An Essay on Modern "Religion"
Posted: 09 May 2026 11:29
Different from the savage Yahwism of the desert, a less bellicose form of Yahwism developed that likely entered Judah as migrant Hebrews moved in from the deserts to settle in southern Palestine.
As we see reflected in the Abraham traditions, Yahweh is portrayed as a clan god who bears a special relationship to a clan chieftain such as Abram. Yahweh is primarily portrayed as a god who promises to provide his devotees with a land of their own upon which they may live and prosper. This transported form of Yahwism may aptly be called "Hebrew Yahwism" since the word, "Hebrew" is derived from a root that means, "to cross over." The Hebrews were those Yahwists who, following the pioneer Abram, migrated from the deserts regions surrounding Judah and "crossed over" to dwell there. Thus, we must distinguish Abramic Yahwism from Desert or Arabic Yahwism. The former group did not obtain their land through warfare. Rather, its members settled in vacant domains adjacent to the indigenous population and would from time to time live among them.
Abraham's cultic duties involved little more than the construction of altars for sacrifice to Yahweh. But even with this more pacifistic form of Yahwism, we yet find that Abram the Hebrew remained the chieftain of his clan who could muster support from other Hebrew clans as he did when he gathered 318 men to rescue Lot. As for the character of this migration, it seems most realistic to envision waves of immigrants that were comprised of several clans, each with their own chieftain who together form a support network that Abram and others like him could draw upon in time of need.
As we see reflected in the Abraham traditions, Yahweh is portrayed as a clan god who bears a special relationship to a clan chieftain such as Abram. Yahweh is primarily portrayed as a god who promises to provide his devotees with a land of their own upon which they may live and prosper. This transported form of Yahwism may aptly be called "Hebrew Yahwism" since the word, "Hebrew" is derived from a root that means, "to cross over." The Hebrews were those Yahwists who, following the pioneer Abram, migrated from the deserts regions surrounding Judah and "crossed over" to dwell there. Thus, we must distinguish Abramic Yahwism from Desert or Arabic Yahwism. The former group did not obtain their land through warfare. Rather, its members settled in vacant domains adjacent to the indigenous population and would from time to time live among them.
Abraham's cultic duties involved little more than the construction of altars for sacrifice to Yahweh. But even with this more pacifistic form of Yahwism, we yet find that Abram the Hebrew remained the chieftain of his clan who could muster support from other Hebrew clans as he did when he gathered 318 men to rescue Lot. As for the character of this migration, it seems most realistic to envision waves of immigrants that were comprised of several clans, each with their own chieftain who together form a support network that Abram and others like him could draw upon in time of need.
