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Introductory
Note to the Reader I have always been drawn to mythology
and the origins of religion, perhaps because I was raised within the Catholic
tradition. Though I have read the entire Bible, I have long struggled to
understand why Jehovah so often appears as a severe, even ruthless,
figure—especially in the accounts of the conquest of Canaan, a land already
inhabited by other peoples who were nonetheless subjected to destruction in
the name of divine promise. As a literature teacher, I am naturally
interested in mythology and the ways it resurfaces, often subtly, in literary
texts. I wish to clarify that I am not a
theologian, nor do I claim authority in biblical studies. I approach these
subjects as a curious reader and an educator, aware of the limits of my
training. I also affirm my belief in God. What follows is an attempt to explore,
through Moncure Daniel Conway’s Demonology and Devil-Lore (1879) and
other scholarly works, how the figure of Jehovah can be better understood
when placed in the broader context of ancient Near Eastern mythology. |
Jehovah Among the Elohim: The Shattering of Monotheistic Assumptions
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Abstract One of
the most provocative arguments advanced by Moncure Daniel Conway in Demonology
and Devil-Lore (1879) is that Jehovah (Yahweh) was not originally
conceived as the sole and supreme deity but as one among the Elohim, a divine
assembly rooted in ancient Semitic religion. This article explores Conway’s
thesis in light of modern biblical scholarship and Ugaritic mythology, which
suggest that Yahweh was a younger deity who rose to prominence within a
divine family. The study also outlines Yahweh’s “siblings,” including Baal,
Yam, Mot, and Asherah, and examines the theological and moral implications of
his gradual elevation to supremacy. Rather than a timeless revelation,
Yahweh’s monotheistic status emerges as the outcome of political, cultural,
and religious consolidation. |
Keywords: Moncure Daniel
Conway, Elohim, Jehovah, Yahweh, Ugarit, Comparative Religion, Biblical Monotheism |
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Resumen Uno de
los argumentos más provocadores que presenta Moncure Daniel Conway en Demonology
and Devil-Lore (1879) es que Jehová (Yahvé) no fue concebido
originalmente como el único y supremo dios, sino como uno de los Elohim, una
asamblea divina de la religión semítica antigua. Este artículo examina la
tesis de Conway a la luz de la erudición bíblica moderna y la mitología
ugarítica, que sugieren que Yahvé fue una deidad más joven que alcanzó la
supremacía dentro de una familia divina. También se presenta la lista de los
“hermanos” de Yahvé, incluyendo a Baal, Yam, Mot y Aserá, y se analizan las
implicaciones teológicas y morales de su ascenso gradual. Lejos de ser una
revelación atemporal, la supremacía monoteísta de Yahvé aparece como el
resultado de procesos políticos, culturales y religiosos de consolidación. |
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Resumo Um dos
argumentos mais provocadores apresentados por Moncure Daniel Conway em Demonology
and Devil-Lore (1879) é que Jeová (Yahweh) não foi concebido
originalmente como o único e supremo deus, mas como um entre os Elohim, uma
assembleia divina enraizada na religião semítica antiga. Este artigo explora
a tese de Conway à luz da erudição bíblica moderna e da mitologia ugarítica,
que sugerem que Yahweh era uma divindade mais jovem que ascendeu à supremacia
dentro de uma família divina. O estudo também apresenta a lista dos “irmãos”
de Yahweh, incluindo Baal, Yam, Mot e Aserá, e examina as implicações teológicas
e morais de sua elevação gradual. Em vez de uma revelação eterna, o status
monoteísta de Yahweh surge como resultado de processos de consolidação
política, cultural e religiosa. |
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One of
the most provocative and illuminating arguments Moncure Daniel Conway (1879)
advances in Demonology and Devil-Lore is his reexamination of Jehovah
(Yahweh) not as the singular, supreme deity from the outset of Hebrew
scripture, but as one among a plurality of gods also known as the Elohim.
This is a perspective supported not only by textual nuance in the Hebrew Bible
but also by broader mythological evidence from the ancient Near East where the
first Hebrew people lived after living the city of Ur in Chaldea when Abraham
left that place with Loth.
“The plural form
'Elohim,' though often translated as a singular deity in modern versions of the
Bible, implies a pantheon—a divine assembly—within which Jehovah later emerges
as the dominant national god of Israel” (Demonology and Devil-Lore, vol. I, p.
67).
This
view shared by Conway directly challenges the retroactive monotheism often
imposed upon the Old Testament and taught through religious indoctrination
among those of us who were raised as either Catholic or Christians. Instead, it
aligns with modern biblical scholarship and ancient Semitic mythology, which
present Yahweh as a younger member of a divine family, one whose rise to
supremacy is historically and politically conditioned (Conway, 1879).
