Big Ideas · 5 · Ahab and Jezebel
Once there were many Yhwhs
Inscriptions mention 'Yhwh of Samaria' and 'Yhwh of Teman,' and there was a Yhwh of Jerusalem too. The famous Shema declares that all of them are one.
'The Lord is one' was a call to unity.
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Biblical religion is mostly 'monolatrous': worship of one god without denying others exist. Scribes folded other divine names, like El, Elyon, and Shaddai, into Yhwh. Deuteronomy's declaration that Yhwh is one aimed to unite a nation with competing centers.
Bible reference: Deuteronomy 6:4
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 84–85
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