Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief that only one deity exists. It is the core of the Abrahamic religions and is distinguished from polytheism, henotheism, and monolatry. Most modern scholars see Israelite monotheism as a development that crystallized around the Babylonian exile rather than an original condition.
Monotheism is the belief that only one deity, or God, exists. It is the theological core of the Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith — and is also found in Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and Mandaeism. **Etymology.** The word combines the Greek *monos* ("single") and *theos* ("god"). The English philosopher Henry More coined "monotheism" in 1660; the abstract category was not used in antiquity itself. **Distinctions.** Monotheism differs from polytheism (belief in many gods), from henotheism (worship of one supreme god while accepting that others exist), and from monolatry (worship of one god among many). The boundary between strict monotheism and these neighboring categories is a recurring problem in the study of ancient religion. **Development in ancient Israel.** Most modern scholars have abandoned the older idea of an original "primitive monotheism" and instead describe an evolution — broadly from animism and polytheism through henotheism and monolatry toward strict monotheism. On this dominant view, explicit denial of other gods' existence appears clearly only with the exilic prophet Deutero-Isaiah during and after the Babylonian exile (587–538 BCE), making post-exilic Judaism an early example of articulated monotheism. Some scholars contest the details of this model, so the dating is debated rather than settled. Zoroaster is sometimes credited with founding an early monotheistic tradition, and the Egyptian Aten cult of Akhenaten is usually classified as monolatry rather than monotheism. See also Henotheism and Monolatry.