The
Divine Council and the Elohim
The
term Elohim (plural of El) appears over 2,500 times in the Hebrew
Bible (GotQuestions, 2022). While often treated as
a singular noun due to its verb agreement (e.g., "Elohim creates"),
its plural morphology indicates an older mythological context, one in which “El,
the general term for “deity” in Semitic languages [is] as well as the name
of the chief deity of the West Semites. In the ancient texts from Ras Shamra
(ancient Ugarit) in Syria, El was described as the titular head of the
pantheon, husband of Asherah, and father of all the other gods” (Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 1998). This divine council is clearly described in Psalm 82:1:
“God stands in the divine
assembly; He judges among the gods.”
And the assembly is also found
in the Ugaritic texts (14th–13th centuries BCE) (Wyatt 2002). In these texts,
El is called the “Father of gods,” and his sons include Baʿal, Yam,
Mot, and Shachar and Shalim, among others (El – Wendag, 2019).
Yahweh, as scholars now argue, was one of these children, later adopted
and adapted by the Israelites.
“The evidence of
Ugarit... shows that Yahweh originally had a place among the sons of El, one of
a council of deities, each assigned to a nation” (Smith, The Origins of
Biblical Monotheism, p. 48).
The
Siblings of Yahweh in Semitic Tradition
Drawing
from Ugaritic and biblical sources, here is an extensive list of divine
figures that were considered siblings or peers of Yahweh in early Semitic
mythology:
Divine
Siblings or Peers of Yahweh (Among the Elohim)
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Name |
Role/Domain |
Notes |
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Baal (Hadad) |
Storm and fertility god |
Major god in Canaan; competitor with Yahweh in early
Israel |
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Yam |
Sea god |
Fought Baal; possibly linked to the chaos of the
primordial sea |
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Mot |
God of death |
Baal’s adversary; associated with the underworld |
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Shachar |
God of dawn |
Twin of Shalim, associated with transitions of time |
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Shalim |
God of dusk |
Symbol of peace and the setting sun |
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Resheph |
God of plague and war |
Appears in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Deut. 32:24; Hab. 3:5) |
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Kothar-wa-Khasis |
Craftsman god |
Similar to Hephaestus or Ptah; divine artisan |
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Qetesh |
Goddess of sacred ecstasy |
Possibly connected to Asherah or Astarte |
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Anat |
Goddess of war and fertility |
Baal’s sister; appears in some biblical place names |
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Asherah (Athirat) |
Mother goddess, El’s consort |
Linked to sacred trees; associated with Yahweh in early
cult sites |
In
some early Israelite traditions, Yahweh may have shared a consort with
El, namely, Asherah. Archaeological evidence, such as the Kuntillet
Ajrud inscriptions (ca. 800 BCE), mentions “Yahweh and his Asherah”,
indicating that even Yahweh’s cult may have acknowledged a divine partner
before later theological reforms removed her.
“There is evidence that
the early Israelites saw Yahweh not as alone but as part of a family of gods,
complete with a consort and divine siblings” (Dever, Did God Have a Wife?, p.
127).
Yahweh’s
Rise to Supremacy
Conway
(1879) underscores that Yahweh’s elevation above his siblings was not immediate
but gradual and political:
“Jehovah's monotheistic
primacy was not a divine attribute from the beginning, but a status conferred
upon him through centuries of tribal and nationalistic consolidation”
(Demonology and Devil-Lore, vol. I, p. 74).
This is reinforced in Deuteronomy 32:8–9, based on
older manuscript traditions:
“When the Most High
[Elyon] gave the nations their inheritance... he fixed the borders of the
peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But Yahweh’s portion is his
people, Jacob his allotted inheritance.”
Here, Yahweh is assigned
Israel, just as other gods are assigned other nations, a clear reflection of henotheism,
worshipers of “one god but does not deny that there are others” n.d.), not yet
full monotheism. Later redactors revised such passages to support theological
uniformity, aligning with the Deuteronomistic reforms under King Josiah (Omosor
2016).
Moral
Implications of a Tribal Deity
The
vision of Yahweh in early texts as a jealous, violent, possessive god is
consistent with his role as a competitive member of the Elohim. Conway notes
that such traits:
“Are less the attributes
of a cosmic moral god than the characteristics of a tribal chieftain among
rival kings—each divine, each fiercely territorial” (Conway, vol. I, p. 81).
This framework helps explain
passages where Yahweh acts destructively or seems morally inconsistent (e.g.,
ordering genocide in Canaan, punishing entire generations). These actions
become more comprehensible when seen not as universal moral imperatives, but as
the behavior of a local deity in the process of conquest, both celestial and
terrestrial (Moat 2020).
