Yahwism
Sign in to saveYahwism, also known as the Israelite religion, was the ancient Semitic religion of ancient Israel and Judah and the ethnic religion of the Israelites. The Israelite religion was a derivative of the Canaanite religion and a polytheistic religion that had a pantheon with various gods and goddesses. The primary deity of the religion and the head of the pantheon was Yahweh, the national god of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The majority of scholars hold that the goddess Asherah was the consort of Yahweh, though some scholars disagree. Below this divine pair were secondary gods and goddesses, su
Key facts
- Religion.name
- YahwismIsraelite religion
- Religion.image
- File:Ajrud.jpg
- Religion.caption
- Sherd of a pithos found at Kuntillet Ajrud, bearing the inscription Yahweh and his Asherah
- Religion.type
- Ethnic religion
- Religion.main_classification
- Ancient Semitic religion
- Religion.theology
- Polytheism HenotheismMonolatry
- Religion.area
- Ancient CanaanAncient Israel and Judah
- Religion.territory
- Kingdom of JudahKingdom of Israel
- Religion.founded_date
- 12th – 9th century BCE
- Religion.separated_from
- Canaanite religion
- Religion.separations
- JudaismSamaritanism
via Wikipedia infobox
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Article
12 sectionsContents
- History
- Records and developments
- Transition to Judaism and Samaritanism
- Beliefs and practices
- Pantheon
- Hellenistic worship among exiles
- Religious practice
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
Yahwism, also known as the Israelite religion, was the ancient Semitic religion of ancient Israel and Judah and the ethnic religion of the Israelites. The Israelite religion was a derivative of the Canaanite religion and a polytheistic religion that had a pantheon with various gods and goddesses. The primary deity of the religion and the head of the pantheon was Yahweh, the national god of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The majority of scholars hold that the goddess Asherah was the consort of Yahweh, though some scholars disagree. Below this divine pair were secondary gods and goddesses, such as Astarte, Baal, Mot, Shamash, and Yarikh, with each having priests and prophets, and numbering royalty among their devotees.
The practices of Yahwism included festivals, ritual sacrifices, vow-making, private rituals, and the religious adjudication of legal disputes. For most of its history, the Temple in Jerusalem was not the sole or central place of worship dedicated to Yahweh, with many locations throughout Israel, Judah, and Samaria. However, it was still significant to the Israelite king, who effectively led the national religion as the worldly viceroy of the national god.