The Origin and Rise, Decline and Fall of the God Known as Yahweh 1467925586

Table of contents :
The Origin and Rise, Decline and Fall of the God Known as Yahweh
Half-title
Title Page
Printer's Imprint
Dedication
Table of Contents
PART 1 - The Origin and Rise
Archaeological Periods
of Ancient Israel
Table of Figures
Chapter 1: What Do You Believe?
Chapter 2: A Brief History of Faith
Chapter 3: Origins of Monotheism
Chapter 4: Yahu and Yahweh; How the God of lsrael Came To Be
Chapter 5: Who, or What, is lshmael?
Chapter 6: The Documentary Hypothesis: Who Actually Wrote the Bible?
Chapter 7: Was There an Exodus?
Chapter 8: Was King David the Leader of A Great lsraelite Nation?
Chapter 9: Polytheistic lsrael, From Solomon to the End of the Babylonian Captivity
PART 2 - The Decline and Fall
Chapter 10: We Now Know, the Bible Can't Be Trusted
Chapter 11: The Devil Made Me Do It!
Chapter 12: The Demise of Belief
Chapter 13: God is Dead ... and Carl Sagan Killed Him! The Principle of QED
Chapter 14: In a Multiverse, Why Not Polytheism?
Chapter 15: What Do You Believe Now?
Index
Tailpiece
Rear Cover

Citation preview

THE ORIGIN AND RISE DECLINE AND FALL OFTİ-fE GOD KNOWN AS YAHWEH Why the God of Abraham is Incongruous in the 21st Century

The Origin and Rise,

Decline and Fail of the God Known as Yahweh

ii

The Origin and Rise,

Decline and Fail of the God Known as Yahweh Why the God of Abraham is lncongruous in the 21 st Century

G. R. Pafumi

iii

Copyright © 2012 by G. R. Pafumi. ISBN-13: 978-1467925587 ISBN-10: 1467925586 AB rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. This book was published in the United States of America.

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Table of Contents PART1-

CHAPTER 9 Polytheistic lsrael, From Solomon

ORIGIN & RISE

to theEnd ofthe Babylonian Captivity

CHAPTER 1 What Do You Believe?

PART2-

5

DECLINE & FALL

CHAPTER 2 A BriefHistory ofFaith

125

21 CHAPTER 1 0

CHAPTER 3 Origins ofMonotheism

We Now Know, the Bible Can't 37

BeTrusted

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 1 1

Yahu and Yahweh; How the God oflsrael CameTo Be

141

The Devil Made Me Do it!

151

47 CHAPTER 1 2

CHAPTER 5 Who, or What, is lshmael?

The Demise ofBelief

191

59 CHAPTER 1 3

CHAPTER 6

God is Dead... and Cari Sagan

The DocumentaryHypothesis: WhoActually Wrote the Bible?

KilledHim! ThePrinciple 73

ofQED

CHAPTER 7 Was There anExodus?

207

CHAPTER 1 4

87

in a Multiverse, Why Not Polytheism?

243

CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 1 5

Was King David the Leader of A Great lsraelite Nation?

113

vii

What Do You Believe Now?

255

INDEX

273

viii

PART 1'II lllE

R OIGIN

--------E

1

ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERIODS OF ANCIENT ISRAEL

Neolithic Age (Rise offarminıj .......................... 10000-5000 BCE Chalcolithic Period (Copper Age) .....................5000-3500 BCE Early Bronze Age................................................ 3 500-2200 BCE Intermediate Bronze Age...................................2200-2000 BCE Middle Bronze Age............................................. 2000-1550 BCE Late Bronze Age.................................................. 1550-1150 BCE Iran Age I...............................................................1150-900 BCE Iran Age II................................................................ 900-586 BCE Babylonian Period & Exile..................................... 586-538 BCE Persian Period...........................................................538-333 BCE Hellenistic (Greek) Period........................................333-63 BCE Roman Period......................................................63 BCE-324 CE Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Period............................ 324-637 CE

Note: Archaeological periods and dynastic ages are approximate and not necessarily identical in every source researched for this book. Archaeologists and historians don't always agree when historical periods and ages begin and end. In addition, periods and ages do not begin and end simultaneously in the various regions and civilizations of the world. Sources: The Bible Unearthed; Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Sacred Texts, Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman (The Free Press, 2001) and Wikipedia.

2

TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Ra-Horakhty-Egyptian sun god.............................. .40 Figure 2A: Levant-830 BCE...................................................... 42 Figure 2B: Levant-today............................................................. 43 Figure 3: Sinai Peninsula............................................................. 60 Figure 4: Israel today...................................................................61 Figure 5: Map of Arab League...................................................64 Figure 6: Ugarit version of Ba' al................................................96 Figure 7: Golden Calf..................................................................97 Figure 8: Sacred Bull Apis...........................................................98 Figure 9: Ancient Egypt............................................................108 Figure 10: United I