Intolerant Monolatry in the Deuteronomistic History
By (author) Juha Pakkala
Hintergründe und Entwicklung der exklusiven Jahweverehrung und der Ablehnung anderer Götter in der Religionsgeschichte Israels.
The origin of Israel’s exclusive devotion to Yahwe and intolerance towards other and foreign gods has aroused wide discussion in recent research. This investigation approaches the problem from the perspective of the Deuteronomistic History (DH), the main account of Israel’s pre-exilic history, applying the method of source criticism as well as the study of archaelogical evidence.The main result of the investigation is that intolerance towards other gods derives from the later redactional layers of the DH, since the original text does not attack or criticize other gods. In other words, there is a notable shift in attitude towards the other gods within the DH and other deuteronomistic literature. The early history writer is not interested in the problem of foreign gods, whereas the later redactors are preoccupied with it – reflecting contemporary developments in Israel’s religion and history. By dating the editors or redactors, we may be able to trace the origin of exclusivity of the worshipping Yahwe. It seems probable that this development is one of the exilic period. Besides textual analysis, this investigation sketches the historical background for this development.
- By (author) Juha Pakkala