IS MONOTHEISM KOSMIC TRUTH OR HISTORICAL DOCTRINAL CONCEPT?

It is rather disturbing that Christendom accepts the doctrinal dogma put fort by theologians and religious philosophers who treat us like children--by insulting us with a mixture of truth and lies. How can we get good fruit from a corrupt tree? How can Full Truth be formulated from water down contaminated principal sources-- the Canon of Christianity? (JRSL-UCYG) 

Deuteronomy and the Meaning of Monotheism.

by Michael Widmer

DEUTERONOMY AND THE MEANING OF MONOTHEISM. By Nathan MacDonald. Forschungen zum Alten Testament; 2. Reihe, vol. 1. Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003. Pp. ix + 271. 49 [pounds sterling].

Modern scholarship of biblical monotheism has generally focused on the history of the concept that there is only one God. There is a widespread agreement among scholars that Israel only decisively rejected polytheism from the exilic period onwards (see R. Gnuse, No Other Gods, 1997). Hence the underlying model is a lengthy process of development and refinement, whereby "monotheism" is frequently perceived as a superior understanding of God and the world over the alleged pre-exilic polytheistic cosmology.

In this study MacDonald is not primarily concerned with the history behind the concept of "monotheism." Rather, he sets out to assess the appropriateness, usefulness, and accuracy of the concept of "monotheism" in relation to the biblical witness as found in the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy. More specifically, he looks at the meaning and significance of YHWH's oneness as it is presented in the chapters framing the deuteronomic law code. Thereby he provides a thorough theological exposition of a seminal biblical tradition and examines it in relation to the contemporary category of "monotheism."

In the first chapter M. traces the term "monotheism" back to the Enlightenment (Henry More, 1614-1687) and raises important questions regarding its truthful reflection of the biblical text. The following five chapters examine the theme of YHWH's oneness in Deuteronomy. M. uses the Shema (Deut 6:4-9), Israel's prime confession of exclusive covenant loyalty, as the organizing structure of his w...

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