Conclusion
Moncure
D. Conway’s observation that Jehovah was once one among many is not
simply a literary curiosity. It radically reconfigures how we interpret early
Hebrew religion, shifting our understanding from divinely ordained monotheism
to a human-constructed theological evolution. Yahweh’s divine siblings,
drawn from Ugaritic and biblical texts, represent a lost pantheon, erased on
purpose, but not forgotten.
As Conway concludes:
“To trace the career of
Jehovah is to witness the slow rise of one god through the smoke and fury of
divine wars—mythic, political, and deeply human.” (Demonology and Devil-Lore,
vol. I, p. 86)
📚 References
Armstrong, K. (1993). A History of God: The 4,000-Year
Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. New York: Ballantine Books.
Conway, M. D. (1879). Demonology and Devil-Lore,
Volumes I & II. London: Chatto & Windus.
Available at Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/demonologydevill01conw
Dever, W. G. (2005). Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology
and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
El - Wendag - Debat oor Christendom en
Godsdiens. (2019, March 22). Wendag - Debat Oor Christendom En
Godsdiens. https://www.wendag.com/forum/forum/artikels/mesopotami-sumeri-rs/1204-el
Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). El |
Hebrew God, Creator, Supreme Being. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/El
henotheism. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster
Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henotheism
GotQuestions. (2022). What is the meaning of the
word Elohim? https://www.gotquestions.org/meaning-of-Elohim.html#:~:text=Answer,of%20El%E2%80%9D)%20are%20examples.
Moat, S. 2020. Native Deities and Multiple Identities:
An Anthropological Approach to Reconceptualising Divine Marriage in the Roman
Provinces. Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal, 3(1): 8, pp. 1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.408
Omosor, O.F. (2016). Deuteronomistic Redaction and the
Emergence of דָהֶיהוה־א (Yahweh-Alone) Theology: An Exegetical Study.
International Journal of Theology and Reformed Tradition. Vol. 8. https://academicexcellencesociety.com/deuteronomistic_redaction_and_the_emergence.pdf
Smith, M. S. (2001). The Origins of Biblical Monotheism:
Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Crossway,
2001.
Wyatt, N. (2002). Religious Texts from Ugarit: The Words
of Ilimilku and His Colleagues. Sheffield Academic Press.
Key Scholars Supporting the View That Yahweh Had Siblings Among the Elohim by Jonathan Acuña
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Suggested Topics for Exploration
For readers intrigued by the
idea that Jehovah was once one deity among many, there are several related
themes worth exploring. These topics bridge mythology, comparative religion,
and biblical interpretation, offering multiple entry points for deeper reflection.
1. The
Elohim as a Divine Council
Explore the concept of the Elohim in Genesis not as a plural of majesty but as
a literal council of gods, similar to those found in Ugaritic and Mesopotamian
mythologies.
2. Jehovah’s
Siblings in Ancient Near Eastern Mythology
Investigate the divine family tree of which Jehovah was once a member, focusing
on Baal, Yam, Mot, Asherah, and others. How did these siblings compete or
coexist in the pantheon?
3. The
Transformation of Jehovah into Yahweh Alone
Trace the theological and political processes through which Jehovah became the
supreme God of Israel, eclipsing his divine siblings to establish monotheism.
4. The
Role of Samael and the Origins of Evil
Examine how the figure of Samael evolved from a divine being into a demonized
adversary, linked to Eve, Lilith, and Cain, reshaping ideas of sin and evil in
Jewish and Christian thought.
5. Comparative
Trinities in World Mythology
Discuss the presence of triadic structures (such as Father, Mother, Son or Sky,
Earth, Underworld) in Hinduism, Egyptian religion, and Greco-Roman mythology,
showing how the Trinity predates Christianity.
6. The
Kabbalistic Legacy of Divine Dualities and Powers
Consider how Jewish mysticism reinterpreted figures like Samael, Lilith, and
Cain within its symbolic framework, blending myth, morality, and cosmic
balance.
7. Moral
Implications of a Warring God
Reflect on how Jehovah’s role as a warrior deity (conquering Canaan, punishing
peoples) influences modern perceptions of divine justice and violence.
8. From
Polytheism to Monotheism: A Cultural Shift
Analyze how Israel’s move from polytheism to strict monotheism mirrors broader
human religious development, shaped by conquest, exile, and identity.
9. Literature
and Myth: Echoes of the Elohim in Modern Texts
Explore how myths about Jehovah, Samael, Cain, and the divine siblings reappear
in literature, from Milton’s Paradise Lost to modern fantasy, as
humanity continues to wrestle with divine complexity.
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