Was Israel Polytheistic? With Dr. Kipp Davis

Dive into the little-known polytheistic past of Ancient Israel with Dr. Kip Davis! In this episode, we unravel the historical and mythological tapestry woven into the Hebrew Bible. Uncover religious facts, debunk sacred myths, and explore an era where multiple gods reigned supreme. Join us for a historical journey spanning the Iron Age to the late monarchies, challenging everything you thought you knew about biblical times!

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Key points:
• 18 Lectures on Israel's religions
• Discussion of polytheistic worship
• Women's roles in ancient cults
• Commoners' religious practices
• Cross-pollination in Hebrew Bible

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For general information and sources relating to the Ancient Near East, we recommend these websites:

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Music: Brak Bnei Original Composition

[chitzkoi]

This is my FAVOURITE topic and has been the single greatest influence for me on my intellectual exploration of the things I was raised with. I wasn't raised as a fundie at all but I enjoy Christianity immensely more in light of the ancient Semitic pantheon.

I've watched Kipp's videos and he's a pretty unique fellow. His work is excellent but seeing it delivered with an 00s nu metal styling is bizarrely hilarious.

I look forward to buying this course.

[Ayusisi]

Wow, I am glad to see Dr. Kipp in Digital Hammurabi👍

[danbreeden]

I love the expertise that digital hammerabi brings to these issues abd questions

[petergrant]

To me it seems that the Old Testament is not so much about monotheism as that 'our God' is the best. To me the context clearly acknowledges that there are a number of gods. The doctrine is not so much that there is only 1 god, rather that, 'our God' is the most important and the 1 you should worship to the exclusion of the other gods.

[forresterickson]

Megan I suggest you edit the video information to include your fill name to help search engines index off of you more reliably. Review all your videos for uniform usage of the names of participants and visibility to and links to Digital Hammurabi.
Hope this helps.

[vidarlystadjohansen]

just bumping your algorithm, great channel and guest

[elihinze]

Fascinating interview! I'll definitely be checking out the course

[mr.monster]

Would love to know the connections between The Phoenician gods and the Jewish God.

[billymanilli]

Is it true that the ancient Canaanites carried all of their instruments of worship around in Ba'al Sacks?

[forresterickson]

How do we find and read the text referred to at 5:32?

[waderogers]

The passages in Jeremiah 44 and 2 Kings 23 talk about many cultic objects including the Asherah pole, chariot wheels being dedicated to the sun god, 'cakes' being made with the image of Asherah on it, wine being poured out, incense being burned, etc. It also mentions Ba'al worship, the Asherah pole in the temple, people burning incense to the sun, the moon, the stars and 'all the stary hosts' which might refer to the moving planets which appeared to be alive in the sky because the background stars didn't move. 2 Kings also mentions male shrine prostitutes that were IN the Lord's temple (likely either for Ba'al worship) where a 'molek' or 'mlk' in the Hebrew sacrifice was made by 'passing your children thru the fire to molek. This might explain why the molek sacrifice of passing children thru the fire in Leviticus 18:21 is followed by the proscription against 'laying with a man like a man lays with a woman', found in the next verse in Leviticu 18:22. The fact that male shrine prostitutes are mentioned in the same passage as Ba'al worship would explain why Leviticus prohibited 'passing your children thru the fire to Molek' in one verse and then the very next verse, it says that men shouldn't have sex with other men. What I think is being said in Leviticus is that the men of Israel shouldn't participate in the cultic performative rituals (child sacrifice and fertility sex with male prostitutes) that are associated with Ba'al worship...

[ArmandoTeixeira]

Can you please allow us to include this video on playlists?

[Azupiru]

I'm interested in this deity DuDu, potentially DuDul, possibly related to TuTu (? Marduk), and the connection to the name David. Lugal DuDul, from the 36th Zame Hymn, is worshipped in Iš, a location attested at Ebla, and also at Ebla, we have the first attestation of a name like Israel, as Iš-ra-il. Being that the iš logogram is eperum (hapiru, habbiru, Hebrew... which is why dust is so prevalent in the Hebrew scriptures, with characters even named Epher, for example), as well as šadu ("mountain" and possibly related to Shadday), as well as ṣihu ("laughter, " cognate to thw word from which Isaac was derived), and being that the term El Shadday and the name Isaac are used in the same chapter of Genesis, and Abraham is the first of the haEbri...

Curious.

[jimford]

Dr. Kipp stated that when looking at the polytheism of Israel it is complicated. It seems to me that the reason why it is complicated is because it doesn't fit into the theology of monotheism. What is seen in so many scholars is that they don't even consider the global ancient creation stories of the indigenous peoples from around the world that go back thousands and thousands of years. These civilizations where never in contact with one another and yet their stories tell the same story, how is that possible, unless their stories were in fact true. You can look at the Aborigines' of Australia, the lands of Japan, the north American peoples, the various tribes of Africa, the Indian continent with the Vedas, the Mayans of South America, with the Popal Vuh, then there is the people all over Europe with their creation stories, lets not forget Egypt. It seems the scholars are talking about something they really haven't researched and compared, but thinking that it doesn't count because it is out side their area of research. So I would ask for them to not give opinions in fields of research that they are not qualified to state. I say this with complete respect for Megan and Kipp. As in there fields they are brilliant.

[integrationalpolytheism]

0:14 just a quick question. Is it Dr Megan Lewis and Dr Joshua Bowen actually?

If so, then why doesn't the card say so? Or am I wrong in thinking that Megan Lewis has a doctorate?

[forresterickson]

Any idea how to get a poster / reproduction of the Lion behind Megan and the story behind it?

[readyfireaim]

The word Elohim changed over time. In Bronze Age Israel Elohim meant "Sons of God", whereas in Iron Age Israel (when the Yahwist uses Elohim) it means gods/goddesses.

[mtheinvincible]

Josiah was the eliminator of worship of other deities? Scattering the ashes of the Ashirah pole. So, in the 600's B.C. there was still worship of a bunch of deities? Hmmmm. Very interesting story.

[pokerface]

"Israelites" are just people from Canaan who followed a polytheistic religion based on Baal and El but they were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar. In Mesopotamia, they came in contact with and copied the Sumerian flood myth and the Code of Hammurabi and the story of Sargon the Akkadian but most importantly later on they would take monotheism from the Persians.
It is in Mesopotamia that the Bible and the Talmud were first compiled and Judaism was created. Some of these people would return to Canaan where they found other Canaanites who had not been captives of Babylon, they called them "Samaritans."
As a result the Jews had two major traditions they had to amalgamate: the Moses out of Egypt origin and the Abraham out of Mesopotamia origin.
I am not a historian but I believe this best explains the weird phenomenon of the Jewish people and religion.

[considermycat]

“Shut up and take my money!” &c. &c.