What came before Judaism?

Question

Prior to the supposed covenant between god and the Israelites, what is known of the beliefs followed by that group of people? Were they polytheistic, and if so do we know anything of the pantheon they followed?

Any references can you recommend for further reading welcomed.

Answer 1

We were polytheistic, inheriting the ancient Ubaid, Sumerian, Akkadian, and even some of the Babylonian traditions in the area when Babylon invaded, which was before Judaism was founded, before monotheism.

Abraham's father, according to the Torah and Jewish tradition, was an idol maker in Ur, which was originally an old Ubaid city. There is still an old temple there that was dedicated to the moon goddess Nanna, I think.

You can do a search on google for "Sumerian pantheon" and find out more.

Answer 2

The founding legendary event of Judaism is the Exodus, when it is understood that God rescued a "nation" of slaves from inside another country. But determining the roots of that enslaved people would naturally be difficult. The book of Genesis was written to answer such questions. It collects a great many ancestral myths from a variety of tribes and attempts to weave them into a flowing narrative. But there are elements that are clearly "Northern" and "Southern" in the stories. The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are clearly a Northern tradition. The Judah stories are Southern. Some historians wonder if the 12 tribes clearly had one historical ancestor or if their relationship was a more practical, political one.

Historically, there is no mention of a country "Israel" in any records before the monarchy. There are references to a tribe of nomads called "Hapiru" that may have been the ancestors of the Hebrews, but they didn't appear to claim any territory in the agricultural or civilization sense.

People in that time were polytheistic. El and YHWH were distinct gods, competing with Baal, Marduk and other semitic gods. They had consorts, Ashera, Astarte, Ashteroth and others, and there were different styles of worship. A reasonably attentive reading of the Bible will show a constant battle to impose monotheism on a reluctant people, right up to the Exile.

Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac was intended to demonstrate that his god had different standards than the others: humans were not to be harmed. In the Pentateuch, moving a family included the packing of the "household gods". And even in 2nd Kings, the latter kings Hezekiah and Josiah were considered "good" because they destroyed idols and shrines to false gods who theoretically should not have existed in either Judah or Samaria by then.

The culture of Israel was not isolated before the exile. Many peoples lived in Palestine: Canaanites, Philistines, Phoenecians. They shared ideas and theologies. Some gods were territorial, others were functional. (Baal started out as a storm god.) The campaign for monotheism was political as well as religious, an attempt to unify the Jewish people under a single god. Even then, this god was in competition with other recognized deities, functioning as a national god in a chaotic world of neighboring superpowers.

The Exile crushed the Jewish spirit. They were at a loss to explain how YHWH could have failed them. It was during the Exile that the captives came to the understanding that YHWH was more than a national god, but actually the sole, universal God who controlled the fortunes of all nations. It was their own unfaithfulness that had doomed them, not God's weakness.

This completely changed the Jewish understanding of their deity. The other gods were not inferior but non-existent! As a result, those who chose to return to their ancestral home after the Exile became more insular, concentrating on "faithfulness", while the Jews of the Diaspora, while maintaining a distinct identity through the Kosher laws, contemplated the role of Jews in bringing the greater world to the knowledge of the one, true God. Israel was somehow to be a "light to the nations", not just God's "chosen people". The realization of that call has led to some interesting and contentious history.

Answer 3

They followed a pantheon, however, all the religions at that time were fairly mixed up. God had many different parts, including female deities, this is one of the reasons for the many different names of God.

Answer 4

The Code of Hammurabi predated Judaism by about 500 years.
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM
http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm

The Egyptians had many gods and pharoahs were thought to be gods. The entire culture revolved around preparing for the pharoahs' life after death. In opposition to the Egyptian culture, Judaism created a culture that demanded justice for all and accountability for the leaders.

Other cultures practiced sacrifice, including human sacrifice. Judaism created a culture in opposition to human sacrifice, allowing the sacrifice of only oils, grains, incense, and little critters -- never a human sacrifice!
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Answer 5

Hi....

Judaism is made up from many earlier belief systems, mainly from Egypt, Babylonia and the Assyrians.

A lot of the early stories shown in the old testament or 'Torah', was taken directly from earlier sources, such as:

Noah and the Ark/Great flood .... From early Egyptian and Babylonian!

The Messiah .... From Horus, the Egyptian god, who vowed to one day return!

Circumcision ... This practise was taken straight from ancient Egypt!

Good v Evil ... Egyptian, the good figure being Osiris, the bad being, Set or Seth, the original 'devil' figure!!

