177
See also: Beliefs for new societies 56–57 ■ The battle between good and evil 60–65 ■ God’s covenant with Israel 168–75
■ Defining the indefinable 184–85 ■ The unity of divinity is necessary 280–81
JUDAISM
conquered the southern lands of
the Jewish people, known as the
Kingdom of Judah. In the ancient
Middle East, such conquests were
usually interpreted as victories
by the conquering people’s god
over that of the defeated people—
so the supremacy of YHWH
appeared to be challenged. Yet the
prophets insisted that these events
were all, in fact, YHWH’s doing: he
was using the other nations to
punish the Israelites for violating
their covenant with him (pp.168–75).
No God but YHWH
The Jews returned from exile in
Babylon to their homeland in 538 BCE,
under the decree of Cyrus the Great,
emperor of Persia, where the
Zoroastrian faith predominated.
Around this time, the earliest clear
articulation of monotheism in the
Bible emerged, in a collection of
writings known as Second Isaiah.
It emphasizes that YHWH created,
and rules over, the world alone.
Israel’s restoration is a sign of
YHWH’s control over history, which
is both transcendent and personal:
he determines the actions of kings
but also leads his people to salvation
like a shepherd guiding his flock.The problem of evil
Monotheism raises the problem
of evil: namely, if there is only
one God, who is just and merciful,
as the Bible insists, then how can
he preside over a world in which
the righteous suffer? This is the
theme of the biblical book of Job,
which tells of a righteous man who
questions how God could have
allowed his terrible misfortune. God’s
response suggests that there is no
answer: his rule over the world is
beyond human understanding. ■Second Isaiah
The biblical Book of Isaiah
claims to be the work of a
prophet by that name who
lived in the late 8th and early
7th centuries BCE. However,
the latter portion of the book
deals with the Jews’ return
from exile in Babylon in the
6th century BCE. Modern
scholars refer to this section as
Second Isaiah or Deutero-
Isaiah and attribute it to one
or more 6th-century writers.
Second Isaiah echoes
the language and themes
of the first part of the book,
while also introducing new
ideas and motifs, including
explicit monotheism. Like
earlier prophetic works, it
interprets Israel’s exile as
punishment for the people’s
sins, but proclaims that the
punishment has ended and it
will be followed by everlasting
glory when Israel finally
embraces YHWH alone.
Many scholars believe that
the final portion of the book
was written later still and
constitutes a Third Isaiah.The people of Israel were
vanquished by the Assyrians during
the 8th century BCE and led away to
exile, as shown on this relief from the
palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh.
Before Me no God
was formed, nor shall
there be any after Me.
Isaiah 43:10