Chapter 13: Judaism in Its Early Phases
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
• Describe the religion of the pre-mosaic Hebrews.
• Recognize the significance of Moses in the Hebrew-Jewish tradition.
Chapter Summary
The whisper of monotheism heard in earlier religions becomes a shout in the Judaic
tradition. Here a single righteous God is at work in nature and the social world. The texts of
Judaism span millennia but were codified around 90 CE and have undergone considerable
scholarly appraisal.
The polytheism of the desert people gradually changed to a monotheism which more
easily accommodated the need for a close and personal deity. From the multitude of tribes
scattered through the Syro-Arabian desert one gave rise to those associated with Abraham and
the first identification with the word “Hebrew” in a story found in Genesis.
Yahweh.
If righteousness is to be found in ethical behavior then an impatience with hollow rituals
would not be a sign of faithfulness or inconsistent with the covenant. The drift away from ethical
monotheism was averted by two conditions. These were the collapse of the Assyrian empire and
the resurgence of prophetic voices (e.g. Jeremiah) and religious reform, often called the
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Deuteronomic Reform. Jeremiah’s distinctive message, though perhaps not original, deemed the
covenant between Yahweh could be with the individual as opposed to the society at large. Here
we have human conduct for which we are personally responsible.
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. The Religion of the Pre-Mosaic Hebrews
A. Early Semitic Animism and Polytheism
E. Abraham’s Descendants Migrate to Egypt
III. Moses and the Covenant with Yahweh (about 1250 BCE)
A. The Story of Moses’ Infancy
B. Moses Called from Refuge in Midian
IV. Entering Canaan and Confronting the Baals
A. Infiltration over a Long Period
B. The Exodus Hebrews and the Habiru
C. Nomads Move toward Nationhood
D. Canaanite Religion
1. Nature Religion Implicit in Canaanite Agriculture
2. Goddess Worship: Anath/Astarte
C. Elijah and Elisha
E. Hosea
F. Isaiah
1. Security Linked to Covenant Faithfulness
3. Priestly Functions Centralized in Jerusalem
I. Jeremiah (fl. 600 B.C.E.)
1. Judah Caught Between Empires in Conflict
2. Oracles Warning the Nation
VI. The Babylonian Exile
A. The Destruction of Jerusalem
B. Initial Responses to Exile
C. The Origin of the Synagogue
Discussion Questions
1. What does the term “prophet” in the biblical sense mean? What is the role of prophecy in
early Judaism? What has kept them from being elevated to the level of deities as often
happens in other religions? Is the veneration of the prophets a covert reinvention of
polytheism?
3. The ethical system of Judaism is well developed. What similarities does it share with
Zoroastrianism?