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Monolatry

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Worship of one deity without necessarily denying others; variable analytical term, not one uniform doctrine of all Israelites.

Modern comparison of working definitions. Terms overlap and vary across scholars; arrangement does not date three successive stages for everyone
Modern comparison of working definitions. Terms overlap and vary across scholars; arrangement does not date three successive stages for everyoneIL Archive · original diagram · CC BYImage source

Text

Exclusive worship separates whom to worship from who exists or has divinity. Prohibiting other gods alone proves neither their acceptance nor their denial; context matters. [1]

Monolatry and henotheismHenotheismPrivileging one god while acknowledging others in the working definition used here; not automatically monotheism or a fixed social phase.Glossary · Click to read the explanation sometimes overlap in scholarship. Here the former emphasizes allegiance, without becoming a fixed chronological stage preceding monotheismMonotheismBelief in a single God as the only deity, rather than merely the highest among several gods.Glossary · Click to read the explanation. Diagram supplies a modern definition, not an archaeological scene. [2]

References and notes

  1. Hebrew Bible: Exodus 20, prohibition of other gods and their worship. Mechon-Mamre. Hebrew prohibition read; commandment/verse numbering varies across traditions. Direct concern is allegiance; author’s complete ontology and popular belief not inferred from this alone. Return to the text ↑
  2. Baruch A. Levine. Global Monotheism: The Contribution of the Israelite Prophets. In Melammu: The Ancient World in an Age of Globalization, 2014. DOI: 10.34663/9783945561003-04. Introduction, proposed phases/dating and expanded prophetic horizon read. Late eighth/early seventh in Levine’s model; imperial explanation attributed, not consensus or universal adoption. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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IL Archive, «Monolatry», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/monolatry