BEGINNINGS OF ISRAELITE RELIGION: Religion of the Patriarchs (C. 1250-1000 BCE)

One of the interests of modern biblical scholarship is to trace the authentic beginnings of the Yahweh worship in Israel. Historically, no religion is founded on clean sheet, there are always preliminary stages that are easily erased from history in our preoccupation with meta-narratives. Ideally, though we must borrow the data from Pentateuch the official text about the origins of Israelite religion, modern scholarship however has shown that the religion was not well developed as it is projected in it. The first five books had quite different purpose in store for their origin in the early post-exilic period, a good 800 years after the real course of the historical events. (Add the reasons when you post it). Yet, a critical reading sheds new light on the life, culture and religious elements of the primitive Israel. Our attempt therefore is to reconstruct the preliminary historical stage to the religion of Yahweh from the texts of Genesis 12-50.

The earliest possible information in the Bible (Gen 12-50) about the primitive Israelites goes back to C. 1250 BCE, the Iron Age. It depicts people as settling down gradually in small tribal societies; as an association of families with patriarchal organization somewhere in the early stages of a clan-settle. The repeated references about people trying to derive their own identity through genealogies from ancestors are a customary of tribal societies. The social structure was a mix of a nomadic and sedentary agricultural life (Gen 13:5; 26:12ff) in the hill country of Palestine and its dry southern regions (Gen 26:19ff; 37:12ff). We find references to cattle which clearly go with an agricultural economy (Gen 12:16; 18:7; 26:14). Archeological evidences (e.g. Mari Texts) prove the fact that often times one clan engaged both in the agriculture and in nomadic rearing of sheep.

Socially, the families were loosely incorporated into a clan, with less developed political structure extending beyond the family. Family was their basic economic and social unit. The term ‘patriarchal religion’ refers mostly to the religion of these small family groups, as it is more tied to the head of the family. We find clear evidence in the call narrative of Moses, Ex 3 where the Pentateuch theologian exposes the existence of patriarchal religion. The fact is more convincing in Ex 6:2ff where the patriarchal religion is portrayed as a prelude to the Yahweh religion, which was to begin with Moses. But, it is more than a prelude, the foundation of the Yahweh religion, the basis on which the whole religion of Israel is built and renewed – the theme of prophet Hosea. Moreover, they were written to re-establish the authentic identity of Israelite religion.

Patriarchal religion, however, in contrast to the institutionalized world of Yahweh worship, consisted of simple forms of personal and typical family piety. Family was the key vehicle of religion: father was the priest (Gen 13:18; 35:7); cult was largely a family cult; and religion experiences and notions were greatly governed by the horizon and needs of the family life.

 Idea of God

In the patriarchal religion, God was always revered as the ‘unseen hand’ and a supernatural Member guiding the family. Hence they invoked him under the title ‘God of the father or forefather’. Though there were three different titles in relation to this in the Genesis tradition – ‘God of my/your father’ (Gen 31:5,42,29; 49:25; 50:17), ‘God of Abraham/Nahor’ (Gen 31:42, 53) and ‘the fear of Isaac’ (Gen 31:53,42) – the most original and the best characteristic of the time was the personal title ‘God of my father or forefather’.  Apart from the God-sentiments it brought home the rich insights, skills, the religious experiences and the relationships of the generations of their forefather or father with God. Relationship with God was, therefore a characteristic tradition of the family. ‘God of NN’ was an impersonal title used to distinguish the god of one family from another.

Historical comparison of the texts further insights that the title ‘God of my father’ was a systematic/formal expression of the patriarchs intimate relationship with God, calling him under different names. An overall impression of Genesis may seem to be ignorant of this fact; a careful reading exposes the series of ‘El deities’ of primitive Israel. There are for example mention of El-Elyon (Gen 14:91,22), El-Olam (Gen 21:33), El-Bethel (Gen 31:13; 35:7), El-Elohe Israel (Gen 33:2) El-Roi (Gen 16:13). Far from propagating polytheism different names were the local manifestations of ‘El-Shaddai’ (Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3; Ex 6:3), the great God in heaven, depicting the unique experiences of different persons at different places. This further proves the moot claim in Ex 6:3ff that the name ‘Yahweh’ was unknown to the patriarchs; neither do we find names compounded with Yahweh mentioned in Genesis as there are names compounded with ‘El’ like Yisma-el.

