Similarities Between Yahweh And Ishtar

Religions of the ancient Near East contained numerous deities in which religious beliefs and practices were continually expanding with, and adapting to, each passing empire. It goes without saying that with every conquered empire, the defeated inhabitants were forced to assimilate to their new environment and integrate with their conquerors' beliefs and practices (Perry, Marvin et al., 2016, 11). Once the Assyrian Empire invaded ancient Israel, the Hebrew people were surrounded by mostly polytheistic traditions (Perry, Marvin et al., 2016, 34). As a result, the Hebrews had to modify their culture to accommodate their circumstances. Even though Judaism is an old monotheistic religion that is comprised of Jews who exclusively worships one God, the early Hebrew people, however, did not observe monotheism. Instead, the Hebrews most likely developed a distinct form of monolatrism. The fact of the matter is that …show more content…
Beginning with the similarities, the themes of Psalms 8 and Incantation to Ishtar correspondingly commenced their passages by glorifying their deity. In like manner, both passages introduced the portrayal of the earthly and heavenly powers and authority of Yahweh and Ishtar; essentially declaring a supreme status of each deity. Overall, both religious writings expressed consistent respect of, and devotion to, their chosen deity. In contrast, the most crucial and self-evident difference among the authors’ is the opposing religious convictions. The Psalmist asserts in the passage a monotheistic attitude. Conversely, the author of Incantation to Ishtar professes a polytheistic idea for the writer stated that Ishtar is “lady of ladies, goddess of goddesses” (“Incantation to Ishtar,” 2017, 1). All in all, the principle of monotheism conflicts with