The divine council in late canonical and non-canonical second temple Jewish literature pdf

Michael Heiser is a scholar in the fields of biblical studies and the ancient Near East. Dr. Heiser earned his Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. He also earned an M.A. in the same field at Wisconsin, along with an M.A. in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania (major fields: Ancient Israel and Egyptology). Dr. Heiser is currently the Executive Director and Professor at the Awakening School of Theology and Ministry with Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL. Before accepting his current position, Mike taught on the college and seminary level for over 20 years and was Scholar-in-Residence for Logos Bible Software for 15 years.

The divine council in late canonical and non-canonical second temple Jewish literature pdf by Michael Heiser

Biblical scholarship has reached a consensus with respect to the presence of a divine assembly of gods in Israel’s faith. Prior to the sixth century B.C.E., Israelite religion underwent an evolution from an initial polytheism to a firm monolatry, where the other gods of the divine council were tolerated but not worshipped. The religious crisis of Israel’s early sixth century B.C.E. exile prompted the scribes to obscure the council in the canonical texts and compose new material declaring that Yahweh had punished Israel for her sins, brought her out of bondage, and put the other gods to death. This historical turnabout and its literary response marked the birth of true monotheism in Israel, where no other gods existed except Yahweh.