“Monotheism” and the Hebrew Bible

The term monotheism often comes with many caveats. Biblical conceptions of God and categories of the divine that interpreters might designate as “monotheism” developed in response to factors within the ancient contexts of biblical authors. However, it is in later Enlightenment contexts that theologians and historians characterize their understanding of biblical theology as monotheistic. As with the terms religion and even Bible, many presume a definition of monotheism that is particularly modern, “western,” and Christian-centric. Generally speaking, most categorical conceptions of monotheism do not reflect the nuance, variety, and situatedness of our ancient data, both biblical texts and the literature, inscriptions, and available material culture that we utilize in reconstructions of ancient Judean and Israelite traditions. From its outset and still today, scholarly conversation about the category monotheism reflects the impacts of how confessional and traditional histories utilize this term. “Monotheism” often appears as dichotomously paired with “polytheism,” but many scholars prefer alternative concepts such as monolatry, henotheism, or one-deity discourse. This article invites readers to explore scholarly questions around the relationships between monotheism and the Hebrew Bible by introducing readers to the Enlightenment context for the conceptualization of monotheism, to scholarly considerations regarding the utility of the concept for explaining ancient phenomena, to select relevant ancient data such as deities featured in the Hebrew Bible, and to several topics of study that prominently intertwine with the category monotheism, especially the relationships of Israel and Judah with their neighbors.