Polytheism In Ancient Israel Before The Babylonian Exile

Polytheism occurred in ancient Israel before the Babylonian exile took place. In ancient Israel, citizens were polytheistic in an aspect that the divine council consisted of El, who was the head God, and Yahweh was one of his concourses that was elevated to be the main God. When the Babylonians emerged and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem during 586 BCE, the emergence of monotheism is in response to the devastation of Jewish people towards the exile.1 The evil slander against Israelis pulled out of Jerusalem and into the exile did not lead Jewish individuals to believe that the Babylonian God diminishes their God, but they lead to believe that God was punishing them. On that note, during and after the Babylonian exile, the exile of citizens
The Israelites told the stories of their ancestors, heard the wisdom of prophets, and studied the Law of Moses. Some believe that it was during the time of the exile that some of Israel's priests added to the old scriptures and wrote new ones. Before the Babylonian exile, the religious life of Jewish people revolved around the temple in Jerusalem. When the Babylonian exile occurred, Jews were expelled from Judea, and Babylonians destroyed the temple Jewish people resided in. There were particular rituals that were only to take place in the temple, such as animal sacrifice, and when the Jews had no temple, or the opportunity to go to Jerusalem, there were changes that took place in order for Jews to retain their cultural and religious identity.4 This was when synagogues were introduced among Jews, and they were “dispersed” throughout the Babylonian empire. The central focus of the synagogues became the Torah, the Jewish bible. Anders Runessons, has a journal written about the Origins of the Synagogue, and it consists of scholars who debate on when the synagogue emerged in from a historical context. Many scholars debated that the origins of the synagogue emerged from Moses, or from the exile. The evidence behind why scholars suggest that the synagogue was introduced during the exile was because “Jews did not have access to the Jerusalem temple”, and the establishment of the Hebrew Bible allowed Jews to carry on Jewish beliefs and traditions.4 The establishment of the Hebrew Bible and synagogues strengthened the relationship between Jews, and it helped them keep their traditions and values even though they were living in a different land. These values brought the Jewish community during harsh times, and their view of the supreme God changed. Israelites assimilated to the teachings of the Hebrew Bible believing that they would