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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
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