Lectures - Paganism in the Bible

The prophets of ancient Israel often condemn their own people, kings, and queens for worshiping gods other than Yahweh, even at the Jerusalem temple. We will look at indications in the Old Testament that the dominant religion of the elites and commoners was predominantly pagan during the First Temple Period. Bible commentators continue to struggle to make sense of passages of the Hebrew Bible that don't seem to fit within the context of monotheism. We will set aside 3 unfounded assumptions: Pre-exhilic Israel was a monotheistic society, Ancient Israelites and Canaanites were different peoples, polytheism in Ancient Israel was the product of Syncretism. We will then analyze this material hoping to defog our understanding of the evolution of the concepts of divinity and humanity in Western Society.