In Search of Monotheism: How Old is the concept of one God?
Inauguration of Religions is approximately as follows:
(The older the more approximate)
1863 AD Baha'i Faith
1844 AD Babi Faith
613 AD Islamic Faith
30 AD Christian Faith
590 BC or 420 BC Buddhist Faith
500 BC Confucian Faith
600 BC Brahmic Hindu Faith
600 BC Zoroastrian Faith
1290 BC Hebrew Faith
1300 BC ? Vedic Hindu Faith
5600+ BC Sabaean Faith (Based on the assumption that the Flood and other Genesis
stories are Sabaean in origin)
(Flooding of the Black Sea dated geologically to ~5600 BC in, "Noah's Flood" by
William Ryan and Walter Pittman. See also
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc092899.html)
I would be cautious about assigning the polytheist label to any given religion. The diversity of interpretation observed in current times suggests strongly that a considerable amount of the original teaching is disregarded. Especially when maxims (comprising the "most important proposition" of a body of literature) are ignored for the sake of elevating less important statements. This means that the older the religion, the less certainty exists about how accurately it is presented.
This said, Judaism predates Zoroastrianism by at least 600 years if Encyclopaedia Britannica is to be believed. Of course if one takes the teachings of Hermes, and his "origin from one" idea as being Sabaean, then it is possible that monotheism is more than 7600 years old. Particularly, given that the gods of the Gilgamesh epic had a Chief or King of Gods. Such cases would seem analogous to "Prophets and God" model of monotheistic language. In fact such cases are worthy of comparison to the Psalm, quoted by Christ, stating that the Prophets were referred to as "gods":
[Psalm 82:6] I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;
[Psalm 82:7] nevertheless, you shall die like men, and fall like any
prince."
[John 10:34] Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, `I said,
you are gods'?
[John 10:35] If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and
scripture cannot be broken),
[John 10:36] do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the
world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'?
Hence the use of the term, "god" to refer to those "to whom the word of God came" is evidently quite common very early in the evolution of religion. (No doubt because a separate word had not been invented. A matter of "the Divine" as opposed to "a divine".) It is therefore likely that much polytheism is quite possibly a matter of mistranslation/misinterpretation...
In terms of establishing whether an older religion is monotheistic or polytheistic, my suggestion is to source a maxim (from the Latin meaning "most important proposition" - therefore constraining all interpretation of applicable material) , and then work from there. The idea is to draw the objective, and thus the universal context from the texts. This will offer some reasonable limits that can be applied to interpretation of the texts in question. To get the ball rolling, let me offer:
"And this, too, was thus considered by them [‘those of the primitive faith, the ancients of those acquainted with the religion’ - From 94:1], that that nature only is good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self; and that wisdom only is good when it thoroughly understands how to utilize the advantage of that happiness which has occurred, and shall not suffer vexation on account of harm which has not occurred; and that intellect only is good which understands that it does not understand that which it does not understand."
(Dadestan-i Denig ['Religious Decisions'] 94:5)
Examples from other religious texts would include:
Baha'i Faith:
(Baha'u'llah: The Covenant, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Page: 220)
(Baha'u'llah: The Ninth Ishraq, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 129-130)
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Paris Talks, Page: 130)
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 287)
Christian Faith:
(Matthew 7:12)
(Romans 13:8)
Hebrew Faith:
(Talmud, Shabbat 31a)
Maxims can vary significantly in wording and approach. Both Abdu'l-Baha and the New Testament have communicated statements to the effect that "God is love" (1John 4:8,16), (Abdu'l-Baha: Foundations of World Unity; p. 73, 102. Paris Talks; p. 180, 181. Promulgation of Universal Peace; p. 159, 290, 315) - with interesting implications for the great Atheist/Theist debate...
Such definitions, or approximations, also give direction/purpose to religion by defining its object of veneration. This is quite a different from stating the summary of law/purpose of religion as it applies "in all things" but it communicates a maxim or universal set of constraints just the same.
Et moi? In my opinion, monotheism began with Hermes and that focus on “Origin from one”, some 7600 years ago…
