The Idea of Monotheism: The Evolution of a Foundational Concept

Jack Shechter offers a detailed clarification of the ideational development within each of the tenets that flow from the Oneness of God that is the core of the monotheistic idea as it has evolved over the centuries. The Idea of Monotheism historically traces the concept of God as it emerged in the ongoing life of the people in specific time periods; it reflects the newly perceived perspectives about the deity due to changing times, locales, and climates of opinion. However, so profoundly One is God in Judaism, these transformations had not effect whatever on this eternally uniform substance. Thus, what man did over time was to uncover God’s true nature; he unraveled that which was always there-the nonexistence of other gods and His universality.