Second Temple Theology & many Gods

“The god of Israel has never been the only god, not even in his own book. The Jewish scriptures are full of other deities. In situations of war, they struggle with Yahweh. But they also converse with him. They participate in his heavenly court. They bow before him.

1. “They serve as gods of nations. Eventually, ancient Jews produced myths that domesticated these other superhuman powers as rebellious angels or rather obscure political underlings. Jews (and later non-Jewish Christians) with adequate (pagan) philosophical training could argue that these forces were ontologically dependent on the One God. But in the biblical narrative these other divine powers are often just there.” | Paula Fredriksen
2. A beautiful and easy-to-read book that shows that the pure “one God” belief in Judaism as we understand it today did not exist in ancient times. “The Jewish heaven was by no means always content with one God.. [it] was often populated with two Gods or a number of divine powers.”

1. For example, an example that I like very much: Philo of Alexandria (ca. 20 BC – AD 50) uses the expressions “the first-born son of God, the Beginning and the second God (deuteron theon)” when describing God and the intermediary being (Logos) in our world.

And another point that is not emphasized enough. The origin of the adjectives used for Jesus in the Christian tradition, which many times have a superhuman implication, is “not the pagan Greek world”, but the Jewish tradition, which is the representative of so-called pure monotheism:

“Not until the nineteenth century did monotheism became the generally valid form..” “In a comparison of the three Abrahamic religions, it is Islam, however that to this day represents the most uncompromising form of monotheism”

11QMelchizedek [100 BCE] In this text from the Dead Sea Manuscripts, which depicts an apocalyptic war, Melchizedek is clearly described as a god (elohim): “..It was said of him: ‘Your God judges’ (Isa. 52:7). And your God (ELOHIM) is Melchizedek..”

1. “[Melchizedek] is fatherless and motherless; has no pedigree. There is neither beginning of his days nor end of his life. He will remain a priest forever, like the Son of God.” | Hebrews 7:3