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Full Idea
It is very difficult to find a single monotheistic statement in the whole of the Pentateuch, and even the Ten Commandments take the existence of other gods for granted ("There shall be no strange gods for you before my face").
Clarification
The Pentateuch is the first five books of the Bible
Gist of Idea
There is virtually no sign of monotheism in the Pentateuch
Source
Karen Armstrong (A History of God [1993], Ch.1)
Book Ref
Armstrong,Karen: 'A History of God' [Mandarin 1993], p.31
A Reaction
The transition from polytheism to monotheism is very strange. First God is 'jealous' of other gods, then supremely above them, and eventually totally exclusive. It's like watching the rise of Stalin.
| 7604 | Amos was the first prophet to emphasise justice and compassion [Amos, by Armstrong,K] |
| 19934 | Hebrews were very hostile to other states, who had not given up their rights to God [Spinoza] |
| 7663 | Judaism and Christianity views are based on paternal, family and tribal relations [Berlin] |
| 7336 | A key moment is the idea of a single moral God, who imposes his morality on humanity [Johnson,P] |
| 7341 | Sampson illustrates the idea that religious heroes often begin as outlaws and semi-criminals [Johnson,P] |
| 7342 | Isaiah moved Israelite religion away from the local, onto a more universal plane [Johnson,P] |
| 7344 | Judaism involves circumcision, Sabbath, Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, New Year, and Atonement [Johnson,P] |
| 7345 | In exile the Jews became a nomocracy [Johnson,P] |
| 7355 | The Torah pre-existed creation, and was its blueprint [Johnson,P] |
| 7597 | There is virtually no sign of monotheism in the Pentateuch [Armstrong,K] |
| 23056 | Judaism only became monotheistic around 550 BCE [Gray] |
| 7480 | Monotheism was a uniquely Israelite creation within the Middle East [Watson] |
| 7479 | Modern Judaism became stabilised in 200 CE [Watson] |
| 7481 | The Israelites may have asserted the uniqueness of Yahweh to justify land claims [Watson] |
| 20929 | Traditionally, God dictated the Torah to Moses, unlike the later biblical writings [Zimmermann,J] |