The Roots of Monotheism - II: A History Now Lost

That there was Egyptian influence on the religion of the ancient Hebrews is something of which there can be no doubt. The Hebrew word for "incense," קְטֹרֶת, is an Egyptian word. Male circumcision was an Egyptian custom, which the Jews learned from them.

What we sometimes call the Star of David is actually, in Hebrew, the Shield of David. The "Shield of David" could only be G-d. The design, though, appears to be a star. Surely it is not just a random star; could it be OUR star? I admit that I don't know the answer to this.

Many have pointed out similarities between The Great Hymn to the Aton, discovered in the tomb of an Egyptian royal courtier named Ay, and Psalm 104. Below is a listing of some of these similarities:

Perhaps it is most significant of all that the keystone of Judaism is the Shema Yisrael prayer, found in Deuteronomy 6:4:

"Hear, O Israel, the LORD our G-d, the LORD is One."

The dating is just right for this to be a reflection of the fervent Egyptian monotheism of the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaton.

All of this, of course, proves nothing, but it is certainly suggestive of a history that is now unfortunately lost.

Concerning the sacredness of the Name: an unnamed Divinity can be a universal Deity, beyond all gender and other attributes conceived by our finite minds. Such a Deity can aid the cause of unity, without harming the cause of Divinity.

Text Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.