The Invention — Of God

As these nomads moved north into the highlands of Canaan, they brought their warrior-god with them. In the small hilltop villages that would become Israel and Judah, Yhwh met , the high father-god of the Canaanite pantheon. For generations, the two lived side-by-side. Yhwh was often seen as the son of El, a junior deity who eventually "merged" with his father, taking on El’s traits of mercy and creation. III. The King’s Champion

The true "invention" of the universal God happened in 587 BCE, during a moment of total despair. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, burned the Temple, and dragged the elite into exile. Normally, when a city fell, its god was considered "dead" or defeated by the enemy's god. The Invention of God

hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674504974">archaeological evidence for this transition or look into the natural origins of other ancient myths ? The Invention of God: Römer, Thomas, Geuss, Raymond As these nomads moved north into the highlands

But the scribes in Babylon did something revolutionary. Instead of admitting Yhwh was weak, they reimagined him. They argued that Yhwh wasn't just their god; he was the God, the creator of the entire world, and he had allowed the Babylonians to win to punish Israel for its sins. Yhwh was often seen as the son of