What's the Divine Council?

#maklelan2539

[@orsaknarrativeuniverse8703]

Dude you're doing longer lessons more times a day? This is like the greatest thing ever, Dan. You have no idea how much I value all this.

[@Nero-Caesar]

Thanks for all the free education ☺️

[@brenatevi]

I was raised in a fundamentalist/Biblical literalist family and one of my smarter cousins was aware of this, and it was impressive watching the mental gymnastics in explaining it would have won him gold at a theological olympics. I don't know how I escaped that mentality.

[@DarkBlood666]

The ability to condense such a dense topic into a 10 minute segment deserves respect.

[@patrickhughes1790]

Dan is a scholar, this is his secular review of the Bible, it in no way contradicts the mainstream seminarian views, on the contrary, Dan's videos are basic Bachelor Bachelorette degree info's for any seminary student.

[@kevinwhite4079]

@@patrickhughes1790 It's a shame all these basic degree holders never discuss these topics with the laymen they profess to teach and receive tithes from. Is Christianity just a tax-free Ponzi scheme?

[@uoughta923]

*condense

[@Magdalena8008s]

​@@patrickhughes1790Was this supposed to be some sorta "dunk" on him? If so. Weak. All this person is saying is Dan does a good job at presenting information. Simple as that.

[@ChrisMusante]

There is no hierarchy. There is the One and the many... of which YOU are a part. IF he called them gods to whom the word came, what does that make you? Did Jesus come? God of ALL the 'gods'. ~ god

[@EarnestApostate]

Butterfly meme: Devine council. Evangelical: is this the Trinity?

[@GoodieWhiteHat]

It’s a fascinating extra layer. Thanks for summarising so well!

[@jeneal7600]

Love your lectures/lessons. As a young girl over 40 years ago I desperately wanted to go in to anthropology or archeology and study ancient civilizations, but my working class background made a more practical path necessary and I became an elementary teacher. This series of short lessons just fill by soul. Thank you.BTW, part of my second and third grade self made curriculum was teaching the kids basic Greek and Latin root words. You have no idea how valuable this was to them in reading, math, math and science.

[@stefanobautista5535]

You serious? I wish I learned basic Greek and Latin root words when I was in the third grade!

[@jeneal7600]

@ Kids love it and they start trying to work out word meanings based on the roots they know. They are geniuses at 7 and 8.

[@suem6004]

I did study anthropology. Dan gets some things wrong from an anthropology perspective.

[@mystickotodama1911]

Oh like what?​@@suem6004

[@GaiusSonofGermanicus]

I find the polytheism in extant in the Bible one of the most fascinatng parts from a theological basis. It's also one of the most overlooked by churches (and that includes Judaism). That willful blindness is understandable if looking at things from the dogmatic position of an established religion(s) that now teaches there is only one god, but if would be a fascinating exercise to try to reconstruct what the actual range of beliefs on polytheism v monotheism issue were around the time the OT was being compiled, whenever that was precisely.

[@five12man]

Willful blindness, also ignorance. To question is not to doubt but to learn, why should it be so strange to study ones religions origins?

[@OldMotherLogo]

Dan, I have enjoyed your videos all along but lately you are hitting it out of the park. Thank you so much for sharing your scholarship with us. Thank you also for sharing the references for those who wish to learn more.

[@benjamintrevino325]

Been saying, but the believers don't wanna have it

[@evelynbarton6349]

What a divine teaching, exceptional.

[@darlajune1315]

Fantastic more of this please.. thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@orsaknarrativeuniverse8703]

Thanks!

[@lnsflare1]

"WHAT'RE THOOOOOSE!?" - Viewers to Dan McClellan, gesturing towards the members of the Divine Council

[@melodygn]

Anyone else digging Dan's facial expressions on his new video thumbnails?

[@still_functional]

can't get enough of them

[@project.anubis]

I'm afraid soon he will get a lack of it... 😅

[@hughb5092]

Outstanding!!! Serious students of the Bible rejoice, answers to tough questions delivered. We don’t care what apologists have to say, truth is not in their tool box of deception.

[@KenDay]

This is tremendous teaching Dan. Thank you for continuing to break down the fundamentalist views of g*d, man, 'sin' etc etc

[@davidkeller6156]

I really appreciate these videos. Thank you!

[@jamesshepherd6491]

Bravo! Thanks for clarifying this issue of the divine council. If only Christian would read the OT, and especially Exodus, they would see that the origins of the Hebrew religion was founded upon polytheism rather than monotheism. By reading Exodus very carefully, they would see that Moses, et al., were henotheists, and henotheism is simply a sub-branch of polytheism. It's right there in the book for all to see.

[@byrondickens]

So what. That's totally irrelevant.

[@jamesshepherd6491]

@@byrondickens Is it now? Thanks for your 2 cents.

[@jasonsmall5602]

In what way? Certainly Pharaoh was, and Moses spoke in a way Pharaoh would understand. How else?

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@byrondickens Thanks for the totally irrelevant comment.

[@EyeofRa1133]

​​@@byrondickens hold thy rolling ⚾️⚾️, Byron! The point is that Christians that dunk on polytheists about God only being their version of God need to slow their roll. The Old Testament shows that the origins of Judaism wasn't necessarily our God is the only one and anything outside of Him is false and oh, so awful. By extension, it can make you do a double take as a Christian and say "What if my beliefs about the God of the Old Testament are off-base. I need to go back and do some careful study on what's in the text and not solely rely on what Preacher Person says that the book says it does." That's why it matters. Now, pick up thy ⚾️⚾️ and carry on.

[@brianandrew27]

Thank you for your handling of this matter, Dan!

[@adhdunsupervised7800]

I’m very excited about this topic! I still remember asking my Sunday school teachers about these references to other deities, and being put in time out for being too curious… I’m so grateful for your content!!! ❤❤❤

[@randilopez3087]

Dr. Michael Heiser... Shalom brother continue propagating the kingdom of God

[@LM-jz9vh]

