The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel
In this remarkable, acclaimed history of the development of monotheism, Mark S. Smith explains how Israel's religion evolved from a cult of Yahweh as a primary deity among many to a fully defined monotheistic faith with Yahweh as sole god. Repudiating the traditional view that Israel was fundamentally different in culture and religion from its Canaanite neighbors, this provocative book argues that Israelite religion developed, at least in part, from the religion of Canaan. Drawing on...
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In this remarkable, acclaimed history of the development of monotheism, Mark S. Smith explains how Israel's religion evolved from a cult of Yahweh as a primary deity among many to a fully defined monotheistic faith with Yahweh as sole god. Repudiating the traditional view that Israel was fundamentally different in culture and religion from its Canaanite neighbors, this provocative book argues that Israelite religion developed, at least in part, from the religion of Canaan. Drawing on epigraphic and archaeological sources, Smith cogently demonstrates that Israelite religion was not an outright rejection of foreign, pagan gods but, rather, was the result of the progressive establishment of a distinctly separate Israelite identity. This thoroughly revised second edition of The Early History of God includes a substantial new preface by the author and a foreword by Patrick D. Miller.
Foreword to the Second EditionPreface to the Second EditionAcknowledgments (First Edition)Abbreviations and SiglaIntroduction1Ch. 1Deities in Israel in the Period of the Judges19Ch. 2Yahweh and Baal65Ch. 3Yahweh and Asherah108Ch. 4Yahweh and the Sun148Ch. 5Yahwistic Cultic Practices160Ch. 6The Origins and Development of Israelite Monotheism182Ch. 7Postscript: Portraits of Yahweh200Indexes of Texts208Index of Authors225General Index238
