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Biblical Redaction and the Emergence of Absolute Monotheism: Implications for Religious Dialogue and Socio-Political Stability

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Biblical Redaction and the Emergence of Absolute Monotheism: Implications for Religious Dialogue and Socio-Political Stability KIU Journal of Humanities KIU Journal of Humanities Copyright©2020 Kampala International University ISSN: 2415-0843; 5(1): 129-139 Biblical Redaction and the Emergence of Absolute Monotheism: Implications for Religious Dialogue and Socio-Political Stability FESTUS OSOM OMOSOR Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria Abstract. One of the most fundamental causes of Christianity and Islam. Christianity and Islam have religious intolerance is the proclamation of absolute their roots in Judaism, which is the religion of the or exclusive monotheism. Across the globe, religious Old Testament. The major source of the history of intolerance with the attendant violence is principally ancient Israelites is the Old Testament. Historico- associated with the Abrahamic religions, namely, literary studies have shown that the text as it has Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Of all three, Judaism come down to us today is a product of a long period is not just the oldest but the mother of the rest two. of zealous theological retooling of the history of the The Hebrew Bible, which is the text of Judaism, “People of the Book”. Hence, the history of ancient appears to paint the picture of a nation that knew and Israel is a theological history. By implication, the Old worshipped only one God from the inception of their Testament has influence on both Christianity and existence as a nation. But a critical study of the Islam. The theological motif of the text casts a veil on Hebrew Text reveals evidences to the contrary, the pristine religious culture and the realities of their namely, that the monotheism of the people of Israel experience as they evolved in the context of their was an evolutionary phenomenon that culminated in Semitic environment. At the surface, the Hebrew the post exilic era with biblical redactors playing key Bible presents a religious culture that is intolerantly roles in shaping the absolute monotheistic theology monotheistic. The picture is that of a people that were of the Old Testament. This redactional influence on generally monotheistic from inception; such that the the Hebrew Bible and the implications for religious copious references made to the people‟s allegiance to dialogue and socio-political stability has often been other gods are presented as polemics attacking and undermined in scholarly discussions. This is the condemning them for deviating from their original engagement if this paper. The study employs the religious orientation. But there are internal evidences exegetical and hermeneutical methods applied within indicating some sort of henotheism in Israel. the framework of the redaction theory. Selected texts Henotheism, an advanced form of polytheism, is the are exegetically studied to show the evidence of worship of one head God promoted above others in a monotheistic redaction in the Old Testament. The pantheon so that the other gods in the pantheon paper concludes that the absolute monotheism of the become subservient or subordinated to the chief Bible was a creation of theological editors and it has deity. The chief deity worshipped in a henotheistic negative implications for religious relations and arrangement could be substituted with another, social stability. It recommends that to attain positive depending on certain factors. religious dialogue, monotheism must be liberal, relative, inclusive and therefore, tolerant. On the basis of this observation, some scholars like Gnuse (1997) have maintained that Israelites evolved Keywords: Redaction, monotheism, intolerance, from a polytheistic background and grew through dialogue, socio-political, stability. henotheism to become monolatrists. Monolatry is a sort of monotheism that does not deny the existence 1. Introduction of other gods but rather involves a consistent allegiance to and worship to only one God adopted Religious dissonance with the consequential violence by the people. The difference between henotheism across the globe is mainly associated with the and monolatry is that the latter is consistent and Abrahamic religions, particularly Judaism, permanent while the former is not. Thus, monolatry 129 KIU Journal of Humanities is relatively monotheistic (Sommer, 2009). The basic does not suggest absolutism. This means that one feature of this religious orientation is that although could be monotheistic by worshipping only one God there is unalloyed allegiance to only one deity, there even while acknowledging the existence of other is acknowledgement of the existence of others; and gods probably worshipped by other people or the Hebrew Bible is replete with proves of this