According to the general consensus of scholarship *(even critical Christian scholars),* YHWH was originally incorporated into the Canaanite pantheon as a son of the Canaanite high god El before inheriting the top spot in the pantheon and El's wife Athirat (Asherah) before religious reforms "divorced" them. El's pantheon in Ugarit (modern day Ras Shamra in Syria) is called the *Elohim,* literally the plural of El. Interestingly, the Biblical god is also referred to numerous times as Elohim. If you want to see if El is fictional, just read his mythology in the Ugaritic/Canaanite texts. "The mysterious Ugaritic text Shachar and Shalim tells how (perhaps near the beginning of all things) *El* came to shores of the sea and saw two women who bobbed up and down. *El* was sexually aroused and took the two with him, killed a bird by throwing a staff at it, and roasted it over a fire. He asked the women to tell him when the bird was fully cooked, and to then address him either as husband or as father, for he would thenceforward behave to them as they called him. They saluted him as husband. He then lay with them, and they gave birth to Shachar ("Dawn") and Shalim ("Dusk"). Again *El* lay with his wives and the wives gave birth to "the gracious gods", "cleavers of the sea", "children of the sea". The names of these wives are not explicitly provided, but some confusing rubrics at the beginning of the account mention the goddess *Athirat (Asherah),* who is otherwise *El's* chief wife, and the goddess Raḥmayyu ("the one of the womb"), otherwise unknown." *"First, a god named El predates the arrival of the Israelites into Syria-Palestine.* Biblical usage shows El was not just a generic noun, but often a proper name for Israel’s God (e.g., Gen 33:20: “El, the God of Israel”)." "I should add here that it is very clear from the grammar that the noun nachalah in v. 9 should be translated “inheritance.” *Yahweh receives Israel as his “inheritance” (nachalah), just as the other sons of El received their nations as their inheritance (nachal, v. 8).* With this verb, especially in the Hiphil, the object is always what is being given as an inheritance. Thus, Israel is given to Yahweh as his inheritance. ((Here I’m indebted to Dan McClellan.)) It would make no sense for Elyon to give himself an inheritance. Moreover, as I’ve argued elsewhere, it is not just the Gentile nations that are divided up according to the number of the *sons of El.* It is all of humankind, i.e., “the sons of Adam.” This clearly includes Israel. And the sons of Adam are not divided up according to the number of the *sons of El,* plus one (i.e., plus Elyon). They are divided up, according to the text, *solely* according to the number of the *sons of El.* *Thus, that Yahweh receives Israel as his inheritance makes Yahweh one of the sons of El mentioned in v. 8. Any other construal of the text would constitute its rewriting.* A Sumerian hymn speaks to the goddess: “Nanshe, your divine powers are not matched by any other divine powers.” *Does this mean that Nanshe was the high goddess, that there were no gods above her? No, it does not.* Nanshe was the daughter of Enki, the high god. *In Sumerian mythology, as with Ugaritic, Israelite, Babylonian, and others, in the ancient past, the high god (Enki, in this case) divided up the world and assigned his children certain domains.* Nanshe was given a limited domain (the modern Persian Gulf) and was tasked with maintaining social justice there. *This is exactly what we see in Deuteronomy 32 with Yahweh. Yahweh is given a limited domain (Israel) and is given authority over his people, to punish them, as well as to protect and defend them against foreign enemies.* That Yahweh, like Nanshe, is said to have incomparable divine power *does not* mean that he is not subordinate to the high god who gave him his domain. *It is also of note that Nanshe, like Baal, Yahweh, and so many other deities, evolved over time. Her domain increased, and she was promoted in the pantheon (although she never became the high goddess)."* *"The Most Heiser: Yahweh and Elyon in Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 - Religion at the Margins"* based on the *majority scholarly consensus.* (Written by Thom Stark who is a Christian) *"Michael Heiser: A Unique Species? - Religion at the Margins"* (A second response to Michael Heiser) *"Excerpt from “Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan” by John Day - Lehi's Library."* *"The Table of Nations: The Geography of the World in Genesis 10"* - TheTorah.com (Excluding the short narrative on Nimrod (vv. 8-12), *which appears to be a later addition,* Genesis 10 contains *70* names of nations or cities, a number that was symbolic of totality. Similarly, the descendants of Jacob were *70* in number (Gen 46:37; Exod 1:5), *as were the sons of the supreme Canaanite god El, with whom YHWH became equated.)* *"Polytheism and Ancient Israel’s Canaanite Heritage. Part V | theyellowdart"* (Of course, much of this [i.e., that Israel worshiped El and Asherah alongside YHWH] is really to be expected given that recent syntheses of the *archaeological, cultural, and literary data* pertaining to the emergence of the nation of Israel in the Levant *show that most of the people who would eventually compose this group were originally Canaanite. As the Hebrew Bible notes, the Hebrew language itself is a Canaanite language, literally the “lip of Canaan” (שְׂפַת כְּנַעַן; Is. **19:18**), and so it cannot often be distinguished by modern scholars from other Canaanite inscriptions on purely linguistic grounds.)* *"Ugarit - New World Encyclopedia"* (Ugaritic religion centered on the chief god, Ilu or El, whose titles included "Father of mankind" and "Creator of the creation." The Court of El was referred to as the (plural) 'lhm or ***Elohim,*** a word ***later used by the biblical writers to describe the Hebrew deity*** and translated into English as "God," in the singular. El, which was ***also the name of the God of Abraham,*** was described as an aged deity with white hair, seated on a throne.) *"Mark Smith: Yahweh as El’s Son & Yahweh’s Ascendency - Lehi's Library"* (Mark Smith is a Catholic) *"God, Gods, and Sons (and Daughters) of God in the Hebrew Bible. Part III | theyellowdart"* *"02 | December | 2009 | Daniel O. McClellan - Psalm 82"* (Daniel McClellan is a Mormon) *"Elohim | Daniel O. McClellan"* (Refer to the article "Angels and Demons (and Michael Heiser)") *"God's Wife Edited Out of the Bible - Almost."* (Pay attention to whose wife Asherah (Athirat) is in the Ugaritic/Canaanite texts and how she became the wife of YHWH/Yahweh) *"Yahweh's Divorce from the Goddess Asherah in the Garden of Eden - Mythology Matters."* *"Asherah, God's Wife in Ancient Israel. Part IV - theyellowdart"* *"The Gates of Ishtar - El, was the original god of the bible."* *"The Gates of Ishtar - Anath in the Elephantine Papyri"* (In addition to Asherah (Athirat) being the consort of Yahweh, it appears some Israelites also viewed the Canaanite goddess Anat(h) as Yahweh's consort) *"Canaanite Religion - New World Encyclopedia"* (Refer to the section "Relationship to Biblical Religion") *"The Syncretization of Yahweh and El : reddit/AcademicBiblical"* (For a good summary of all of the above articles) Watch Professor Christine Hayes who lectures on the Hebrew Bible at Yale University. Watch lecture 2 from 40:40 to 41:50 minutes, lecture 7 from 30:00 minutes onwards, lecture 8 from 12:00 to 17:30 minutes and lecture 12 from 34:30 minutes onwards. Watch *"Pagan Origins of Judaism"* by Sigalius Myricantur and read the description in the video to see the scholarship the video is based on. Watch *"How Monotheism Evolved"* by Sigalius Myricantur and watch up to at least 21:40. Watch *"Atheism - A History of God (The Polytheistic Origins of Christianity and Judaism)"* (By a former theist) Watch *"Who is Yahweh - How a Warrior-Storm God became the God of the Israelites and World"* by Dr Justin Sledge at Esoterica (Dr Justin Sledge is Jewish) Watch *"How did Yahweh Become God? The Origins of Monotheism"* by Dr Justin Sledge at Esoterica

[@HowardJohnson-r3f]

I get the gist of what you said but I am going to watch this video several times. Thank you Dan.