The star of David.... This is a direct copy of the 'so above, so below' princible and shows quite clearly, the pyramid of Egypt, with an up-turned pyramid pointing down or opposite.
This is copying the Egyptian pyramids, with their heavenly counterparts in the heavens, the constellation of Orion/Osiris.

Interesting how this symbol, was 'the' family symbol of Jesus, himself being of the 'bloodline of kings' and 'line of David'.

Could this symbol show, that 'the bloodline of kings' stems back to 'Egyptian' kings, from 'before' the exodus!!??

The 'vigin' mother, 'son' of god - (Osiris) etc, all stems from ancient Egyptian myth!

Belief in one god .... Again, from Egypt, Akenaton, king of Egypt, stated there was only one god, that was invisable and all powerful!
Other gods took this title earlier, Ra being one, but were the king of the all other gods, in the panthion!

Interestingly, the early 'Jews' did not follow the one god principle.
Findings in early Judaic temples, show 'two' alters, one for Yahweh, one for his 'female' consort!!

Angels .... Ra was the king and creator of everything, in very early Egyptian belief, demi gods or half human, half god were figures like Isis, Osiris, Anubis etc
These demi gods, were certainly the first angel figures and their influence went on to create the angels of the torah, Gabriel, Michael etc.

You have to remember that ancient Egypt was 'the' superpower of the past, before the Greeks or Roman Empire, had even been thought of, the Egyptians had built a hugely powerful influence in the world, even buying tin from Cornwall, in England!
The Egyptians visited Australia, the boomerang is shown on very early ancient Egyptian texts and carvings, so who gave the boomerang, to who?

It is no wonder that the early people, who 'later' became the Judaic people, who lived in Egypt, became influenced by such a powerful thinking process.

Egypt has influenced all three of the main religions of the World..... Judaism, because it was directly linked to Egypt.
Christianity, because the messiah awaited for, was originally the Egyptian messiah and also, Christianity is mainly from Judaism!


Islam was 'not' a religion, until Judaism and early Christianity, made the arabic nations look small, by not believing in only one god, these nations believed in many gods, al'lah being the king of the 'other' arabic gods!!

The truth is: Al'hah, was originally a moon god, this is why his emblem, to this day, seen at the very top of every mosque, is the cresent moon!


If you read between the lines in the Torah, you see that many, many more stories and belief, was taken by these people and changed to benefit themselves and 'nationalise them, for 'their own' community's belief system!!

Answer 6

Zoroastrianism predates all other mono theistic faiths. They teach love and peace. They are referenced in the Bible as the wise men that followed the star and in Gnostic gospels one is told to study Zoroastrianism. Christianity is a fulfillment of Zoroastrian prophecy in more ways than it is of Jewish prophecy.

Answer 7

I will start with the most recent one, which I was reading about just this morning.

God made a covenant with Abraham. The one where circumcision was made.

Before that, Abraham learned about God from his teacher, Mechizedek ( King and priest of Salem) . Some will call that an epiphany, or a manifestation of Christ, but I think it was Shem, one of the sons of Noah who lived in the place we now call Jeru salem. That's why Abraham was against the idolatry of his father, Terah. Abram knew about the true God already, and had learned about Him through Mechizedek, who was Noah's son Shem.

Shem came from the antediluvian world. The pre-flood Earth. He learned of God through Noah.

Noah was the grandson of Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch. Enoch was especially close to God, and I believe that Enoch was a spreader of God's word back then. Enoch learned about God through Cain his father, and possibly his grandfather and grandmother, Adam and Eve.

Before that, there was only Adam.

Answer 8

Man exists only in the mind of the Buddha.

Buddha stated plainly, "I am the father of this world."

There have always been Buddhas or awakened ones.

The various religious systems are pretty much interchangable but the enlightened being is the constant that never changes.

Answer 9

They were polythestic even after they became patriarcal. Read the sotries of Baal and El

Answer 10

God covenanted with Adam, Seth and Enoch. He covenanted with Noah. He covenanted with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He covenanted with Moses. All these were the Patriarchs, among others who covenanted with and knew the True God and their descendents were the Covenant people of God. The Jewish religion grew out of the Law of Moses, and God again covenanted with Man through His Son Jesus Christ. There has never been a time when there has never been a true religion and a covenant people. There has always been apostates who turned their backs on God and worshipped pagan gods because they wanted to go their own way instead of going the Way of God. The first one to rebel was an angel in Heaven called Lucifer. The first to turn from his covenant religion in mortality was Cain. Adam sinned and became mortal, but he did not apostatize from God and he made covenants and offered sacrifices to the true God.

For a reference: Read the Bible. It is true history and true religion.