Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 3892 Location: Berryville, Virginia
Thanks: 689 Thanked: 561 times in 453 posts
Gender: Country:
Re: Ch. 6 - From Polytheism to Monolatry
This is not a short book, and it is rather densely packed. There is another thing about it that I think may have irritated stahrwe, but which I don't put a negative spin on. Wright is quite scrupulous about exploring all possible positions, weighing evidence for each, sometimes admitting that the picture is murky and so the final answer must remain tentative at best. He uses the views of biblical scholars, but he won't take them as authoritative considering the scantiness of evidence that is going to exist for these historical periods. He can make your head spin a bit and he tests the reader's patience at times. I found that to be true for this chapter, but again I have to give Wright credit for carefulness, judiciousness, and impressive management of a welter of possible interpretations. I think that if readers out there need to cut back in the interest of saving time, the detail in this chapter is not that essential to understanding Wright's plotline.
The shift from polytheism to monolatry (worshiping only one god while admitting the existence of others) was a shift from Israelite polytheism to worship of Yahweh alone as the official state religion of Israel. This is a different picture than what the writers of the bible wanted to convey when they spoke of polytheism, which was a lapsing of Israelites away from their already established monotheism to a foreign-influenced god worship.
The shift was driven mostly by, Wright concludes, Israel's rejection of internationalism and the liberal attitude that stance implied toward the gods of other states. The Yahweh-alone movement was a nationalist movement that naturally consolidated religious belief in the major god of Israel, Yahweh, and in particular in the Yahweh of Jerusalem (there having been Yahwehs connected to other specific places). It was Israel's unique position as a small state bordering much larger states that made it so prone to foreign influence and open to the threat of foreign domination. This engendered a defensive reaction, a labeling of things foreign as evil, including of course foreign gods. Wright points to these "facts on the ground" as the reason for the movement toward monotheism.
But in his usual fashion, he gives a nod to the contrasting general theory for the change, that theological belief itself drove the transition. He declares, however, that his bias in the book is that politics, economics, and demographics have a bigger role in causing theological change.
At the end, he addresses the problem of monotheism and intolerance (even though monotheism hasn't arrived in Israel quite yet), and finds it easy to explain. Well, maybe instead of summarizing him I could leave the question open for anyone to respond to. Does monotheism produce "belligerent intolerance?" (p.162).
Last edited by DWill on Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The following user would like to thank DWill for this post: Robert Tulip
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
Love to talk about books but don't have time for our book discussion forums? For casual book talk join us on Facebook.
Support BookTalk.org
BookTalk.org is being upgraded to a totally new design. This upgrade is expensive. Any support would be VERY helpful! See who supports us.
Make a donation
PEOPLE PAYING FOR OUR UPGRADE:
• afv - $10 May
• LevV - $50 March
• Dexter - $10 March
• supernova38 - $25 March
• Oblivion - $20 March
• jheimlich - $20 February
• Robert Tulip - $50 February
• giselle - $50 January
Children here need worming
regularly, and I think I
need to buy more worming
tablets, so while my friends
sit on the beach, I have to
catch bush taxis up to the… more
The children have a long way
to walk to the nearest primary
school. At the moment they are
in temporary accommodation,
with volunteer teachers. There
is community land available,
a… more
The price of The 12th Disciple
has been updated to $3.99 for
Kindle readers. The book is
still available for free to
borrow for Amazon Prime
members. To be
competitive, and s… more
The 12th Disciple has been
reviewed by two different
people on Amazon. They
purchased the Kindle edition;
one in the US, one in the
UK. One review was
5-stars (US) and the oth… more
I'd like to say I've
been reading Harry Potter
since the day the world renown
series appeared on the
scene. Unfortunately,
the truth is I began reading
Harry Potter… more
Easter teaches many of us the
importance of redemption and
resurrection. Regardless of
what faith people follow, the
story of Jesus Christ has been
told in many languages in many
c… more
Our Book Talk will begin on
Wednesday, May 2nd. I look
forward to hearing about your
learning and classroom
experiences with Number Talks
as it all unfolds...
NONOPPOSITIONAL NONVIOLENCE
“The minute you conquer the
fear of death, at that moment
you are free. I submit to you
that if a man hasnÂ’t
discovered something that he
will die f… more
Yesterday, when I went to feed
Jeni the donkey, I noticed
swarms of bees entering
EbrimaÂ’s house through the
cracks in the door. We both
had a look, but he didnÂ’t
open his door… more
Whether you want to implement
number talks but are unsure of
how to begin or have
experience but want more
guidance in crafting
purposeful problems, this
dynamic multimedia resourc… more
Do you feel entitled? For
years I have listened to and,
in some instances, complained
that some people in America
feel entitled. For years I
have watched as these people
are portra… more
On Fat Tuesday and Ash
Wednesday of 2012, The 12th
Disciple was free to Kindle
users on both days. In all,
about 550 worldwide Kindle
users downloaded a copy of the
book.
‘Sacred Are the Brave’ a
collection of short stories
about the nonviolent
revolutions 1986-1989 is now
available in Kindle. Each of
the nine stories has
characters who are just
… more
The Weekend TrippersÂ’ is the
true story of Rfn Ted Taylor
and his part in the heroic
last stand in Calais May 1940.
The Weekend Trippers is based
on TedÂ’s diaries written at
the… more
Tell your friends when to meet you in the BookTalk.org Chat Room.
If you enjoy business bestsellers and would like to expand your business knowledge check out the quality book summaries offered by the world's leading book summary company.
BookTalk.org is a free book discussion group or online reading group or book club. We read and talk about both fiction and non-fiction books as a group. We host live author chats where booktalk members can interact with and interview authors. We give away free books to our members in book giveaway contests. Our booktalks are open to everybody who enjoys talking about books. Our book forums include book reviews, author interviews and book resources for readers and book lovers. Discussing books is our passion. We're a literature forum, or reading forum. Register a free book club account today! Suggest nonfiction and fiction books. Authors and publishers are welcome to advertise their books or ask for an author chat or author interview.
Tweet This Topic