[@Aryakanta]

What strikes me hardest is how all this spiritual richness was distilled and warped into to a tool to control through fear and called ’Christianity’. Truly one of the greatest of human travesties.

[@suem6004]

Except your bigotry narrows your understanding about what Christianity gave to the world: the value of the individual, orphanages or taking in unwanted infants and not infanticide to pagan deities, universities were all founded by Christian monasteries then reached out to non religious men to study the natural world, philosophy, medicine, etc; You have not read about Christian history ergo you blather nonsense about Christianity in general more fundamentalist than a fundamentalist.

[@Aryakanta]

@ my bigotry? Hahahahha

[@TheRealBrit]

​@@suem6004the first university was invented by a Muslim woman, not Christians and while Christians invented orphanages before that there were still groups or individuals that took in orphans, Christians didn't come up with the concept of taking care of orphans which means orphanages would likely emerge without Christians anyway.

[@chiguksu553]

@@suem6004 You're not a very bright individual. May you grow in your knowledge, and learn not to be so filled with hatred and ignorance.

[@johnsanders561]

And as soon as they could, the Christian leaders became those described in John 8 44

[@CardinalPhonics]

I love how much content you’re putting out! Please keep it up!

[@swiftsea6225]

Hey thank your friend Dr. Michael Heiser for introducing me to this!!😉😉😉

[@chrismiller9152]

Why is this the coolest video I’ve ever seen.

[@robertzarfas9556]

That answers a lot of my questions from previous videos. Thanks

[@Mist3rdiggs]

😳I thought I knew -- & I knew absolutely nothing. 😢. Now I understand -- it has been me all along. I AM faith, I AM & everyone IS.

[@gingergardner4374]

I really like listening to you You really know your stuff I believe. Parts of this particular video You seem very passionate about it and I haven't seen passion You're videos Like this before I love seeing it. Thank you for what you do..

[@AnthonyArena-g7l]

The captions are very helpful. Thank you.

[@DaydreamerAaren]

Thank you, this is exactly what I needed for my comic book about Ugaritic deities 😂

[@okasa64]

For anyone interested in the Ugaritic stories Dan discussed, "Stories from Ancient Canaan" by Mark S Smith.

[@NotMyGumDropButtons.444]

I really like Dr. Heiser’s (RIP) work on the Divine Council

[@LM-jz9vh]

According to the general consensus of scholarship *(even critical Christian scholars),* YHWH was originally incorporated into the Canaanite pantheon as a son of the Canaanite high god El before inheriting the top spot in the pantheon and El's wife Athirat (Asherah) before religious reforms "divorced" them. El's pantheon in Ugarit (modern day Ras Shamra in Syria) is called the *Elohim,* literally the plural of El. Interestingly, the Biblical god is also referred to numerous times as Elohim. If you want to see if El is fictional, just read his mythology in the Ugaritic/Canaanite texts. "The mysterious Ugaritic text Shachar and Shalim tells how (perhaps near the beginning of all things) *El* came to shores of the sea and saw two women who bobbed up and down. *El* was sexually aroused and took the two with him, killed a bird by throwing a staff at it, and roasted it over a fire. He asked the women to tell him when the bird was fully cooked, and to then address him either as husband or as father, for he would thenceforward behave to them as they called him. They saluted him as husband. He then lay with them, and they gave birth to Shachar ("Dawn") and Shalim ("Dusk"). Again *El* lay with his wives and the wives gave birth to "the gracious gods", "cleavers of the sea", "children of the sea". The names of these wives are not explicitly provided, but some confusing rubrics at the beginning of the account mention the goddess *Athirat (Asherah),* who is otherwise *El's* chief wife, and the goddess Raḥmayyu ("the one of the womb"), otherwise unknown." *"First, a god named El predates the arrival of the Israelites into Syria-Palestine.* Biblical usage shows El was not just a generic noun, but often a proper name for Israel’s God (e.g., Gen 33:20: “El, the God of Israel”)." "I should add here that it is very clear from the grammar that the noun nachalah in v. 9 should be translated “inheritance.” *Yahweh receives Israel as his “inheritance” (nachalah), just as the other sons of El received their nations as their inheritance (nachal, v. 8).* With this verb, especially in the Hiphil, the object is always what is being given as an inheritance. Thus, Israel is given to Yahweh as his inheritance. ((Here I’m indebted to Dan McClellan.)) It would make no sense for Elyon to give himself an inheritance. Moreover, as I’ve argued elsewhere, it is not just the Gentile nations that are divided up according to the number of the *sons of El.* It is all of humankind, i.e., “the sons of Adam.” This clearly includes Israel. And the sons of Adam are not divided up according to the number of the *sons of El,* plus one (i.e., plus Elyon). They are divided up, according to the text, *solely* according to the number of the *sons of El.* *Thus, that Yahweh receives Israel as his inheritance makes Yahweh one of the sons of El mentioned in v. 8. Any other construal of the text would constitute its rewriting.