Why I am still a Catholic IV

The Unique Theological Insights of the Ancient Hebrews

If you are interested in this series, don’t start here. Start at the beginning. Here’s a table of contents.

We’ve looked so far at whether it is reasonable to believe that there is a creator. Obviously I think that it is. But this doesn’t tell us much beyond the fact that that such a creator must be unchanging, exist outside of space and time and omnipotent as the unconditional cause of all reality.

Moving from the recognition of a creator to understanding the nature of such a being presents a more complex challenge.

We know who the creator is not

However, the being described above is plainly not like the deities and demiurges found in pagan mythologies, which often display human-like qualities and limitations. Those “gods” almost always exist within time and space and display changeable, reactive natures. However, while these conclusions help us to eliminate who God is not, they offer only a narrow window into the nature and intentions of such a being.

Understanding who this creator might be requires further exploration

This draws us to the ancient Jews' development of monotheism, which was a profound and singular process in the history of our species.

The word development is necessary because all indications are that the religious practices of the Hebrew people once believed in multiple gods while favouring one supreme deity (Yahweh) who was associated with their nation. Over time, and influenced by the claims of prophetic insights from figures like Isaiah and Jeremiah, this perspective transformed into a strict monotheism. Eventually, the concept of Yahweh not only as the sole god of Israel but as the only true God of all existence, creator and ruler of the universe set the stage for Jewish identity and the Christian and Islamic faiths.

The divine singularity

This theological shift is evidenced in texts such as the Isaiah 40-55, where the assertion of Yahweh’s singularity and omnipotence is clear: "I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God." This development was revolutionary, marking a departure from the surrounding polytheistic cultures of the ancient Near East, where deities often represented specific aspects of nature or society.

A rational God for an orderly universe

This is not the sole conception of monotheism across world religions. However, the Jewish conception aligns remarkably well with our observations of the universe's complexity and order. The notion of God as a lawgiver and a meticulous designer who sustains the universe and enforces moral laws is a compelling framework for understanding the structured nature of physical laws that govern everything from galactic motions to the interactions of subatomic particles. This worldview encapsulates not just the existence of these laws but their purposive and intelligible nature, suggesting a divine mind behind the cosmic order.

Where did this come from?

These profound insights were not the result of systematic philosophical inquiry, nor were they inevitable developments within the broader spectrum of religious thought at the time. Instead, this belief arose among a relatively small group of people who claimed an understanding through divine revelation.

Through the proclamations of prophets in harsh and humble settings, this people laid the foundations for a monotheism that has forever altered the religious and philosophical landscape of the whole world. And that is itself an incredible historical reality.