How did monotheism develop in the Hebrew kingdoms?

The Hebrew Kingdoms began as Monotheists. The development of the kingdoms began to change the worship and religion at its core. The idea of one Omnipresent and omnipotent god became more popular with the people and slowly Polytheism became a religious belief of the past.

What is the concept of monotheism?

Monotheism, belief in the existence of one god, or in the oneness of God. Monotheism characterizes the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and elements of the belief are discernible in numerous other religions.

Where did the concept of god come from?

The first to broach the idea of human beings having created gods were a number of Old Testament Jewish prophets from the eighth century BC onwards.

How did the monotheism of the ancient Hebrews develop?

After animism came polytheism, the belief in many gods. Polytheism was then followed by totemism, “the belief that the members of a clan or tribe are related to some group of plants or animals” 2 as descendants. Ancestor worship followed totemism, and developed into belief in a local tribal deity…which finally evolved into monotheism.

Is the Hebrew Bible a monotheistic work?

If we adopt the common definition of monotheism as the belief that no deities exist other than the one God, then the Hebrew Bible is not a monotheistic work. We may ask, however, how useful this definition is.

Where was the first monotheistic religion in the world?

The first monotheistic religion developed in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Akhenaten, but it failed to gain a foothold and disappeared soon after his death. Monotheism did not become a permanent fixture in the world until the adoption of monotheism by Hebrews in Babylon.

What is the meaning of monotheism in the Bible?

Monotheism, then, is the belief that one supreme being exists whose will is sovereign over all other beings. These other beings may include some who live in heaven and who are, in the normal course of events, immortal; but they are subservient to the unique supreme being, unless that being voluntarily relinquishes a measure of control.