* A Sumerian hymn speaks to the goddess: “Nanshe, your divine powers are not matched by any other divine powers.” *Does this mean that Nanshe was the high goddess, that there were no gods above her? No, it does not.* Nanshe was the daughter of Enki, the high god. *In Sumerian mythology, as with Ugaritic, Israelite, Babylonian, and others, in the ancient past, the high god (Enki, in this case) divided up the world and assigned his children certain domains.* Nanshe was given a limited domain (the modern Persian Gulf) and was tasked with maintaining social justice there. *This is exactly what we see in Deuteronomy 32 with Yahweh. Yahweh is given a limited domain (Israel) and is given authority over his people, to punish them, as well as to protect and defend them against foreign enemies.* That Yahweh, like Nanshe, is said to have incomparable divine power *does not* mean that he is not subordinate to the high god who gave him his domain. *It is also of note that Nanshe, like Baal, Yahweh, and so many other deities, evolved over time. Her domain increased, and she was promoted in the pantheon (although she never became the high goddess)."* *"The Most Heiser: Yahweh and Elyon in Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 - Religion at the Margins"* based on the *majority scholarly consensus.* (Written by Thom Stark who is a Christian) *"Michael Heiser: A Unique Species? - Religion at the Margins"* (A second response to Michael Heiser) *"Excerpt from “Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan” by John Day - Lehi's Library."* *"The Table of Nations: The Geography of the World in Genesis 10"* - TheTorah.com (Excluding the short narrative on Nimrod (vv. 8-12), *which appears to be a later addition,* Genesis 10 contains *70* names of nations or cities, a number that was symbolic of totality. Similarly, the descendants of Jacob were *70* in number (Gen 46:37; Exod 1:5), *as were the sons of the supreme Canaanite god El, with whom YHWH became equated.)* *"Polytheism and Ancient Israel’s Canaanite Heritage. Part V | theyellowdart"* (Of course, much of this [i.e., that Israel worshiped El and Asherah alongside YHWH] is really to be expected given that recent syntheses of the *archaeological, cultural, and literary data* pertaining to the emergence of the nation of Israel in the Levant *show that most of the people who would eventually compose this group were originally Canaanite. As the Hebrew Bible notes, the Hebrew language itself is a Canaanite language, literally the “lip of Canaan” (שְׂפַת כְּנַעַן; Is. **19:18**), and so it cannot often be distinguished by modern scholars from other Canaanite inscriptions on purely linguistic grounds.)* *"Ugarit - New World Encyclopedia"* (Ugaritic religion centered on the chief god, Ilu or El, whose titles included "Father of mankind" and "Creator of the creation." The Court of El was referred to as the (plural) 'lhm or ***Elohim,*** a word ***later used by the biblical writers to describe the Hebrew deity*** and translated into English as "God," in the singular. El, which was ***also the name of the God of Abraham,*** was described as an aged deity with white hair, seated on a throne.) *"Mark Smith: Yahweh as El’s Son & Yahweh’s Ascendency - Lehi's Library"* (Mark Smith is a Catholic) *"God, Gods, and Sons (and Daughters) of God in the Hebrew Bible. Part III | theyellowdart"* *"02 | December | 2009 | Daniel O. McClellan - Psalm 82"* (Daniel McClellan is a Mormon) *"Elohim | Daniel O. McClellan"* (Refer to the article "Angels and Demons (and Michael Heiser)") *"God's Wife Edited Out of the Bible - Almost."* (Pay attention to whose wife Asherah (Athirat) is in the Ugaritic/Canaanite texts and how she became the wife of YHWH/Yahweh) *"Yahweh's Divorce from the Goddess Asherah in the Garden of Eden - Mythology Matters."* *"Asherah, God's Wife in Ancient Israel. Part IV - theyellowdart"* *"The Gates of Ishtar - El, was the original god of the bible."* *"The Gates of Ishtar - Anath in the Elephantine Papyri"* (In addition to Asherah (Athirat) being the consort of Yahweh, it appears some Israelites also viewed the Canaanite goddess Anat(h) as Yahweh's consort) *"Canaanite Religion - New World Encyclopedia"* (Refer to the section "Relationship to Biblical Religion") *"The Syncretization of Yahweh and El : reddit/AcademicBiblical"* (For a good summary of all of the above articles) Watch Professor Christine Hayes who lectures on the Hebrew Bible at Yale University. Watch lecture 2 from 40:40 to 41:50 minutes, lecture 7 from 30:00 minutes onwards, lecture 8 from 12:00 to 17:30 minutes and lecture 12 from 34:30 minutes onwards. Watch *"Pagan Origins of Judaism"* by Sigalius Myricantur and read the description in the video to see the scholarship the video is based on. Watch *"How Monotheism Evolved"* by Sigalius Myricantur and watch up to at least 21:40. Watch *"Atheism - A History of God (The Polytheistic Origins of Christianity and Judaism)"* (By a former theist) Watch *"Who is Yahweh - How a Warrior-Storm God became the God of the Israelites and World"* by Dr Justin Sledge at Esoterica (Dr Justin Sledge is Jewish) Watch *"How did Yahweh Become God? The Origins of Monotheism"* by Dr Justin Sledge at Esoterica

