Polytheism in the Bible

Debi

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http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined/2013/02/polytheism-in-the-bible/

There are many places in the Bible that mention "other gods." There is a lot of controversy on the topic itself and I would recommend you read the first part of the linked article for some info. Here are a few examples.

Here we see Elyon, the head of the divine pantheon, dividing humankind among his children, giving each his inheritance. The idea of a divine pantheon with a chief deity, his consort, and their children (the council of the gods) was widespread through the Ancient Near East. Elyon (short for El Elyon) is the chief god, not just in Jewish writings but in Canaanite literature. The passage concludes with Yahweh getting Israel as his inheritance.

We learn more about terms like “sons of the gods” by widening our focus to consider Ugaritic (Canaanite) texts. Ugarit was a Canaanite city destroyed along with much of the Ancient Near East during the Bronze Age Collapse in roughly 1200 BCE, a period of widespread chaos from which Israelite civilization seems to have grown.

The Ugaritic texts state that El and his consort Asherah had 70 sons, which may be the origin of the 70 nations (or 72) that came from Noah’s descendants listed in Genesis 10.

The Old Testament is full of clues to the existence of multiple gods. Genesis is a good place to start.

Then [Elohim] said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

We also see plural gods when Jehovah warns them that man mustn’t eat the tree of life (Gen. 3:22) and that they must confuse mankind’s languages lest their projects, like the Tower of Babel, succeed (Gen. 11:7).

A common Christian spin is either to say that the “us” is the Trinity or that it is a heavenly assembly of angels. But can we imagine that the original audience for Genesis would understand the Trinity? And why imagine an angelic assembly when the polytheistic interpretation of Genesis simply growing out of preceding Canaanite culture is available and plausible?

Psalms is another old book that has fossilized the earliest forms of Judaism. We see the assembly of the gods mentioned several times.

[Elohim] stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods he renders judgment (Ps. 82:1).

For who in the skies can compare to [Jehovah]? Who is like [Jehovah] among the [sons of God], a God who is honored [in the great assembly of the holy ones], and more awesome than all who surround him? (Ps. 89:6–7)

And many more verses celebrate Jehovah while acknowledging the existence of others.
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The article gives more examples of this thinking. So, my question is, "Is there more than one god?"
Although we celebrate One Creator, are there other gods out there that are also part of our universe? Is there, as stated, a council of gods? What say you on this really mind blowing concept?
 
This sounds too much like an alien race who created us, which I chose not to believe. I choose to believe in one God.
As I am not a Bible expert by any means, it still makes me wonder when I see this REPORTED and PART OF the Biblical texts.
 
There is a radio Priest, who also a linguist at a local University. He says the worst thing ever was when The OT was translated into Greek. THings got nebulous.:confused:
 
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That may be so, Paint, but how does one explain that in the context of following the Bible? Now, I'm not being facetious here, honest. You're talkin' to a Wiccan who is curious about how that is explained by clergy as fitting into following what the Bible says? And if it is a translation situation as this priest says, how many other "translation" problems go along with the Bible? Once again....all respect....just looking for some education here.
 
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