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How We Got Monotheism

Empire • World History

111,615 views

Was monotheism passed down from Pharaoh Akhenaten of Ancient Egypt? Who was the ancient goddess Asherah? How did exposure to other empires shape the Hebrew Bible?

William is joined by Francesca Stavrakopoulou, author of God: An Anatomy, to explore the evolution of the deity Yahweh, and Freud’s theory that Jewish monotheism was passed down from Ancient Egypt.

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20 Comments

@mmoklah 3 months ago

I am a member of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma and my tribe believes in one God - WaKonTah -which means great mystery.

@UrbanZurvan 3 months ago

The Zoroastrian influence is undeniable.

@Maclabhruinn 3 months ago

Professor Stavrakopoulou never ceases to provide fascinating insights. I've listened to her speak several times (and read her book) and I learn something new, every time.

@LeisureSuitBarry 3 months ago (edited)

This was a great episode. Francesca (well, you both really) did a great job covering a huge timespan in such a short time. You better keep your word and get her back another time, or I will be very disappointed in you Mr. Dalrymple!

@jong.7944 3 months ago

Erik Hornung's "Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt" is still the best word on this: in short, the answer is no. The Amarna period was a weird, suppressed aberration, and the entirety of Egyptian theology assumed that existence itself depended on "the many" - which extended to the divine just as much as it did to all the grand diversity of nature.

@zengintepe 3 months ago

This interview is an absolute joy!

@salian1531 3 months ago

Monotheism is generally treated as an advancement over polytheism, but I feel that is rather like treating dictatorship as an advancement over democracy.

@kevins6764 1 month ago

Francesca Stavrakopoulou is a really great guest. Wonderful knowledge and an excellent communicator. Many thanks indeed.

@browngreen933 3 months ago (edited)

I find the Yahweh Supremacist coup d'etat disturbing and prefer the original diverse pantheon of gods including EL, Ashera, etc.

@joshuataylor3550 3 months ago

Dr. S is great at her job.

@joshrogers7816 3 weeks ago

I have just found this podcast and amazingly I had just finished reading Francesca Stavrakopoulou's book 'God's Anatomy's a few hours earlier so it has been a delight to hear Francesca and William go over a few of the areas covered in the book and really dissect controversies among scholars. Very enjoyable. Many thanks to William and Francesca for a stimulating 40 minutes.🙏

@Gliterpirate 1 month ago

I would love a whole series on this topic

@dangallagher8034 1 month ago

Your program is absolutely wonderful. Many thanks to you and your guests!

@arturogazcon6927 5 days ago

I love your work madam!

@robertbrown633 2 weeks ago

Fantastic discussion.

@fairdose 1 month ago

There was a book about 25 years ago called “The Goddess and the Alphabet” by Leonard Shlain and he made a very interesting point: There were very, very few people who knew who were literate, who knew how to read and write in ancient Babylon, Sumeria, Mesopotamia and the ancient near east and Middle East. Being a scribe was a very elevated position in those societies. We forget that widespread literacy is a relatively recent phenomenon. If you really think about it, if you’re one of the only few people who can read and write then you can pretty much make up and write down whatever stories you want and no one is there to refute your story.

@pennymayphilip9646 12 days ago

Very interesting!!

@pahapoika-z3y 2 weeks ago

"That is what happened" is a rather bold conclusion when the sources actually say only "perhaps." A hypothesis does not turn into history simply by being repeated with sufficient confidence.