[@LM-jz9vh]

Nevertheless, the historical reconstruction that El was the chief god of the Israelites is not indebted only to the testimony of the (rather late) biblical witness of P. *Numerous biblical texts attest to the fact that the titles, functions, and the imagery associated with the Canaanite god El, as revealed by the Ugaritic texts and the Canaanite myth of Elkunirša, were assimilated into the profile of the deity YHWH.* According to the Ugaritic texts, El was known for his *wisdom* (e.g., KTU2 1.4.V.65[6]) and *great age* (’ab šnm, *“Father of Years,”* and drd, *“Ageless One,”* in KTU2 1.4.IV.24 and 1.10.III.6, respectively),[7] his *compassionate nature* (lţpn il dp’id, *“Kind El, the Compassionate One,”* e.g., KTU2 1.16.IV.9), his role as *father of the gods and humanity* (’ab ’adm, *“father of humanity,”* KTU2 1.14..III.47, and bny bnwt, *“creator of creatures,”* KTU2 1.17.I.24) and *creator of the cosmos.* [8] El was the *divine King* (e.g., KTU2 1.2.III.5-6) and the *head of the pantheon or divine council* (referred to variously as the dr ’il, *“circle of El/Family of El,”* KTU2 1.15.III.19; mpħrt bn ’il, *“the assembly of the sons of El,”* KTU2 1.65.3; bn ’il, *“the sons of El,”* KTU2 1.40.33, 41; pħr kbbm, *“assembly of the stars,”* KTU2 1.10.I.3-4; ‘dt ’ilm, *“assembly of the gods,”* KTU2 1.15.II.7; cf. KTU2 1.2.I; 1.3V; 1.4 IV-V) which met at the sacred mountain. *His consort was the goddess Athirat who bore him seventy sons* (šb‘m bn ’atrt, *“the seventy sons of Athirat,”* KTU2 1.4.VI.46). El was also known for his *divine patronage and blessing of progeny to humans* (as in the Epic of Kirta; see, for example, KTU2 1.14.III.46-51), for his *appearances to humans in dreams* (e.g., KTU2 1.14.I.35-37), as *being a healer* (KTU2 1.16.V-VI), and for his *dwelling at the sacred mountain* (e.g., KTU2 1.2.III.5-6) at the *sources of the mythical rivers* (KTU2 1.2.III.4; 1.3.V.6; 1.4.IV.20-22; 1.17.V.47-48) in a *tent* (KTU2 1.2.III.5; 1.3.V.8; 1.4.IV.24; 1.17.V.49; c.f. the Canaanite myth Elkunirša which *describes El’s abode as a tent[9]).[10]* *To underscore the fact that terminology and imagery originally used for the god El was adopted by the Israelites in their descriptions of YHWH,* the following brief summary might be placed in comparison to the discussion of El above: YHWH is an *aged, patriarchal deity* (Ps. 102:28; Job 36:26; Is. 40:28; Dan. 7.9-14, 22), *a father* (Deut. 32:6; Is. 63:16; 64:7; Jer. 3:4, 19; 31:9, etc.), *merciful and gracious* (Ex. 34:6; Jon. 4:2; Joel 2:13; Ps. 8615; 103:8; 145:8, etc.), *a divine patron who bestows the blessing of progeny upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,* often manifesting himself in *dreams or visions, a healer* (Gen. 20:17; Num. 12:13; 2 Kgs. 20:5, 8; Ps. 107:20, etc.), who *dwells in a tent* (Ps. 15:1; 27:6; 91:10; 132:3) *amidst the heavenly waters* (Ps. 47:5; 87; Is. 33: 20-22; Ez. 47:1-12, etc.), the *creator of the cosmos,* who is enthroned as *heavenly King* in the *divine council* (1 Kgs. 22:19; Is. 6:1-8; cf. Ps. 29:1-2; 82; 89: 5-8, etc.) on the *sacred mount of assembly* (e.g., Is. 14:13). Additionally, in much Israelite religious practice throughout the monarchic period, *YHWH had a divine consort, the goddess Asherah, the Hebrew equivalent of Ugaritic Athirat.[11]* (Originally the wife of El) *"When Jehovah Was Not the God of the Old Testament. Part II - theyellowdart"* Watch Professor Christine Hayes who lectures on the Hebrew Bible at Yale University. Watch lecture 2 from 40:40 to 41:50 minutes, lecture 7 from 30:00 minutes onwards, lecture 8 from 12:00 to 17:30 minutes and lecture 12 from 34:30 minutes onwards. Watch *"Pagan Origins of Judaism"* by Sigalius Myricantur and read the description in the video to see the scholarship the video is based on. Watch *"How Monotheism Evolved"* by Sigalius Myricantur and watch up to at least 21:40. Watch *"Who is Yahweh - How a Warrior-Storm God became the God of the Israelites and World"* by Dr Justin Sledge at Esoterica (Dr Justin Sledge is Jewish) Watch *"How did Yahweh Become God? The Origins of Monotheism"* by Dr Justin Sledge at Esoterica ------------------------------------------------------------------ In addition, look up the below articles. *"Jews and Arabs Descended from Canaanites - Biblical Archaeology Society."* ("The study in Cell not only establishes that the ancient Israelites were ***descended from the Canaanites,*** but also establishes that the Canaanite people across the separate city-states of the southern Levant, and over a period of 1,500 years, were a genetically cohesive people.") *"The Canaanites weren't annihilated, they just 'moved' to Lebanon - The Times of Israel."* *"Ancient Canaanite religion explained* - everything.explained.today" *"Archeology of the Hebrew Bible - NOVA - PBS"* ("Many scholars now think that *most of the early Israelites were originally Canaanites, displaced Canaanites,* displaced from the lowlands, from the river valleys, displaced geographically and then displaced ideologically.") *"Origins of Judaism explained* - everything.explained.today" ("According to the current academic historical view, the origins of Judaism lie in the Bronze Age amidst polytheistic ancient Semitic religions, ***specifically evolving out of Ancient Canaanite polytheism,*** then co-existing with Babylonian religion, and syncretizing elements of Babylonian belief into the worship of Yahweh as reflected in the early prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible. (The Torah)". *Refer to the bibliography at the bottom of the page)* *"Canaanite languages - Britannica"* ("Group of Northern Central or Northwestern Semitic languages including ***Hebrew,*** Moabite, Phoenician, and Punic.") *"El - New World Encyclopedia"* (Refer to the section "El Outside the Bible" and the fact that *most of the early Israelites were originally indigenous or displaced Canaanites)* *"El (deity) explained* - everything.explained.today" (Refer to section "Ugarit and the Levant" and the fact that *most of the ancient Israelites were originally indigenous or displaced Canaanites* and see how Yahweh, later conflated with El (Yahweh-El(ohim)) is fictional) *"The Gods and Goddesses of Canaan - Essay - The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History"* *"Canaanite Phoenician Origin of the God of the Israelites."* *"The Phoenician (Canaanite) God Resheph in the Bible - Is That in the Bible?"* *"How the Jews Invented God and Made Him Great- Archaeology - Haaretz."* *"When the Jews believed in other gods - Archaeology - Haaretz"* *"The Invention of God - Maclean's"* *"How Did the Bible’s Editors Conceal Evidence of Israelite Polytheism - Evolution of God by Robert Wright."* *"A Theologically Revised Text: Deuteronomy 32:8-9 - Ancient Hebrew Poetry."* *"Biblical Contradiction #3: Which God is the Creator of the Heavens and Earth: Yahweh or El?"* - Dr Steven DiMattei *"Biblical Contradiction #27. Are Yahweh and El the Same God or Not?"* - Dr Steven DiMattei *"Biblical Contradiction **#294**, **#295**, **#296**. Which god liberated Israel from Egypt: Yahweh or El?"* - Dr Steven DiMattei *"Quartz Hill School of Theology - B425 Ugarit and the Bible."* *"The Origins of Yahweh and the Revived Kenite Hypothesis - Is That in the Bible?"* *"Yahweh, god of metallurgy - Fewer Lacunae."* *"Polytheistic Roots of Israelite Religion - Fewer Lacunae."* *"Yahweh was just an ancient Canaanite god. We have been deceived! - Escaping Christian Fundamentalism"* *"Religious Studies: El, Yahweh and the Development of Monotheism in Ancient Israel."* *"Yhwh, God of Edom - Daniel O. McClellan."*

[@AustGM]

Not reading allat

[@HandofOmega]

@@AustGM I am, it's pretty good! Thanks LM, for all the crunchy data, and I heartily second the lectures of Prof. Hayes as Must Watching!

[@kreuz7sieben]

bro 😂

[@fordprefect5304]

Another great post. Every time I come across your posts, they are informative and backed by references. Keep up the good work

[@aubreyleonae4108]

Everything I know about it came from Michael Heiser, thanks for this.

[@c-LAW]

Same here. Michael Heiser pioneered the trail through the weeds of orthodoxy. I suspect Dr. Heiser held back, but that's pure speculation on my part.

[@AngelAustin]

Me, too. Unseen Realm changed my whole life.

[@TheTrueOnyxRose]

The Divine Council. This is the first time I’ve heard the term, let alone knowing of its existence…at least in connection to scripture.

[@CoryMartz]

Very informative and hopefully it will engage people to think anew regarding the thing's they currently believe or have been taught to believe. And the fit for this comment has been Jim Harold's Campfire, "Stay Spooky"

[@SASAS-ru8ys]

Transition from (more or less) polytheism to monotheism is pretty interesting to me. Even moreso as this procedure appeared to have happened over a fairly long time, with changing society, attitudes and finally reinterpretation of ancient legends to support the new religious views.

