Is the Bible polytheistic? - Are there many gods, or only one?

[St. SteVen]

We are all familiar with the first Commandment of the Ten given to Israel alone through Moses.

“You shall have no other gods before [besides] me. - Exodus 20:3 NIV

If there were other gods to have, that means there were other gods. Right?
Therefore the Bible is making a polytheistic claim. Correct?

You may argue that idolatry was rampant in OT times, but not in the NT.
Not according to Jesus.

John 10:34-36 NIV
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’[a]?
35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—
36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?
Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?

Even the Apostle Paul weighs in on polytheism.

1 Corinthians 8:5 NIV
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth
(as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),

This previous topic by @RedFan brings up another interesting point.

Sweeping the Polytheism of Ancient Israel Under the Rug

The Torah is not a monotheistic manifesto. National gods were de riguer back then, albeit with the God of Israel being supreme over the pantheon. And I can't help but wonder whether this eventually became something of a Jewish embarrassment. With few exceptions, almost all English translations...

www.christianityboard.com

How many tribes are there in Israel? How many as indicated by Deuteronomy 32:8?
- What is the number of the sons of Israel? (12) ???
- What is the number in his heavenly court? (12) ??? Polytheism.

--- COMPARE ---

New International Version
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind,
he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.

New Living Translation
When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race,
he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court.

See the topic above for an explanation.

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[JohnDB]

Perception is reality....

It's a philosophy that the Scriptures addresses.

And why God's name is "I AM/Will Be/Have Been"

However, either you(who is error prone and sinful) can create your afterlife, or God, who is loving and perfect, can do it.

You choose.
Whose is going to be better?

 

[Wick Stick]

We are all familiar with the first Commandment of the Ten given to Israel alone through Moses.

“You shall have no other gods before [besides] me. - Exodus 20:3 NIV

If there were other gods to have, that means there were other gods. Right?

Therefore the Bible is making a polytheistic claim. Correct?

Correct. Every city and nomadic tribe in the Late Bronze/Early Iron ages had a patron deity. National rivalries were most often envisaged as conflicts between the gods of those cities/tribes. The Bible is consistent with ancient inscriptions in this regard - it envisions YHVH triumphing over foreign gods (and perhaps subsuming their cults sometimes).

Archaeology shows that YHVH was known as the patron deity of two cities in the Early Iron Age - Temen (a city of Edom) and Samaria (the capital of Israel). Remarkably, it shows that in both locations, YHVH was worshiped beside another deity - the goddess Asherah. A sacred tree or grove sat opposite the temple of YHVH in both cult centers.

I think it is probable that Commandment #1 has THIS in mind when it says "You shall have no other gods beside me..." because it turns out that YHVH was worshiped with another god literally beside Him.

You may argue that idolatry was rampant in OT times, but not in the NT.
Not according to Jesus.

John 10:34-36 NIV
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’[a]?
35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—
36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?
Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?

Even the Apostle Paul weighs in on polytheism.

1 Corinthians 8:5 NIV
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth
(as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),

I don't find the NT idea of foreign gods to be very different from the OT idea. They are still envisioned as being affiliated with other nations, and especially those nations who oppose Israel. The biggest difference is that they are mostly called devils rather than gods.

 

[quietthinker]

Is the Bible polytheistic? - Are there many gods, or only one?​

maybe it's his wife's name?

 

[St. SteVen]

New topic:

Is the claim of only one God false? - How many gods are there?

We recognize the one true God, creator of heaven and earth. Beside Him there should be no other. Wait, should be? Doesn't that tell us right there that there are other gods? How many and for what purposes? How many of these entities in the spiritual realm are there? In ancient times there...

www.christianityboard.com

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[IronMaiden]

Just One God

 

[St. SteVen]

Just One God

How many gods?

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[IronMaiden]

How many gods?

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Hi…

Okay, here’s how I understand it.

Exodus 20:1 ¶And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

This is a law against idolatry—against polytheism.

 

[St. SteVen]

Hi…

Okay, here’s how I understand it.

Exodus 20:1 ¶And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

This is a law against idolatry—against polytheism.

So, there are many gods?

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[Eternally Grateful]

there is one God.

in this, there is the

father
the son
and the holy spirit.

 

[IronMaiden]

So, there are many gods?

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No, there is just One God.

 

[St. SteVen]

No, there is just One God.

Who were the gods that the Israelites were forbidden to worship?

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[IronMaiden]

Who were the gods that the Israelites were forbidden to worship?

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Just guessing, but perhaps a sun god or a moon god, etc., which are nothing but the imaginations of men.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

Who were the gods that the Israelites were forbidden to worship?

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the pagan gods

 

[Wrangler]

Ps 82 and many other places acknowledges many. The words are loaded "god" and lord." In one sense, it means mastery in an area, like Ali is the god of boxing.

In another sense, the word refers to the single Creator of all things. Deut 6:4, Psalm 97:9 and Joel 2:27.

Christendom, sadly, deliberatly confuses these 2 senses of that word.

 

[St. SteVen]

Just guessing, but perhaps a sun god or a moon god, etc., which are nothing but the imaginations of men.

Why was it a problem then?

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[IronMaiden]

Why was it a problem then?

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…because our God is a jealous God.

Exodus 34:14-17 (NKJV) 14 “(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name [is] Jealous, [is] a jealous God), 15 “lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and [one of them] invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, 16 “and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods. 17 “You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.

 

[St. SteVen]

…because our God is a jealous God.

Jealous of imaginary gods?

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[IronMaiden]

Jealous of imaginary gods?

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I don’t think so. Jealous of their unfaithfulness.

 

[St. SteVen]

I don’t think so. Jealous of their unfaithfulness.

Jealous of their unfaithfulness to imaginary gods?
Sounds like the definition of paranoia.

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