How did the practices of ancient Israelites set them apart from other ancient peoples

Question

swinn · Answer

The Israelites differed from the other cultural groups in that they believed in only one God. The cultures of Sumer, Philistia, Egypt, etc. had a multitude of gods that had to be placated, not worshiped. The other cultures' gods were seen as vengeful, selfish, and amoral; it was best that one did not attract the attention of these gods. Animism is another feature of other cultures' religions. They believed that certain animals could be inhabited by "gods" and that one could curry favor by making pets of the favorite animal of that god. They made representations of these gods and literally adorned the statue with costly clothing, jewelry, and presents of food on the assumption that to do so would placate the god behind the idol. The Israelites, in contrast, did none of these things. They did worship at a common meeting ground, but did not make the representation of their one God, nor did they sacrifice humans to placate this God. They believed that they were ruled by this one God by covenantal agreement, not by vengeance taken by this God.