[@lisabonnet1794]

I'm so glad you're talking about this!! Have you been reading Snow Crash? Oddly, Neal Stephenson dives into this and does a pretty decent job (as it relates to his plot). Thanks for all you and Uncle Dan do!

[@hughb5092]

Now all these passages make sense. Apologists: Don't listen to these facts, our lies will feed your soul.

[@AngelAustin]

The t-shirt choice is not lost on me. 😂

[@garycarter6773]

❤❤❤❤❤❤thanks Dan!!

[@EduardQualls]

This presentation covers compelling issues ranging from the time of pre-/proto-Hebrew polytheism through that of Hebrew henotheism and into Judaic monotheism. _For reference:_ "polytheism" = _many gods, all valid;_ "henotheism" = _many valid gods, but this one is ours;_ "monotheism" = _only one god (ours), and all others are false_

[@damiansilva2454]

Bro....MCU is getting wild.

[@DarkAdonisVyers]

Shin Megami Tensei is right there.

[@23ADJ93]

More on this please and thank you considering Heiser’s pigeon shitting evangelical apologetics all over the chest board is the prevalent reference currently.

[@xaxxxpx]

Pretty sure that Dan has stated his appreciation for Heiser's work in the past.

[@rickwhite4059]

This is so cool. Thank you for the info. I bet the hard core modern religions nuts hate this info. 😅

[@LM-jz9vh]

They sure do. They can't wrap their heads around it as they've never properly looked into the scholarship.

[@LEgregius]

God's Monsters is a fantastic book and also pretty entertaining.

[@AlanSouzGoms]

Muito Interessante!!!

[@DahVoozel]

Donald, Elon, JD? I mean... they seem to think so.

[@timmacwilliam9519]

Said this years ago. 😁

[@HassanRadwan133]

The Qur'an also seems to have incorporated the idea of a Divine Counsel. The Qur'an mentions Al-Mala al-A’ala which translates as the most high counsel or chiefs/nobles which in Islamic theology is usually regarded as a gathering of angels with Gabriel at its head, to implement god's decrees.

[@mrgoober6320]

It strikes me how much this divine hierarchy resembles the Jade Emperor and his court, from Chinese folklore.

[@Desertphile]

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 and the sons of god. Jerusalem got a violent god: which towns got nice ones? I read Dr. Michael S. Heiser's essays on the subject.

[@CraigGood]

When Dan spoke of the third tier, who else thought immediately of "Time Bandits"?

[@creamwobbly]

It'd be interesting to follow the threads of the northerly pantheistic religions forward & back. It seems reasonable that they'd have some overlap with the Greek/Norse/Roman, Brythonic & Indic traditions.

[@dragonhawkeclouse2264]

I think some of the issue might be, in many bibles, the inheritance was divided according to the number of the sons of Israel. That through me for a loop for quite some time. It took time, before I found out that the text actually said by the number of the children of elohim

[@dbot1969]

This cam upgrade is noice 🎉

[@cbainjr]

Really? I was literally thinking about this 8 hours before this was posted.

[@matthewrogers2006]

Could you do a video on 1 Nephi 1 and its use of God Lord and the divine council. For example the heavenly beings that descend to the earth with the One. Use of prepositions in relation to God, the angels worshiping their God, Lehi identified as worshiping his god, etc.

[@dannyboyakadandaman504furl9]

The Divine council is a council of the Heavenly court. Which actually existed in other the pantheons Such as, Egyptian, Greek-Roman , Canaanite, Norse, Aztec, Inica, Olumec, Yoruba, African, Mayan, Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, etc.

[@Tonoborus]

I like the idea of adonai and elyon being two personas... like undercover boss... takes off his mustache and the other bene elohim "ohhh we in trouble"...

[@KneelBeforeDru]

@Tonoborus you joke, but this is actually how a couple of Gnostic sects interpreted the concept; some Gnostics (not most, but some) believed that Christ/Logos (an aspect of the highest transcendent God) disguised himself as a lower-level deity on each subsequent tier of the hierarchy, before finally being born as the human Jesus (or appearing to be born, Gnosticism is weird)

[@HandofOmega]

I wonder if there was a mythology surrounding psalm 82 that dealt with the former Gods in their new mortal lives...As I understand it, by the time of Jesus, the Jews didn't believe in multiple gods anymore, and so had to come up with a new meaning for that psalm, which no longer made sense. Which was that God had immortalized the Israelites after leaving Egypt, but once he saw the Golden Calf incident, he immediately revoked their divine status, making them mortal again; this is apparently what Jesus believes when he cites it to the Pharisees, as it was a common belief of the time. I know people today who cite it as "proof" that we all have a divine spark within us, although they may not realize this is a Gnostic belief...

[@bj.bruner]

I don't remember where, but Dan talks about this on Data over Dogma if memory serves

[@fordprefect5304]

Accordig to an article in Haaretz an Israeli Magazine. The "Judeans" did not accept the torah until the 3rd century BCE

[@matthewmichaelcrown3643]

the Judaic priests are the one's who cut all that out. Leaving the ridiculous shell of "monotheism" to humanity.

[@williamjordan8488]

So when, if ever, does the Hebrew bible become monotheistic or prescribe monotheism?

[@nathanrivera4953]

Sounds more like a ET federation

[@Jaymastia]

Yes. I don't support the council but I love the topic since Heiser.

[@DarthDirham]

The Divine Council is a fascinating misunderstanding by later audiences. Adonai is not alone up there according to Jewish audiences, he’s just the High God of this world who usurped the power of El. In other words, ancient Jews were henotheists not monotheists. There’s plenty of other gods but only one God is to be worshipped here on earth. Love your content as always!

[@LM-jz9vh]

It becomes even more interesting as El is clearly fictional. So obviously, Yahweh is too. "The mysterious Ugaritic text Shachar and Shalim tells how (perhaps near the beginning of all things) *El* came to shores of the sea and saw two women who bobbed up and down. *El* was sexually aroused and took the two with him, killed a bird by throwing a staff at it, and roasted it over a fire. He asked the women to tell him when the bird was fully cooked, and to then address him either as husband or as father, for he would thenceforward behave to them as they called him. They saluted him as husband. He then lay with them, and they gave birth to Shachar ("Dawn") and Shalim ("Dusk"). Again *El* lay with his wives and the wives gave birth to "the gracious gods", "cleavers of the sea", "children of the sea". The names of these wives are not explicitly provided, but some confusing rubrics at the beginning of the account mention the goddess *Athirat (Asherah),* who is otherwise *El's* chief wife, and the goddess Raḥmayyu ("the one of the womb"), otherwise unknown."

[@AlexHdz6]

So we have other gods than THE GOD?? Some of them on a higher hierarchy?? Am I misunderstanding?

