"The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel" by Mark S. Smith

In this acclaimed history of the development of monotheism, Mark S. Smith explains how Israel's religion evolved from a cult of Yahweh as a primary deity among many to a fully defined monotheistic faith with Yahweh as sole god. Repudiating the traditional view that Israel was fundamentally different in culture and religion from its Canaanite neighbors, this provocative book argues that Israelite religion developed, at least in part, from the religion of Canaan.

Drawing on epigraphic and archaeological sources, Smith cogently demonstrates that Israelite religion was not an outright rejection of foreign, pagan gods but, rather, was the result of the progressive establishment of a distinctly separate Israelite identity.

This thoroughly revised second edition of The Early History of God includes a substantial new preface by the author and a foreword by Patrick D. Miller.


Table of Contents
THE BIBLICAL RESOURCE SERIES
Dedication
Foreword
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Sigla
Introduction
CHAPTER 1 - Deities in Israel in the Period of the Judges
1. Israel’s “Canaanite” Heritage
2. Yahweh and El
3.Yahweh and Baal
4. Yahweh and Asherah
5. Convergence of Divine Imagery
6. Convergence in Israelite Religion
7. Israel and Its Neighbors
CHAPTER 2 - Yahweh and Baal
1. Baal Worship in Israel
2. Imagery of Baal and Yahweh
3. The Role of the Monarchy
4. Excursus: Yahweh and Anat
CHAPTER 3 - Yahweh and Asherah
1. Distribution in the Biblical Record
2. The Symbol of the Asherah
3. The Inscriptional Evidence
4. Asherah — An Israelite Goddess?
5. The Assimilation of the Imagery of Asherah
6. Excursus: Gender Language for Yahweh
CHAPTER 4 - Yahweh and the Sun
1. The Biblical Record
2. The Role of the Monarchy
3. The Assimilation of Solar Imagery
CHAPTER 5 - Yahwistic Cultic Practices
1. Yahwistic Cultic Symbols and Sites
2. Practices Associated with the Dead
3. The mlk Sacrifice
CHAPTER 6 - The Origins and Development of Israelite Monotheism
1. The Period of the Judges
2. The First Half of the Monarchy
3. The Second Half of the Monarchy
4. The Exile
5. Israelite Monotheism in Historical Perspective
CHAPTER 7 - Postscript: Portraits of Yahweh
1. Processes Leading to Divine Portraiture in Israel
2. The Absence of Some Canaanite Divine Roles in the Biblical Record
Indexes of Texts
Index of Authors
General Index