Reconceptualising Monotheism

One of the most powerful religious ideas that emerged from antiquity is monotheism: that there is one, true God. This idea is still with us. Indeed, numerically speaking, most religious people in the world today are monotheists. The contributors to this collection of essays explore the concept of the One God, and the cultures that birthed it in antiquity – especially ancient Israel, which itself had, and was a neighbour to, a variety of notions about divinity. The authors consider different texts and contexts. With new approaches and methods, they bring a range of skills and insights to this important and fascinating topic. In so doing, they reconceptualise monotheism. This volume of essays about monotheism grew out of a remarkably well-attended online day-long conference in 2021 hosted by the Centre for the Study of the Bible at Oriel College at Oriel College Oxford and the Chair of Hebrew and Semitic Languages at the University of Aberdeen. Monotheism is at the heart of the nexus of biblical disciplines: it is arguably the distinctive theological hallmark of the biblical cultures situated within the complex tapestries of antiquity. It has certainly generated a major legacy in the history of religious beliefs and practices since then. This volume thus speaks to scholarly but also to wider audiences. In reconceptualising monotheism, the essay’s scholars present thoughtful discussions about what is a global idea and whose roots lie deep in the past.