[@jbh002]

The second season of Good Omens introduced us to the Metatron. I was surprised to learn that they did not make up this person/concept for the TV show, but that they are mentioned in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I'm wondering if you've already done a video this individual/concept that you could point us to, or if not, if that's in your wheelhouse for a future video.

[@davidjhollen]

The TV show Supernatural mines these myths pretty heavily.

[@ShayGamerD3]

Started watching your videos after KZbin recommended them for me. They're very interesting. Do you have a video clarifying your general stances on Biblical scholarship, where are you situated between conservative and more progressive views in terms of Bible topics, and what's your personal beliefs (if they affect your interpretations)? It's not that I would stop watching your videos if you have certain view or not 😉, in fact I like to hear many points of view, but since I am not a Biblical scholar myself, the clarification would be nice to understand how much mainstream your views are, and what are different prevailing opinions in Biblical scholarship right now.

[@eve3614]

Does this 70-member divine council become transformed over time into the idea of the 70-member Sanhedrin? Or the council of 70 elders who, in the Mishnaic tradition, receive the Oral Torah from Moses, forming the legendary basis for the rabbinic chain of transmission? Kind of like a political/human transfiguration of the structure of the divine court?

[@tomdchi12]

I think I missed something. Is the god of the Israelites the top god El or one of the 70?

[@bensalemi7783]

No way Dan didn't choose Bizarro as the fit intentionally for this one.

[@checohidalgo9873]

I'm not sure how aware J.R.R. Tolkien was in his writings of the Silmarillion to these very early translations and beliefs of the Hebrew texts. But the Divine counsels of the gods sure does sound like the levels of the Ainur of Valar and Maiar ha.

[@Harpring04]

Dan when you select the link for Ps 82 it takes you to a site that makes you enroll and after all of that it then takes you to a music group which requires one to request membership???

[@risperdude]

Is this potentially linked to the Book of Job? Is the accuser another member of the divine council rather than "the Devil" as I'd been told growing up?

[@Jeewanu216]

"Satan" or ha-satan is just a title. Any adversary or opposer can rightfully hold the title. In 1 Chronicles, even YHWH is identified as Satan in his role as adversary of humanity and specifically the United Monarchy of David.

[@coaltigerIV]

I’ve noticed similarities between the Semitic pantheon and the Hellenistic pantheon, and I understand that this is partially due to Phoenician trade influencing the pre-established mythologies of early Greece. To what extent does this influence go?

[@coaltigerIV]

And once again, thank you.

[@BabyHoolighan]

I often try to predict what Dan would say. And I am more wrong than right. He always surprises me with his data points using linguistic analysis, especial items that, as a lay person, I overlook like paronomastic infinitives. Perhaps Dan will answer, but until then, I found your question interesting and I gave it my undergraduate best. The influence of the Semitic pantheon, particularly through Phoenician trade and cultural exchange, on the Hellenistic pantheon is significant. The Phoenicians, as dominant maritime traders in the Mediterranean, interacted with early Greek civilizations (such as the Mycenaeans and later the Archaic Greeks), facilitating the transfer of religious and mythological elements. This influence primarily manifested in the following ways: Divine Syncretism Some Phoenician deities were either adopted into the Greek pantheon or associated with existing Greek gods. For example: Melqart, a major Phoenician god linked to Tyre, was equated with Heracles due to his role as a divine hero and city protector. Astarte (Phoenician goddess of love and fertility) influenced Aphrodite, with Cyprus (a major Phoenician colony) being one of her early cult centers. Baal and Zeus share storm and sky-god attributes, though Zeus likely developed more independently. Mythological Motifs Some myths show structural similarities, possibly due to shared cultural heritage or direct borrowing: The story of Cadmus, a Phoenician prince who founded Thebes, represents a direct mythical link between Phoenician and Greek traditions. The concept of an afterlife judgment, seen in Egyptian and Near Eastern traditions, influenced Greek ideas of Hades and the underworld. Artistic and Linguistic Influence Phoenician influence extended beyond mythology to religious iconography and temple architecture, as well as the introduction of the alphabet, which revolutionized Greek literary traditions and allowed myths to be recorded and standardized. Trade and Religious Practices Phoenician trade introduced sacred objects, rituals, and cultic practices that may have shaped Greek religious ceremonies, including offerings, oracular practices, and rites of passage. Extent of Influence While Greek religion maintained a distinct Indo-European core, Phoenician and broader Near Eastern influences played a significant role in shaping specific deities, myths, and religious practices. This influence was not one-sided-Greek culture, in turn, influenced the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly during the Hellenistic period following Alexander the Great.

[@coaltigerIV]

@@BabyHoolighan This response is actually quite insightful. I’ve always had an interest in comparative mythology, and knowing where certain traditions come from actually helps provide a strong perspective of religious concepts. Thank you!

[@maxmccarrick5671]

Hey Dan can you address the claim that the Didiache is the oldest mention of the trinitarian dogma? I've seen many say this and try to argue the trinity is constantly in the bibl

[@williammorell3277]

Awesome video. Why do you merge El with Yahweh (Enlil) when earlier texts have El as the top tier, and Enlil (Yahweh), Enki, and Ninhursag, and others on the second tier, and the Igigi on the third tier?

[@jdgosser]

If you have an interest in this topic read biblical academic Michael S Heiser’s book Unseen Realm. He was a big proponent of the Divine Council viewpoint.

[@khanburger3610]

Mike is the best! Him and Dan some exchanges back on the day- archived on Mikes website

[@LM-jz9vh]

Other Christian scholars have addressed Heiser's arguments. Look up: *"The Most Heiser: Yahweh and Elyon in Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 - Religion at the Margins"* based on the *majority scholarly consensus.* (Written by Thom Stark who is a Christian) *"Michael Heiser: A Unique Species? - Religion at the Margins"* (A second response to Michael Heiser)

[@BassBouncers]

8:20 you misspoke the lying spirit and the spirit of YEWH are two distinct things

[@davidsentosa779]

Great video as always Dan but when are we getting that introduction to the divine massage therapy?

[@Wondul]

Totally off topic. Are you excited for the new superman movie??? Your shirts and decor paint a picture of similar interests

[@carlpeterson8182]

So when Deuteronomy and the pentetauch rejects a plurality of gods in its text what do you think that means? IIf the text itself seems to reject the understanding then I find it hard to accept it. Maybe at best they took from other texts but it seems the clear meaning iin Deuteronomy and the Bible s not a plurality of Gods or a council of gods. And there seems to be a unspoken assumption here that it must mean the Jews were polytheists berore monotheists which again seems like a big stretch. Maybe there is more evidence but it is not in the video. It seems a lot of this is pure speculation especially when Dan says "there are around 70 nations so . .. "BTW think the Maseoretic text and others that have "sons of Israel" is better than sons of God in Deut 32:8. And I also believe hermeneutically that a text should define itself more than be defined by outside sources. I think the latter is pretty common sense. I do not completely reject any idea of a council (although that verbiage is not found in scripture) but that the council is some sort of polytheistic view of god or gods.

