How the God of Israel Was Born
This article explores the historical and archaeological origins of monotheism in ancient Israel. It argues that the Hebrew Bible is a composite of distinct northern and southern traditions that were harmonized over time rather than a single, sudden revelation.
Why it matters
It provides a scholarly perspective on the evolution of religious texts, challenging traditional narratives about the origins of Judaism.
For centuries, the story of monotheism has been told as a sudden, finished revelation. But Near Eastern archaeology and the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible point to a far more complex story: the exhausting political and cultural process by which two rival deities, the priesthood of Egypt and the rites of desert nomads merged into a single faith.
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