fact. cultures, which in the real sense should be termed Thus, monolatry is a more realistic monotheism monolatry. But the popular understanding of because it is inclusive and tolerant. monotheism is absolute reflecting the influence of the Abrahamic religions. This understanding is In ancient Israel therefore, there was represented by Jensen (2003) who defines it as “The acknowledgement of divine plurality and religion at belief that there is only one God, a supreme being first was not the problem but economic and political who is transcendent, omnipotent, all good, and concerns which often caused diplomatic disharmony. creator of all that exist” (p. 674.). The fact that the notion of divine plurality was prevalent in ancient Israel is indicated by the Thus, absolute monotheism is the expression of the adath-el) in the belief that only one God but no other exists that‘) עֲדַת־אֵל existence of divine council adath-el) – should be worshiped by all humans. Absolute‘) עֲדַת־אֵל – Old Testament. Divine council is a concept that refers to a guild of divinities that monotheism denies the reality of other gods which rule over the cosmos with God as the supreme head are classified as false gods or demons. This is an and others as his subordinates. Smith (2001) has exclusivist point of view that is inherently hostile with the potentials for violence. This religious = עֲדַת־אֵל) argued convincingly that the divine council ‘adath-el) passages in the Old Testament preserve the orientation is in actuality unrealistic and inherently vestiges of early polytheism in ancient Israel. inconsistent because all anthropomorphic religious Given the above background, Historico-Critical traditions ontologically appropriate the notion of scholars, particularly redaction critics, have subjected divine plurality even if there is reference to a the monotheism of the Supreme Being. That is why Opong (2002) sounded Old Testament to investigation with a view to more reasonable when he explained monotheism as a unveiling the factors behind the emergence of pattern of theism that presupposes only one Supreme absolute and intolerant monotheism of the Hebrew Being who devolves power to his regents or Bible and there are allegations that it was the making subordinate divinities that enjoy substantial measure of biblical redactors who weaved the history of the of autonomy but yet responsible to the Supreme people around religion and created the notion of Being in the governance of the cosmos. uniqueness, exclusivity and superiority of the “People of the Book”. In the following discussion, a few texts 2.2 Religious Dialogue will be exegetically examined to show the evidence of divine plurality and the phenomenon of To dialogue is to share ideas, to engage each other or monotheistic redaction in the Old Testament with its one another in a peaceful talk or exchange mutually effect on religious interaction and socio-political appreciated values. The concept of religious dialogue stability. is birthed by the fact that most societies are not 2. Conceptual and Theoretical Clarifications monolithic but heterogeneous in terms of religion. The concept therefore, presupposes religious It is important that the terms “Absolute pluralism. Religious dialogue also means religious Monotheism”, “Religious Dialogue” and “Biblical relations or interaction which should be positive and Redaction” are briefly explained to give the harmonious. The fact that there are multiple religions perspectives of their usage in this paper. which compete in most cases for attention and relevance in their environments and even beyond, 2.1 Absolute Monotheism accentuates the need for religious dialogue; which is in keeping with the principles of religious pluralism. The conventional view of monotheism is perverse as According to Bidmos (2001), religious pluralism it tends towards absolute classification, being entails that the various religious traditions followed discriminatory and segregative. The prejudiced simultaneously by the different adherents who are of understanding of the term makes it imperative for a the same nationality should co-exist harmoniously. It clarification. Basically, monotheism refers to the is the instrumentality of religious dialogue that worship of only one God. Its etymological derivation mediates such harmonious co-existence. This implies from the Greek words monos (single) and theos (god) religious tolerance and a negation of the absolute and gives its most elementary meaning, namely, the belief exclusive claim to religious superiority. Religious in and the worship of a single god. This derivation dialogue seeks to collapse the walls of prejudice 130 KIU Journal of Humanities against other religious faiths. This debars adherents editors whose activities spanned from late from attempts to proselytize the adherents of other monarchical period to the pot exilic era when the religions by condemning their religions and theological
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