[@kinoko5566]

Well yeah it's polytheistic in origin because the religion was polytheistic in origin. Religions come about from stories of different cultures mixing and changing over time, they don't just form fully made. There's plenty of evidence that Israel was polytheistic at some point before the stories changed and morphed into a monotheistic religion.

[@carlpeterson8182]

@@kinoko5566 Okay then show the evidence. Deuteronomy and the rest of the Bible teaches the opposite. I do not know if it means that much even if they were though. Since in the Bible itself Abraham was called out by God from another nation which was likely polytheistic

[@fordprefect5304]

*Jews were polytheists berore monotheists which again seems like a big stretch* many houses dating to the 6th century have been uncovered and they have been found with multiple statues of gods, male and female. An article in Haaretz an Israeli magazine claims the Judeans (Jews) did not accept the Torah until the 3rd century. BCE

[@adamcollier3065]

Dan, I really like your videos. It seems to me that you are proving that the Bible is just stories and may even be fiction. is there any place that you have posted how you reconcile your faith in God, Jesus, Bible, and Book of Mormon...

[@Kharmazov]

So long story short it's a like Valars ring of doom from Tolkien in Silmarillion.

[@jffryh]

I think I need help with the concept of the concretized singular plural whatchamacallit

[@billcook4768]

I thought they were the folks who vote you off the island.

[@TheDanEdwards]

"What on Earth...."

[@danielsykes7558]

2:16 what's going to happen to such fascinating scholarship if the West falls to fascism? I guess South America is our next hope. Though i consider South America just as much "the West" as North. Though it is the global South & Anybody can fall to fascism

[@MrShrugger]

Question at 3:36, I looked it up in the Hebrew. The Hebrew says “sons of Israel,” but the English says “sons of God.” What is going on here?

[@LM-jz9vh]

*"It is in connection with the Canaanite god El and his pantheon of gods, known as the ‘sons of El’, that a direct relationship with the Old Testament is to be found.* That this is certain can be established from the fact that both were *seventy* in number. At Ugarit we read in the Baal myth of ‘the *seventy* sons of Asherah (Athirat)’ (sb’m. bn. ‘atrt, KTU 1.4. VI.46). Since Asherah was El’s consort, this therefore implies that El’s sons were *seventy* in number. *Now Deut. 32.8, which is clearly dependent on this concept,* declares, ‘When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God’. The reading ‘sons of God’ (bene ‘elohim) has the support of the Qumran fragment, 4QDeut, the LXX, Symmachus, Old Latin and the Syro-Hexaplaric manuscript, Camb. Or. 929. *This is clearly the original reading, to be preferred to the MT’s ‘sons of Israel’ (bene yisra’el),* ***which must have arisen as a deliberate alteration on the part of a scribe who did not approve of the polytheistic overtones of the phrase ‘sons of God’.*** Interestingly, it is known that the Jews believed there to be *seventy* nations on earth, so that the sons of God were accordingly also *seventy* in number. This emerges from the table of the nations in Genesis 10, where there are *seventy* nations, and from the **later** Jewish apocalyptic concept according to which there were *seventy* guardian angels of the nations (Targum Pseudo-Jonathon on Deut 32.8; 1 En. 89.59-77, 90.22-27). This view, which I have defended previously, seems eminently reasonable. *Finally, it is interesting to note that the Old Testament never refers to the heavenly court as ‘the sons of Yahweh’.* As we have seen above, apart from one instance of bene ‘elyon, we always find the ‘sons of God’, with words for God containing the letter s ‘l (bene ha ‘elohim, bene ‘elohim, bene ‘elim). *This finds a ready explanation in their origin in the sons of the Canaanite god El.* *Eventually, of course, the name El simply became a general word for ‘God’* in the Old Testament, and so it is found many times." *"Excerpt from “Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan” by John Day - Lehi's Library."*

[@timandmonica]

I don't know why but I can't find the bibliography anywhere that he says he is going to list at the end. Does anybody else see them? Can you tell me what they are?

[@drkicksmith]

The Divine Council prefers Marvel, obviously, so that’s an ironic wearing of a DC IP I hope

[@grumpylibrarian]

So for various and completely legit reasons, the tetragrammaton is never directly referenced in the Greek new testament. Long shot here, but could they have viewed the father not as Adonai, but as Elyon?

[@CitizenLenny]

why does you say "adonai" instead of "yahweh" for the tetragrammaton?

[@BabyHoolighan]

Dan does this respecting the traditions for some of his viewers where Adonai (“Lord”) is used as a spoken substitute for YHWH out of reverence.

[@Sirrus-Adam]

Interesting. Melchizedek used the term El Elyon to refer to God when he incarnated 4000 years ago. This sounds like this Divine Council stuff has incorporated a bit of Melchizedek's teachings.

[@kristenscene]

Can you talk about how Adonai became conflated with El over time?

[@cfreez3557]

Heiser is the divine council guy. Read "The Unseen Realm".

[@LM-jz9vh]

Heiser's arguments have been addressed by other Christian scholars. Look up: *"The Most Heiser: Yahweh and Elyon in Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 - Religion at the Margins"* based on the *majority scholarly consensus.* (Written by Thom Stark who is a Christian) *"Michael Heiser: A Unique Species? - Religion at the Margins"* (A second response to Michael Heiser)

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

The Bible ✝ consistently makes the most sense with Yahweh being the Divine Council itself. Or more specifically Yahweh being the nation of the denizens Heaven. Like China 🐉, or the USA 🦅.

[@timmacwilliam9519]

Does El have a proper name? Isn't El just a generic word meaning God?

[@Darkninja282]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(deity)

[@LM-jz9vh]

"The Hebrew ’el is often translated as “God.” Although like the Hebrew ’elohim, ’el can be translated as “god,” *Hebraic philologists contend that a generic understanding of ’el as “god” is a rather* **late** *development in biblical Hebrew.* More accurately, ’el without a definite article is to be rendered simply as “El,” the name of a pan-Canaanite (by this term I mean to include a proto-Israelite culture) deity- *a remnant of an* **older** *Israelite/Canaanite tradition to which a few biblical passages still attest.* Mention of El is also found in Gen 17:1, 28:3, 35:10, 48:3, 49:25. *In* **later** *literary sources, and after Yahweh had adsorbed El’s attributes (see above), ’el came to be understood simply as “god.”"* *"Biblical Contradiction #27. Are Yahweh and El the Same God or Not?"* - Dr Steven DiMattei