Yahweh

Q: Who is Yahweh?

Yahweh was a Canaanite god of metallurgy who was transformed by the ancient Israelites into the One True God, creator of heaven and earth.

Q: What does Yahweh's name mean?

The name "Yahweh" means "He Who Makes That Which Has Been Made" or "He Brings Into Existence Whatever Exists".

Q: When did people begin to worship Yahweh?

The oldest mention of Yahweh dates to the reign of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III - 1386-1353 BCE.

Q: When did Yahweh change from the Canaanite god of metallurgy to the supreme being?

According to some scholars, Yahweh was transformed into the Supreme Being by the ancient Israelites during the Iron Age c. 1200-930 BCE.

Joshua J. Mark

Yahweh

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Definition

Yahweh is the name of the state god of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and, later, the Kingdom of Judah. His name is composed of four Hebrew consonants (YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton) which the prophet Moses is said to have revealed to his people and is sometimes given in English as "Jehovah."

More about: Yahweh

Timeline

c. 3500 BCE - c. 1200 BCE
Yahweh possibly develops from Canaanite god of metallurgy during the Bronze Age.
c. 1080 BCE - c. 722 BCE
Yahweh develops as state god of the Kingdom of Israel and the later Kingdom of Judah.
c. 515 BCE - 70 CE
The Second Temple Period; Judaism is revised, scriptures canonized, Yahweh becomes sole deity, monotheism established.

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