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Le monothéisme biblique: Évolution, contextes et perspectives (2011) is a volume edited by Eberhard Bons and Thierry Legrand.

Abstract

The product of five years of collaborative research by scholars from the Catholic University of Strasburg who devoted themselves to the theme of "biblical monotheism and its context" and a climatic conference that brought together specialists in biblical studies, Greco-Roman antiquity, rabbinics, early Christianity, and philosophy, this edited volume explores both the development of exclusive monotheism in the three contemporary religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and raises provocative questions about whether an attendant violence necessarily accompanies the exclusive trends within these religious traditions. The work begins with a brief survey of the history of research on the topic of monotheism, starting from the 1970's to the present. The authors start by identifying how the archeological discoveries from the middle of the twenty-first century transformed how scholars from the 1970's to 1990's viewed the rise of monotheism in Israel. In particular, the work identifies three primary points of debate and nuance: 1) the need to use the terms "monotheism" and "polytheism" with more caution, 2) the recognition that textual and archeological sources transmit an imperfect image of the reality and religious phenomenon of antiquity, and 3) the call to re-read the texts of the Hebrew Bible in light of a widespread polytheism present in all religious traditions of the Ancient Near East, and Israel in particular, prior to the fall of the first temple in 587 BCE. From there, the authors turn to the contemporary debate on monotheism from the last decade and illumine how, in light of postmodernity, the tides of interest and the questions related to monotheism have begun to shift. In the past, biblical scholars dominated research on the origins of monotheism, but now the need for more collaboration with historians and philosophers has arisen. Likewise, with the illusion of humankind's continual progressive evolution called into question, and in light of the perceived violent nature of the three monotheistic religions, contemporary debates question whether exclusive monotheism is actually the pinnacle of religious thought that previous generations of scholars supposed it to be.

Having established this base, the editors organize the essays of the twenty-three contributing authors around five primary poles. From a wide variety of perspectives, ranging from a close reading of Deuteronomy 4 to the Christian apologist Tertullian, the essays of Laurent, Hamidovic, Legrand, Fricker, and Fredric center around the question: How can we speak in a legitimate manner of "one God," and of his uniqueness and incomparibility within Judaism and Christianity, in relation to writings in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek? Next, the contributions of Jan Joosten, Beate Ego, Eberhard Bons, and Thomas Osborn investigate how various texts, such as the OT, Pseudepigrapha, Greek texts, and the NT, respectively, distinguish the one, unique God from other divine and celestial beings. In the third section, the essays of Daniel Gerber, in a close reading of 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, and Claude Tassin, employing Rabbinic literature, look at the practical issues that Jews and Christians encountered when they ascribed to monotheistic belief while living in cities of mixed religious environments. From there, the fourth section explores how various texts address the question of conversion. For instance, if there is only one unique God over Israel, then what happens when persons who are not a part of this religious tradition encounter this God and those who believe in him? In the fifth section, the essays of Riemer Roukema, Elian Cuvillier, Jean Zumstien, and Nathalie Siffer explore whether the later Trinitarian Formulas of the Christian church had a precedence in the writings of the New Testament. Finally, the work concludes with the reflections of Yves Lehmann, Cecile Merckel, and Michele Deneken, each specialists in Greco-Roman antiquity, who situate the previously discussed questions within the context of the political, social, and literary developments of the Greco-Roman world. As can be seen, the each of the contributors offers a unique perspective of the topic of monotheism from a wide-range of interconnected disciplines and fields. Accordingly, the ultimate effect is an supurb volume on the most recent developments in scholarship on the question of monotheism, primarily from the French-speaking world. ~Deborah Forger

"The archaeological excavations carried out during the last decades in Palestine renewed interest for monotheism as it is expressed in the Bible. The discovery of a great number of sacred objects shook the assumption which during a long time received unanimous acceptance, that the society in Israel had adopted yahvist monotheism at the latest at the time of the Exodus. In the more recent debate, everyone is aware of the question of the violence which exclusivism monotheist is supposed to generate.

It was thus urgent to examine again the question of monotheism, its stakes and its implications. Specialists in biblical sciences, in history of religions and in social sciences have contributed to this study.

How was the unicity and the incomparableness of the God of Jews and Christians thought and expressed? How could one conceive the specificity of a single God, while mentioning other gods and celestial beings? How was the expression of the one God expressed by philosophers or scholars from the "pagan world" accepted by Jewish and Christian monotheism? All these questions are yet to study.

One will find here a thorough study of texts from Judaism, early Christianity and Greek and Roman literature. This scientific contribution of quality, on a question of growing importance, will certainly contribute to the current interreligious dialogue in a spirit of reciprocal respect, and thus hopes to take part in leading our societies towards peace."--Publisher's description

Editions and translations

Published in Paris [France]: Cerf, 2011.

Contents

External links

• [ Google Books]