The God of the ancient Jews became the chief deity for many nations due to a series of interconnected historical and cultural processes.

The Rise of Monotheism Through Historical and Cultural Transformation

The God of the ancient Jews became the chief deity for many nations due to a series of interconnected historical and cultural processes. Firstly, in the history of the Israelite people there occurred a fundamental shift from perceiving faith as an attributive relationship with several gods to the establishment of a single, all-encompassing god. As noted in one of the sources, Moses “in the very first commandment forbids the worship of any gods other than the Essential. Yahweh—the God of the Universe, the God of the patriarchs—deserves sole glory. He is the one and only God of Israel” (source: link txt). This decision marked a turning point, when the choice was made between the traditional animated cosmos and salvation within the framework of pure monotheism, radically changing the religious landscape.

Secondly, the historical experience of deliverance from slavery and the subsequent covenant established with an entire nation, rather than just with individual patriarchs, had a profound influence on shaping both societal and state ideologies. Another source states: “Until the Moses era the chosen people were governed by individual patriarchs... Upon liberation from Egyptian slavery, the Lord again establishes the Covenant... Now, the rule of God, as the foundation of the life of the Israelite people, was not confined only to the religious and moral sphere but permeated the entire ‘structure of life’ in both governmental and social terms” (source: link txt). This covenant not only reinforced faith as a personal experience but also established it as the foundation of social organization, subsequently contributing to the universalization of monotheistic ideas.

It is also important to note that the theological understanding of life and nature, which distinguished the religion of Israel, led its adherents to view their God not only as the protector of a single nation but also as the regulator of the forces of nature and the fate of humanity. One source states: “Any attempt to explain the religion of Israel ‘naturally’... in this vibrant nature he extolled one living God, and in the voice of living elements he heard His praise. As the consciousness of God’s universality and transcendence grew in Israel...” (source: link txt). This understanding was transmitted through narratives of revelations, eventually endowing the image of Yahweh with the status of a cosmic, universal god.

Finally, decisive factors were the historical events connected with the hardships experienced by the people, such as the oppression in Egypt. The story of deliverance embodied in the figure of Moses—when “the cry of the oppressed people reached the ears of the Lord, and He sent them a deliverer in the person of Moses” (source: link txt)—became a powerful symbol not only of liberation but also of the extraordinary power and care of God. This experience bolstered the belief in the personal and universal care of the one and only God, which in turn made Him a revered object of worship for numerous nations.

Thus, the transition from a patriarchal heritage to a covenant with an entire nation, the categorical rejection of polytheism in favor of exclusive worship of one god, as well as the experience of collective deliverance and the societal permeation of religious values, became the key historical and cultural factors that contributed to the establishment of the God of the ancient Jews as the main deity for most nations.