YAHWEH

1. YAHWEH • The development of Judaism was closely connected to the social and economic evolution of the Hebrew people • A group of Israelites adopted the desert god, YAHWEH, while they were lost in the Sinai peninsula after their escape from slavery in Egypt • An austere, intolerant god

2. GOD OF ABRAHAM • Some Israelites had monotheistic tendencies ever since time of Abraham • Abraham allegedly had an agreement with the “God of Abraham” to worship only him in exchange for his special protection • He never saw this god as the only god • Just viewed as one of many that Abraham chose to worship

3. REINTERPRETATION BY MOSES • YAHWEH was not one god of many whom the Israelites chose to worship • He was the only god • All-knowing, all-powerful, and universal • Made covenant with the Israelites • Embodied in the 10 Commandments • Promised to make them his “Chosen People” if they obeyed his commandments • Some dealt with religion but others dealt with everyday conduct • YAHWEH demanded ethical conduct from his followers Arc of the Covenant

4. CULTURE CLASH • Israelites worship of their powerful, but simple, desert god clashed with their new surroundings in Palestine • Lush agriculture land inhabited by civilized people with their own polytheistic religion • Result was not just war between an invading tribe and a settled people • Also a serious cultural clash between a nomadic, semi-civilized desert people with their austere god and an established and prosperous urban people with a complex and elaborate religion centered on fertility Baal

5. CIVILIZING PROCESS • Long struggle with Canaanites left lasting impression on the culture and religion of Israelites • Absorbed several aspects of Canaanite religion • Turned several Canaanite fertility celebrations into their own religious festivals • Co-opted Canaanite language and alphabet • Original harshness of Israelite religion began to soften under influence of less harsh environment and advanced civilization of Canaanites

6. POLITICAL EVOLUTION • Religion of Israelites also transformed by creation of kingdom of Israel by David and Solomon • Replaced loose confederation of independent tribes united only by their claim to be descendants of Abraham with bureaucratic entity that levied taxes, made war, and enforced the law • David made Jerusalem his capital • Old Canaanite city • Did so without specific instructions from YAHWEH • Israelites moved away from old total dependence on YAHWEH and towards a growing reliance on the secular power of the state, with its armies, kings, and laws

7. DAVID MODIFIES THE COVENANT • David realized that drift towards secular state might cause a serious division among his people • Also was religious himself and was uncomfortable with this development • He therefore transformed the Covenant • David became YAHWEH’s adopted son whose function was not only to make sure Israelites obeyed the Ten Commandments but also to rule them • Symbol of new covenant was transfer of the Arc of the Covenant to Jerusalem

8. WRITTEN TRADITION CREATED • Religious tradition of the Israelites first put down in writing during reigns of David and Solomon • Had been a confusing mass of oral legends, songs, rituals, prayers, sayings, proverbs, and laws that differed from tribe to tribe • David wanted to construct a unified, comprehensive narrative • Books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Judges, and Samuel written under David and Solomon • First and Second Kings written much later • Deuteronomy and Leviticus already written down by time David was king • Created foundation for modern Bible

9. THE PROPHETS • Tension remained between new idea that YAHWEH now operated through the middleman of the state and older belief that emphasized unconditional and total dependence on YAHWEH • Appearance of prophets was in response to growing centralization of religion with the growth of a hereditary castes of priests and their obsession with rules and rituals • Prophets claimed to convey messages that had come directly from YAHWEH and communicated them to the people directly through sermons and symbolic acts

10. PROPHETS COME INTO THEIR OWN • Several minor prophets appeared during reigns of David and Solomon • But it was not until after the death of Solomon and the division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel that the prophets really came into their own • Became moral and religious leaders of the people

11. AMOS • Lived in northern kingdom of Israel just before it was taken over by Assyrians • Claimed that Israel was on the verge of a great catastrophe • Caused by the Israelites failure to live up to the terms of the Covenant • Especially by only participating in religious rituals without grasping the true essence of their religion • Common theme for many prophets • Israelites were losing sight of the true meaning of their religion • Either by disobeying the commandments, worshipping other gods, or becoming obsessed with the formal, ritualistic aspects of their religion and forgetting its fundamental principles • Theme repeated by Hosea, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, etc.

12. ONE MORE DEVELOPMENT • Destruction of Israel by Assyrian, the Babylonian Captivity, and conquest by the Persians appeared to have permanently destroyed the secular state of the Israelites • Israelites themselves now scattered • Some still in Palestine but others were in Babylonia and Egypt • Israelites no longer possessed a geographic unity • Danger was that they would be absorbed by local populations in the Middle East and lose their religion

13. CREATING A SENSE OF SPIRITUAL IDENTITY • To forestall this development, Israelite leaders and prophets began to stress Mosaic law and Israelite traditions • Hoping that this would bind Israelites together no matter where they lived • Composed books of Job, Proverbs, and Psalms and added story of Creation and Adam and Eve to Genesis • Provide Israelites with a strong sense of their special history • YAHWEH had always watched over them and that he always would, as long as they obeyed his law Job