The Cambridge Elements Series in Religion and Monotheism publishes original concise volumes on monotheism and its significance. Answer Save. ... Abraham's significance mr_anonymous_2009. The Hebrew religion gave us monotheism; it gave us the concept of rule by law; it gave us the concept that the divine works its purpose on human history through human events; it gave us the concept of the covenant, that the one god has a special relationship to a community of humans above all others. The conceptions of history have been almost as numerous as the men who have written history. Evaluate the significance of Jewish monotheism in the religious history of early civilization. Islamic tradition holds that during one of his visits to Mount Hira in the year 609 CE, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and commanded Muhammad to recite verses that would later be included in the Quran. Overview. The answer is not a "genius for religion" (as is often suggested). Learn more about polytheism, including such religions as Hinduism. Reprinted with permission from The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, published by the Jewish Publication Society.. Deuteronomy 4:32-40 touches upon the part played by Moses in the development of monotheism in Israel. Since a cause must transcend its effect, God must be transcendent also. Monotheism took power away from multiple Gods (as in the Greek and Roman systems) and established one God as the Supreme Being (as with Christianity). Ethical Monotheism, the belief in one God who is the Creator of the Universe, the Father of all humanity, and the source for one absolute standard of morality, is the single greatest contribution to civilization in the history of mankind. Jeremiah W. Cataldo is a history professor with a history of publishing books on reading the Hebrew bible from the perspective of cultural studies. Relevance. As the twentieth century ends, most people have still not learned its most obvious lesson-that attempts to change the world that do not place God and goodness at their center will make this world worse. Monotheism is the most revolutionary idea that the Jewish people brought to the world. It was one of the first religions to have only one supreme god instead of many gods. God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism (Viking, 2004), by best-selling author Jonathan Kirsch, explores the final struggle between monotheism and polytheism in the ancient world and the roots of religious violence in the modern world. I. As the commitment to just one God, monotheism has occupied inquirers at least since the time of the Biblical patriarchs, and it continues to attract interdisciplinary academic work today. Deism . We in the western world today tend to associate monotheism with our own traditions, as if it were originally the invention of our European ancestors. The Amarna Period is the most controversial era in Egyptian history and has been studied, debated, and written about more than any other. Monotheism, then, is the belief that one supreme being exists whose will is sovereign over all other beings. Polytheism characterizes virtually all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which share a common tradition of monotheism, the belief in one god. According to the Jewish tradition, Moses was a prophet, teacher and leader who led the nation of Israel out of enslavement in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land. 1 Answer. It was an interesting read and I learned a lot about the Israelite religion. Here, Nancy Calvert-Koyzis examines early Jewish documents in which the tradition of Abraham and monotheism plays a significant part. To Augustine Birrel history is a pageant; it is for the purpose of satisfying our curiosity. After a brief discussion of monotheism’s historical origins, this entry looks at the five most influential attempts to establish God’s uniqueness. His particular interest is the development of biblical monotheism in Yehud, as a result of the status of the province within the Persian empire. Integrating both historical and archaeological data, we find that the rise of monotheism … Polytheism - General Overview Polytheism is the belief in and worship of many gods. He uses various evidences to help the readers understand how this society gradually went from polytheism to monotheism. Monotheism is usually attributed to biblical faith as its unique and distinct contribution to the history of religious thought. Deism is actually a form of monotheism, but it remains distinct enough in character and development to justify discussing separately. Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years. This may seem straightforward, but different religions interpret this in different ways. In addition to adopting the beliefs of general monotheism, deists also adopt the belief that the single existing god is personal in nature and transcendent from the created universe. For the sake of clarity it is important that we define the terminology that is used in discussing this issue. The story of Elijah is key to the historical development of monotheism itself and to the belief that mankind can and should have a personal relationship with that monotheistic God. Polytheism. Polytheism, the belief in many gods. Smith skillfully shows how profoundly they affect the meaning of divinity in the Bible, the concept of history, and the formation of Israel's concept of God. 0 … If we were to take into consideration the general meaning of the word ‘monotheism’ Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism, and some Hindu philosophies could all be included. 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