The Gods of Israel: Deities That Preceded YHWH
Israelite worship passed through El-ohim, Baal, Asherah and Moloch before YHWH was imposed as the sole god. These are the deities that appear in the Bible.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ancient Israelite religion was not always monotheistic: it coexisted with El-ohim, Baal, Asherah, Dagon, Tammuz, Ishtar and Moloch. The shift to monotheism under YHWH is dated to around **609 BC**, after the fall of Babylon.
The religious history of Israel is more complicated than the image of a people always faithful to a single god suggests. For centuries, the worship of several deities coexisted, and the Bible mentions them again and again.
## El-ohim, the father, and the name that was never spoken
**El-ohim** appears as the first god, father of **YHWH**. YHWH is the monotheistic god par excellence, and his name was considered so sacred that it could only be mentioned through **Adonai**. Forms such as Dionysius derive from this and, according to this line of thought, the very word God.
## Baal, Asherah and the prophets
**Baal** was a powerful god associated with the weather, and over time he came to be known as **Beelzebub**. The prophet **Elijah** confronted Baal and humiliated his priests. **Asherah** was the female goddess of fertility, and her worship coexisted with that of YHWH for generations.
## Dagon, Tammuz and Ishtar
**Dagon** was the god of the Philistines, worshipped in **Gaza** and depicted in the form of a triton or mermaid. The Israelites rejected him because the people of Gaza stole the **Ark of the Covenant** and placed it in their temple. **Tammuz** and **Ishtar** are linked to the goddess of the sky.
## Moloch and the valley of death
**Moloch** was the god of the underworld and of lost souls, and children were sacrificed to him in exchange for favors. In **Tophet**, also called **Gehenna**, Moloch was worshipped and corpses were thrown: it was a valley of death. The Bible deals with it in the passages of **Jeremiah**. There were also minor cults to the sun and the moon.
The religious history of Israel is more complicated than the image of a people always faithful to a single god suggests. For centuries, the worship of several deities coexisted, and the Bible mentions them again and again.
## El-ohim, the father, and the name that was never spoken
**El-ohim** appears as the first god, father of **YHWH**. YHWH is the monotheistic god par excellence, and his name was considered so sacred that it could only be mentioned through **Adonai**. Forms such as Dionysius derive from this and, according to this line of thought, the very word God.
## Baal, Asherah and the prophets
**Baal** was a powerful god associated with the weather, and over time he came to be known as **Beelzebub**. The prophet **Elijah** confronted Baal and humiliated his priests. **Asherah** was the female goddess of fertility, and her worship coexisted with that of YHWH for generations.
## Dagon, Tammuz and Ishtar
**Dagon** was the god of the Philistines, worshipped in **Gaza** and depicted in the form of a triton or mermaid. The Israelites rejected him because the people of Gaza stole the **Ark of the Covenant** and placed it in their temple. **Tammuz** and **Ishtar** are linked to the goddess of the sky.
## Moloch and the valley of death
**Moloch** was the god of the underworld and of lost souls, and children were sacrificed to him in exchange for favors. In **Tophet**, also called **Gehenna**, Moloch was worshipped and corpses were thrown: it was a valley of death. The Bible deals with it in the passages of **Jeremiah**. There were also minor cults to the sun and the moon.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (0 replies).
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