THE DIVINE COUNCIL

A term used by Hebrew and Semitics scholars for the heavenly host, the pantheon of divine beings who administer the affairs of the cosmos. All ancient Mediterranean cultures had some conception of a divine council. The divine council of Israelite religion, known primarily through the psalms, was distinct in important ways.

1. Textual Evidence
1.1. The Council of the Gods / God

Notes from Philip R. Davies: In Search of 'Ancient Israel', 1992--

Notes from Philip R. Davies: In Search of 'Ancient Israel', 1992--

Common Sense and Credulity

Notes from Philip R. Davies: In Search of 'Ancient Israel', 1992--

The Bible -- History or Story?

Most Bible scholars have traditionally assumed that the Bible is basically a true record of the history of Israel. But Davies observes that their reasons for believing this are in fact only circular arguments:

As far as I am aware the following observations were first made by Theodore Weedon (author of 'Mark: traditions in conflict') in informal email discussion.

Articles about the Bible and Biblical History

From Theophyle's English Blog (link to site)

Alpbahetical LIst of All Theophyle's Articles

ANE Articles from Theophyle's English Blog - Ancient Near East

It is difficult to assess how Jewish society as a whole responded to this new reality. Did the isolated geographical circumstances of Jews (who lived primarily in the more remote hill country of Judea), combined with ethnic and religious differences, create a buffer between them and the outside world? Or were Jews affected by these changes in the same ways as were their pagan counterparts in the coastal cities, albeit at a somewhat slower pace? Unfortunately, our sources cannot answer these questions adequately.

The Greco-Persian Wars

The so-called Letter of Aristeas or Letter to Philocrates [1]  is a Hellenistic work of the second century BCE, one of the Pseudepigrapha. Josephus Flavius who rephrases some of the letter, ascribes it to Aristeas and written to Philocrates, describing the Greek translation of the Hebrew Law by seventy-two interpreters sent into Egypt from Jerusalem at the request of the librarian of Alexandria, resulting in the Septuagint translation.