Changes

What is also telling is that monotheism only appears to emerge during a period when larger states and empires were present. In fact, all religions that we can call monotheistic, or more accurately universal religions (i.e., a religion relevant to all people and not just a population group; e.g., Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Manichaeism) develop at a time of large scale empires where kings were now being called “king of kings” and seen as unifiers of many people.<ref>For the concept of “king of kings” and larger unification of multiple populations during the period of the large empires see: Shayegan, M. Rahim. 2011. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521766419/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521766419&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=1f93b445436f466baed1d819eb20554d Arsacids and Sasanians: Political Ideology in Post-Hellenistic and Late Antique Persia]''. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.</ref> In essence, before a single or universal god became the norm, the concept of a universal king or emperor became well established. This likely makes the idea of a single political unity more palatable for multiple population groups. We know universal empires sought to unify people through a common government and other common cultural links, including through the economy.<ref>For information about emerging concepts of universalism in empires see: Cline, Eric H., and Mark W. Graham. 2011. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521717809/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521717809&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=a411bd2ba7d644e44a13cf9065a4430e <i>Ancient Empires: From Mesopotamia to the Rise of Islam</i>]. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.</ref> Therefore, it may not be a surprise that universal empires helped to create philosophies of universal religions and ideas, as the ideas of greater unity between populations had already become well established. On the other hand, during the period when Yahweh, for instance, was the chief god in Judah, we see no evidence that this god was considered the only god and certainly he was only associated with the Jewish people. In essence, the mental constructs of god in the pre-Babylonian exile period (i.e., before the 6th century BC) do not appear to incorporate God as being the only god. The development seems to happen later, perhaps under the presence of empires and/or the desire to transform an existing religion due to changes in political circumstances such as the loss of Jerusalem.

==Conclusion==

What is clear is monotheism was not something that clearly develops for a long period of time. We can see archaeological and historically that at least through the first half of the first millennium BC polytheism dominated. The later monotheistic faith of Judaism appears to initially be a polytheistic religion. After the influence of empires and the loss of the Judean temple, we begin to see greater transformations toward monotheism. This eventually gives rise to modern monotheistic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Along the way, Zoroastrianism likely played an influential role in these universal faiths.

==References==

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[[Category:Religious History]]

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