More than one God

Farrell Till jftill@midwest.net
Sun, 01 Mar 1998 16:04:52 -0800 (00888818692, 2.2.32.19980302000452.006f7f48@midwest.net) 

At 01:41 AM 3/1/98 -0500, Brian Dean wrote:

>MICHAEL MCGILL(2/28)

>

>Isaiah 45:21,22 seems to contradict Exodus 18:11, "Now I know that the 

>LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly 

>he was above them." Here we have the Bible alluding to the existence of 

>more than one god. Note that it does not say "the Lord is the only god" 

>but rather that he "is greater than all gods."

>

>

>BRIDEAN

>Perhaps he is greater than the other gods precisely because the other gods

>don't exist.  This is because an existing God is greater than a non-existing

>god.  

>


TILL
We just looked at some passages a day or two ago that clearly show that
there was a recognition in Hebrew society that other gods existed but that
their god Yahweh was more powerful.


>Psalm 89:5  Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Yahweh, your

faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.

>6  For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh? Who among the heavenly

beings is like Yahweh,

>7  a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and awesome above

all that are around him?

>8  O Yahweh God of hosts, who is as mighty as you, O Yahweh? Your

faithfulness surrounds you.

>



>Psalm 86:8  There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there

any works like yours.

>


If one is going to argue that these verses mean that there are no gods like
Yahweh simply because no other gods exist, then one would have to argue that
there are no works like Yahweh's because no other works exist.  Clearly,
these writers were comparing the greatness of Yahweh to that of other gods
that they thought actually existed, just as his works were being compared to
other works that existed.
Farrell Till
Skepticism, Inc.
jftill@midwest.net