Not Ashamed To Be Called Their God: How

The Patriarchs Exclusively Trusted YHWH In

Their Crises Amidst A Polytheistic Culture
(Early Monotheism)

Bible Survey >> Old Testament >> Pentateuch >> Genesis

Ebenezer Brethren Assembly, Bangalore, India
1. Liberal Challenges
to Early Monotheism
Israel’s religion evolved from henotheism (one out of several) to monolatry
(practical monotheism) and last to the “pure monotheism” of Deutero-Isaiah
(exile) – Julius Wellhausen
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Questions of Religion in Patriarchal Era

Before 4000 BC Before 2166 BC 2166 – 1806 BC 1446 BC
Ante-Diluvian
Creation Patriarchs Moses & Exodus
Fathers
Any evidence for Early/Primitive Monotheism in Israel? Other Gods Who

Monotheism Is Post Exilic?

They Served Prior Baal
(Joshua 24:2–3)

Did each Patriarch had a separate Clan God? God of the

Patriarch Canaanite El
(Genesis 28:13)

These names of God unknown to Patriarchs, but added by editors of late Israelite YHWHism to the stories?

Elohim (One God) YHWH Worship YHWH / Adonai YHWH

(Genesis 1:1) (Genesis 4:26) (Genesis 15:2) (Exodus 6:2–3 )

El-Shaddai of the Patriarchs same as Canaanite El?

El-Shaddai / El -*
(Genesis 17:1)
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Liberal View of Patriarchal Religion -1

• Every modern discussion of patriarchal religion begins with A. Alt’s Der Gott der Väter (“The
God of the Fathers”) published in 1929. His central thesis became the accepted view among
scholars in the twentieth century. On the basis of hints, such as Exod 3:14 and Josh 24:2,
Alt believed that Israel’s ancestors observed a different form of religion that the biblical
authors had camouflaged by equating the patriarchs’ gods with Yahweh.
• When the Israelite tribes settled Canaan, they encountered local deities attached to shrines,
such as El Bethel (31:13; 35:7). These two forms of religion, the Elim (“gods”) and “the God
of the Fathers,” were assimilated by the biblical editors as they manufactured the sagas that
told of how God revealed himself to the Fathers at holy places. A fictitious genealogy was
fashioned to unite the disparate tribes (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), and Yahwism, which had
gained ascendancy, was imposed on the old stories so as to equate the deities with Israel’s
national God, Yahweh.
• K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 57.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Liberal View of Patriarchal Religion - 2

• The influence of Wellhausen’s developmental approach to reconstructing the history of
Israel’s religion can still be seen today. He argued that Israel’s religion evolved from
henotheism (one out of several) to monolatry (practical monotheism) and last to the “pure
monotheism” of Deutero-Isaiah (exile).
• Opposition arose with W. F. Albright and others, who contended that monotheism was the
invention of the Mosaic period, which stood in stark opposition to the polytheism of the
nations. In Albright’s view, Canaanite El was the same deity as the patriarchal deity El Shaddai,
and at the Mosaic introduction of the name Yahweh the god El and Yahweh were accepted in
the biblical tradition as the same deity who was identified as the God of Israel from the
inception of creation. Thus Yahweh and El were accepted as the same deity.
• K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 61.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Liberal View of Patriarchal Religion - 3

• The trend since the 1970s toward giving priority to archaeological evidence over the biblical
witness due to the skepticism of the biblical portrait’s reliability led to a new understanding of
Israel’s religion, although it showed some superficial similarity to Wellhausen’s developmentalism.
Israel’s religion and culture were indigenous to Canaan, including the Canaanite pantheon,
headed by Canaanite El and his various consorts.
• Early in Israel’s history, Yahweh was considered a member of El’s pantheon as was Baal and the
goddess Asherah. Thus El and Yahweh were historically two different deities and Baal was
legitimate among the Israelites. Asherah was the consort of Yahweh as she was for El and Baal.
Remnants of this early form of “polytheistic Yahwism” can be seen in the Bible (e.g., 49:18, 24–
25; Deut 32:8–9; Ps 82:6).
• At the rise of the monarchy, the nation elevated Yahweh, and in the ninth century or afterward a
“Yahweh alone movement” played a major factor in forming Israel’s national identity. Some scholars
of this stripe argued that the idea of “Yahweh alone” reached back to earlier times (Moses), and,
at the other end of the spectrum, others assigned it to the Persian period.
• K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 61–62.
2. The God of The
Fathers in Genesis
Genesis 28:13 (NKJV) — 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I
am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on
which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

Gen 26:24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and
multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”
Gen 28:13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will
give to you and your descendants.
Gen 31:5 and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
Gen 31:29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor
bad.’
Gen 31:42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-
handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
Gen 31:53 The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
Gen 32:9 Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family,
and I will deal well with you’:
Gen 43:23 But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.”
Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Gen 46:1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
Gen 46:3 So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.
Gen 49:25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that
lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
Gen 50:17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive
the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
 3. El Names of God
in Genesis
Genesis 17:1 (NKJV) — 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD
appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and
be blameless.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

El Names of God in Genesis

Elohim “God” as Creator Genesis 1:1

El Elyon “God Most High” Genesis 14:18–20

El Roi “The God Who Sees” Genesis 16:13

El Shaddai “God Almighty” Genesis 17:1

El Olam “God Everlasting” Genesis 21:33

4. Evidences for Early
Yahwism in Genesis
Genesis 4:26 (NKJV) — 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and
he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

