The First Commandment

[Neala]

The first commandment, in full:

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments."

If you read through the first commandment, at no point does it say that the Abrahamic God is the only god, just that his followers may not worship any other god

So

WI this commandment had come to be interpreted like this instead of the current interpretation which comes closer to the Qur'an's view of there being only one god

What would have been the impact on the world, on inter-religion relations. It's likely that things might have been more peaceful. Equally, would Islam have arisen in any meaningful sense? Would the Christian Trinity be seen as something closer to 3 separate Gods. Many Muslims and Jews already assert that Christianity is actually polytheistic as a result of the doctrine of the Trinity

 

[Jasen777]

There's a fairly persuasive view that that is how the Jews of the time period did in fact view it.

 

[Sachyriel]

You know, it also says 'I'. Perhaps Moses was a sneaky bastard and tried to be a deity-amongs-mortals, and God killed him after letting him wander around for a bit?

 

[Lysandros Aikiedes]

Many Muslims and Jews already assert that Christianity is actually polytheistic as a result of the doctrine of the Trinity

Contrary to what they think, Christians aren't polytheists. They're just very, very bad at being monotheists.

 

[Philip]

They're just very, very bad at being monotheists.

Actually, the problem is that many people (Christian and otherwise) have a very poor understanding of the Trinity.

 

[Rex Britanniae]

Contrary to what they think, Christians aren't polytheists. They're just very, very bad at being monotheists.

Actually, the problem is that many people (Christian and otherwise) have a very poor understanding of the Trinity.

That is only for Christian groups that believe in Sainthood and the Trinity.

Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, do not believe in either.

 

[Neala]

Contrary to what they think, Christians aren't polytheists. They're just very, very bad at being monotheists.

Actually, the problem is that many people (Christian and otherwise) have a very poor understanding of the Trinity.

very true

I was thinking about Judaism and whatever successor religions derive from it being explicitly henotheistic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henotheist)

 

[freodhoric]

I'm . Writing this for the second time.

You know, it also says 'I'. Perhaps Moses was a sneaky bastard and tried to be a deity-amongs-mortals, and God killed him after letting him wander around for a bit?

Ahem.

Exodus 19:25-20:2 (New American Standard Bible)
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

It'd make an alright story, but totally unsupported by the Bible.


As for the OP, this could be a large measure of what prompted the First Commandment;
Exodus 32:1 (New International Version)
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."

God was Moses' god, but not their god (yet).

To your original point, verses like these and Genesis 31 (where Rachel steals Laban's household gods) back up your proposed interpretation;
Exodus 23:13 (New International Version)
13 "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.

Deuteronomy 6:13-14 (New International Version)
13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;


On the other hand, verses like this assert that other gods have no life or power;
Deuteronomy 4:28 (Young's Literal Translation)
28and ye have served there gods, work of man's hands, wood and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

Moving on, verses like the following are rather frequent;
Exodus 23:24 (New International Version)
24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.

Not exactly conducive to interfaith tolerance, hey? You ain't seen nothing yet.
Deuteronomy 32:16-17 (New International Version)
16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods
and angered him with their detestable idols.

17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—
gods they had not known,
gods that recently appeared,
gods your fathers did not fear.

This is what i've always thought that the early church believed, that other gods existed, but that they were demons!


Verses aside, i think that the Jews' strength of faith is what gave their culture strength and allowed them to survive several millenia. They start accepting other gods and they'll be culturally assimilated with a century or two and no more Jews, hence no Christians or Muslims.

 

[Lysandros Aikiedes]

Actually, the problem is that many people (Christian and otherwise) have a very poor understanding of the Trinity.

And for that, most Christians are very bad monotheists. I myself flat-out totally reject and have long disassociated myself from monotheist views on the divine.

 

[bernooch]

Huzzah for Lysandros Aikiedes!

And for that, most Christians are very bad monotheists. I myself flat-out totally reject and have long disassociated myself from monotheist views on the divine.