Classical Judaism dies in ancient Israel

The people of ancient Israel comprised a small sect of monotheists among a large group of polytheistic faiths. It is very likely that many Israelites rulers had wives which were not originally Israeli (the Bible mentions it, and although it's not easy to determine the historical accuracy of the Bible it sounds plausible). We're talking an Old Testament POD here.

So consider the possibility that the Israelites eventually intermarry/mingle with their polythestic neighbors (despite the theoretical restriction in the Bible) and abandon their monotheistic roots for a polytheistic faith. Small sects stay monotheistic (the Samaritans, maybe) but for the most part the monotheistic traditions are known only to contemporary historians and academics (or rabbis/chiefs).

What would history have been like had ancient Israel become polytheistic? Christianity naturally would be completely different, and I would have expected that the Israelites would have been more amenable to adopting other people's gods.

I'm thinking of ancient Israel's monotheistic beliefs going the way of Akhenaton's (though the Israelites would not have thought of Moses as being crazy).

Possibilities I can think of:

1. One of the Davidic kingdoms becomes polytheistic, one stays monotheistic.

2. Monotheism survives but in a modified format (with idols, for instance, to represent aspects of a singular God).

3. Angels become gods.

Thanks!

ACG
 
According to Scripture, ancient Israel did become polytheistic to a large extent, so what you need is for this to not die out, and at least stay around enough to keep coming back even post-Exile (assuming an Exile, which I as a Christian believe to be the will of God and inevitable, but for the purposes of the discussion, the possibility is presumably examinable).

My personal convictions are that this is not going to happen to the extent it does, or if they do, there will still remain a small if izable monotheistic remnant. I also cannot assume Christianity (in its purest form), or at least Christ, is inevitable, though the direction it takes in this world, with less Jewish cultural base, or heretical movements arising, are likely to be sustantially different in this world. (If one assumes otherwise, this may be assuming a change in the character of God, and IMO ASBish or plain wrong. If you choose to discus such, I cannot stop you tho'!)
 
From a scriptural standpoint Christ would come regardless of the state of the Israeli people. That said, the details of Christ's ministry might be different.

Like the_lyniezian, I can't argue for Christ not coming as He did and setting up His church.:cool:
 
The POD might be waay back in the time of the Judges or Prophets, who often enough found themselves defending their monotheistic faith against a populace willing to syncretize with other gods. I think of the story where Elijah was the one Prophet of Yahweh, competing with the several dozen prophets of Baal. A misstep from one of those lone voices crying in the wilderness could have ended Judaism then and there.

And as BD1S and Lynie allude, this would have to be written from a fully secular point of view. As a believer myself, I'd have to think that God would have found someone else to do his work... but this would make a really, really interesting TL regardless.

Honestly, I always thought it rather astounding that the largest religious family in the world (the Abrahamists) stems from a nation that has almost never held political power. I'm tempted to say that the most plausible course for the world to take in this TL would be the faith of one or more of the great empires... but who's to say that some other obscure tribe wouldn't come up with a religion that takes the world by storm.
 

Skokie

Banned
Either have Antiochus IV Epiphanes persue a more subtle policy with the Judean populace, or try to avoid war with Egypt and other potential enemies in the west, so they could have the manpower available to concentrate on both the Judean rebellion and the Parthian invasion from the east.
 
Top