YHWH in Genesis (NKJV): Count Per Chapter

Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

The Revelation of The Divine Name

• Genesis 4:26 (NKJV) — 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and
he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
• Exodus 6:2–3 (NKJV) — 2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the
LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but
by My name LORD I was not known to them.
• The “revelation” of the name Yahweh at Sinai was new understanding given to
Moses concerning the nature of Israel’s God, not the disclosure of an unknown
appellative.157 The Hebrew slaves knew the name but did not know the
significance of the name for their historical situation in Egypt.
• [K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 60.]
5. General Evidences
for Early Monotheism
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Lord (YHWH) God (Elohim) In Creation

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and
Gen 2:4
the heavens,
before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused
Gen 2:5
it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became
Gen 2:7
a living being.
Gen 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life
Gen 2:9
was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Gen 2:15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see
Gen 2:19
what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh
Gen 2:21
in its place.
Gen 2:22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Secular Witness for Monotheism

• As for the scholarly assumption that Exod 6:2–3 distinguishes historically between El Shaddai and Yahweh, it begs the
question of why the putative Priestly author (exilic) would have introduced a contradiction to 4:26b, which many scholars
presume was known to him. The scholarly rebuttal requires that 4:26b is a late exilic or postexilic addition.
• Moreover, Millard has shown that the monotheism of Pharaoh Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) in the fourteenth century
indicates that the idea of monotheism could have been experienced in the second millennium. The deity Aten, the sun disk,
became the sole deity venerated by Akhenaten. Neither the name nor the identity of Aten was newly introduced by the
king; the name had a rich, complex prehistory. Millard shows that this feature can be demonstrated conclusively in the case
of the north Arabian deity Ruda (for the seventh century down to the Roman period). The same could be posited for the
name and meaning of Yahweh. The name could well have been known to Israel’s ancestors and was perpetuated across the
centuries. As the name and deity Aten took on new significance at the reign of Akhenaten, the name Yahweh had fuller
meaning at the revelation given Moses.
• Kitchen builds on Millard’s argument by showing that “monotheistic tendencies” in Egypt could be found earlier with the
rise of Amun as the chief deity (e.g., The Cairo Hymn to Amun, ca. 1500–1400). Moreover, the patriarchs did not revere any
deity other than El (at least monolatry), although they came into contact with widely received deities (Baal and Asherah).
• Propp also observes that in Israel, unlike in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria, there is no obvious evidence of polytheism:
“Again, if the biblical authors were polytheists, where are their myths, god lists and prayers?” It is best to understand that
the allusions to other deities in Israel (e.g., Kuntillet ‘Ajrud) were “what was but not what ought to be.”
• K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 63.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Scriptural Witness for Early Monotheism

• Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.
• Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD (YHWH), and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
• Exodus 20:1–5 (NKJV) — 1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the LORD (YHWH) your God
(Elohim), who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other
gods (Elohim) before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is
in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow
down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
• Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (NKJV) — 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD (YHWH) our God (Elohim), , the LORD is one! 5
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
• Romans 1:19–20 (NKJV) — 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown
it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
6. Faith Response of
Patriarchs to YHWH
Genesis 15:6 (NKJV) — 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to
him for righteousness.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

How Patriarchs Responded In Faith

• PERSONAL: In addition to the name El Shaddai, the patriarchs acknowledged God by the personal
appellative Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had chosen and blessed the patriarch and his descendants.
The recurring phrases “the God of my/your/his father(s)” indicated the clan relationship of God and
Abraham’s family. [Canaanite El was tied to places.]
• RELATIONAL: Patriarchal clans identified themselves in relationship to the patriarch and his God. Thus
genealogical relationships were critical to the religious life of the patriarchal tribes (e.g., 31:42; 32:9;
49:25). The relationship between God and patriarch, once established, could only be entered into by a
relationship with the clan, either by birth or servitude.
• PRAYER: They could petition God for the healing of infertility (e.g., 20:17), the birth of children (e.g.,
30:17, 22), rescue from danger (e.g., 32:9–13), and offer thanksgiving for divine guidance (24:26–27).
• WORSHIP: Animal sacrifice was offered presumedly upon privately erected altars, usually in response to
theophanies, migrations, and covenant rites (e.g., 12:7–8; 13:4, 18; 22:9, 13; 26:25; 31:54; 33:20;
35:7; 46:1).
• K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 66.
Challenges God of Fathers El Names Yahwism Monotheism Faith Response
08:00 – 08:05 08:05 – 08:10 08:10 – 08:15 08:15 – 08:20 08:20 – 08:25 08:25 – 08:30

Application of Patriarchal Monotheism

1. Will our next generation be able to identify and call YHWH as our God, as
was the case with the patriarchs?
2. Are we able to trust YHWH and be loyal to Him like the amidst crises and
surrounding idolatry, as was the case with the patriarchs?
3. Hebrews 11:13 (NKJV) — 13 These all died in faith, not having received
the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,
embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on
the earth.
4. How much do we value God? If God were to add ₹100 for each instance
of loyalty, and deduct ₹100 for each instance of disloyalty – would we
be more loyal – despite the fact that God is the source of all blessing?
 Not Ashamed To Be Called Their God: How
The Patriarchs Exclusively Trusted YHWH In
Their Crises Amidst A Polytheistic Culture
(Early Monotheism)

Bible Survey >> Old Testament >> Pentateuch >> Genesis

Ebenezer Brethren Assembly, Bangalore, India