divine council”. Two gods within this divine council were “Most High” and “Yahweh”. There are even little snippets of polytheism within the Bible, such as Psalm 82. Psalm 82 tells us that “Most High” resides over a “divine council” of heavenly beings. Some will try to say that the divine council is made up of angels, but a few lines later in Psalm 82, Most High says, “You are gods.”
@ The Visitor, Wrong! “Most High” and “Yahweh” are not just two names for the same being. We know this because of pre-New Testament texts and because it says so the in oldest known copies of the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls.
@ Paul B<<<Can you add detail about the Most High's 70 sons, and the distinction you say is evident in the Dead Sea Scrolls?>>>
The number 70 comes from pre-Old Testament Ugaritic text. The Ugaritic texts are tablets that were discovered in 1932. They were originally written about 1300-1200 BCE. Most of the Old Testament scriptures were probably written about 800-200BCE. (The surviving Old Testament scriptures date to about 1000 AD, I believe). Many passages found in the Old Testament (such as the creation story, Noah’s Ark, Daniel in the lions den, many of the Psalms, etc) our also found in the Ugaritic texts, meaning that the Old Testament probably evolved from the older Ugaritic texts. At this point in history, the people that now live in the area of what’s now known to be Israel were polytheists. They believe in a whole “divine council” of gods. “Most High”, or “El” was, well, the highest god in the council.
According to Deuteronomy 32:8-9: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2032:8-9&version=NIV
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,
he set up boundaries for the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel. [a]
9 For the LORD's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.
Footnotes:
a.Deuteronomy 32:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) sons of God
Now, this verse seems to call God “Most High” in one place but “LORD” in another. “LORD” definitely refers to Yhwh. The Hebrew for “Most High” here is Elyon. This could be a reference to El, who appears as El Elyon dozens of times in the Bible. I guess that it’s open to interpretation whether to consider El and Yhwh the same being. But considering that both of these gods are known in the pantheon of the Ugaritic religion, I think that it makes sense that this verse refers to two separate gods.
Also, the words “sons of Israel” is open to debate. According to the Dead Seas Scrolls, this really should read as “sons of El”. The earliest known Old Testament scriptures used to date to about 1000 AD (if I’m not mistaken). The Dead Seas Scrolls date to about 200 BCE. So likely, sometime between 200BCE and 1000AD, some editor who frowned upon polytheism in the Bible changed this verse. I could have also been an honest mistranslation as well.
But what’s interesting here, is that this verse implies that El divided the people up into nations, and then gave each nation to one of his sons. The people of Jacob (Israelites) were given to Yahweh. It doesn’t say explicitly, but we can infer from elsewhere in the Bible that, for example, that the Ammonites were given to Moloch, and the Moabites were given to Chemosh. Ammon and Moab (I believe) are uncles to Jacob. Baal was given the Sidonians. Moloch, Chemosh, Baal are also gods from the ancient Ugaritic “divine council” or pantheon or gods.
The number of “Most High’s” sons, 70, comes from the Ugaritic texts.
<<<The principle of monotheism had been accepted by the time Deuteronomy was redacted to its present form: the central prayer of Judaism, taken from Deuteronomy 6:4, says>>>
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."
[Yahweh is Yahweh and there's only one Yahweh.]
At some point, Yahweh did become the national God of the Israelites. But, at first, each city and settlement would worship their own version of Yahweh. There would be, for example, a Yahweh-Jerusalem, a Yahweh-Bethlehem, a Yahweh-Nazareth, etc. What Deuteronomy 6:4 is saying is that all of these Yahwah’es are the same Yahweh!
We know that the people who lived in the ancient states of what is now Israel/Palestine, believed in a whole pantheon of gods or “divine council”. Two gods within this divine council were “Most High” and “Yahweh”. There are even little snippets of polytheism within the Bible, such as Psalm 82. Psalm 82 tells us that “Most High” resides over a “divine council” of heavenly beings. Some will try to say that the divine council is made up of angels, but a few lines later in Psalm 82, Most High says, “You are gods.”
@ The Visitor, Wrong! “Most High” and “Yahweh” are not just two names for the same being. We know this because of pre-New Testament texts and because it says so the in oldest known copies of the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls.
@ Paul B<<<Can you add detail about the Most High's 70 sons, and the distinction you say is evident in the Dead Sea Scrolls?>>>
The number 70 comes from pre-Old Testament Ugaritic text. The Ugaritic texts are tablets that were discovered in 1932. They were originally written about 1300-1200 BCE. Most of the Old Testament scriptures were probably written about 800-200BCE. (The surviving Old Testament scriptures date to about 1000 AD, I believe). Many passages found in the Old Testament (such as the creation story, Noah’s Ark, Daniel in the lions den, many of the Psalms, etc) our also found in the Ugaritic texts, meaning that the Old Testament probably evolved from the older Ugaritic texts. At this point in history, the people that now live in the area of what’s now known to be Israel were polytheists. They believe in a whole “divine council” of gods. “Most High”, or “El” was, well, the highest god in the council.
According to Deuteronomy 32:8-9: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2032:8-9&version=NIV
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,
he set up boundaries for the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel. [a]
9 For the LORD's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.
Footnotes:
a.Deuteronomy 32:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) sons of God
Now, this verse seems to call God “Most High” in one place but “LORD” in another. “LORD” definitely refers to Yhwh. The Hebrew for “Most High” here is Elyon. This could be a reference to El, who appears as El Elyon dozens of times in the Bible. I guess that it’s open to interpretation whether to consider El and Yhwh the same being. But considering that both of these gods are known in the pantheon of the Ugaritic religion, I think that it makes sense that this verse refers to two separate gods.
Also, the words “sons of Israel” is open to debate. According to the Dead Seas Scrolls, this really should read as “sons of El”. The earliest known Old Testament scriptures used to date to about 1000 AD (if I’m not mistaken). The Dead Seas Scrolls date to about 200 BCE. So likely, sometime between 200BCE and 1000AD, some editor who frowned upon polytheism in the Bible changed this verse. I could have also been an honest mistranslation as well.
But what’s interesting here, is that this verse implies that El divided the people up into nations, and then gave each nation to one of his sons. The people of Jacob (Israelites) were given to Yahweh. It doesn’t say explicitly, but we can infer from elsewhere in the Bible that, for example, that the Ammonites were given to Moloch, and the Moabites were given to Chemosh. Ammon and Moab (I believe) are uncles to Jacob. Baal was given the Sidonians. Moloch, Chemosh, Baal are also gods from the ancient Ugaritic “divine council” or pantheon or gods.
The number of “Most High’s” sons, 70, comes from the Ugaritic texts.
<<<The principle of monotheism had been accepted by the time Deuteronomy was redacted to its present form: the central prayer of Judaism, taken from Deuteronomy 6:4, says>>>
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."
[Yahweh is Yahweh and there's only one Yahweh.]
At some point, Yahweh did become the national God of the Israelites. But, at first, each city and settlement would worship their own version of Yahweh. There would be, for example, a Yahweh-Jerusalem, a Yahweh-Bethlehem, a Yahweh-Nazareth, etc. What Deuteronomy 6:4 is saying is that all of these Yahwah’es are the same Yahweh!