The patriarchs thus, regarded God as a Being close to them assuring the small needs of their families. They were monolatrous, faithfully worshipping the one God of their families, unperturbed by the existence different gods of other tribes. Hence, there were less problems of religious differentiation, exclucivism, conflicts and polemics, which latter characterized the Yahweh religion.

Religious Beliefs and Practices

           

Religion, in the time of the patriarchs was predominantly family cult. It was interwoven with the rhythm of the life of the group. The belief and practices stemmed from their life-experiences. One of their most characteristic beliefs was the ‘unconditional care of God’. There were so depended on god, today we regard them as the epitome of faith. This is reasonable, because nomadic life always involved the risk of being exposed to the unforeseen dangers and catastrophes. So much so, they perceived every event of their life in relation to their provident God. They believed that their god protected them from the attack of other superior groups the other nomads (Gen 30f), and people inhabiting the cultivated land (Gen 12:10-20; Gen 26). In times of drought they were forced to live in the mercy of the neighbouring agricultural states, which were usually hostile. Too small and just as nomadic people they could not but rely on supernatural intervention at such complicated situations. A good example of such an event is the account of the family of Isaac troubled by the city king of Gerar (Gen 26). They invoked their god to protect them from the dangers of the way (Gen 28:20; 26:3,28; 31:5,42). There is also a hypothesis that the feast of the pass-over is closely associated with the change of pasture which so determined the nomadic life-style and economy. But, only a little information is available in this regard.

More intimately, the patriarchs felt the redeeming presence of their god in times of distress and ‘want’ in the family life. Since, children more especially male child determined the survival of the family and its rich tradition, they celebrated the birth of a child even more if it were male child, as a precious gift from god. May be it was such preoccupation that the marriage laws in the Near East allowed various forms of polygamy (Gen 16:1-6; 21:8ff). It might have also been due to the lack of social structure transcending the family.

The promise of the son, however, was an independent and significant religious event. The promise was given through a divine messenger (Gen 16:7,11) to both husband and wife, a year before the birth of the son. Actually the event was more a female religious experience (Gen 16:11; 18:9f). Another important point was that the event had no relation to the moral behaviour of the person (Gen 16:7ff). Moreover other references of God’s saving love in Genesis note that God rescued small children from various threats like dying of thirst (Gen 21:16ff), child sacrifices (Gen 22) and infant mortality (Gen 21:20), and preserved women/wives from the sexual advances of alien rulers (Gen 12:10-20). In bountiful gratitude as a result, the patriarchs built altars in the new places they settled (Gen 13:18; 33:20), erected cultic stones (Gen 28:18; 38:20; 31:45) and planted scared trees (Gen 21:33), for blessings received from their god.

Even though we do not have a complete picture of the lifestyle, economy and the religious practices, our glimpses unravel some salient features of their (religious) tradition. God is not looked upon as an abstract concept much less a distant mystery or a moral judge, instead as the Head of the family protecting, defending and sustaining it. Hence there is an absence of the concept of danger of the nearness to God (Gen 28:16f). There is no duality of life and religion. Religion is not yet institutionalized to official places and official mediators. They meet their god in everyday human encounters. Women also have their place in the religious practices. Warlike exclusiveness, the prevalent characteristic of Yahweh religion is absent. If compared to the Yahweh religion, theirs was a pre-cultic, pre-political and pre-ethical religion. Thus, it is evident that developed type of religious understandings was not prevalent in the beginnings nor was there Yahweh religion. Rather, there were family religion and in it was built Yahweh religion which later developed with the course of the history.

Summary based on Rainer Albertz, A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period, vol.1: From the Beginnings to the End of the Exile, translated by John Bowden, British edition (London: SCM Press, 1994) 23-39.