Monotheism

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Monotheism (from Greek: μόνος mónos "alone" and θεός theós "God") is the religious worship of a single omnipresent God. In contrast, polytheism assumes a multiplicity of gods. Monotheistic religions include in particular Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but also the Sikh and Bahai religions and Zoroastrianism. The monotheistic religions came more and more to the fore in the course of the Greco-Roman culture. However, early forms of monotheism are already attested in Ancient Egypt, namely as early as the 14th century BC under the reign of Pharaoh Echnaton (also Akhenaten, Akhenaton or Amenhotep IV, Hellenized as Amenophis IV), who declared Aton to be the sole god.

Rudolf Steiner has pointed out that monotheism came into being at a time when people could only rise in direct experience to the Angel that belonged to them, whereas at the time of polytheism one could still experience the multiplicity of Archangels.

„Then comes the age in which men descend still further, the age in which already little by little the I of the individual man is to be born. And we find that the most advanced nations go over to monotheism relatively early, others later - the Egyptians, for example, already in the second millennium, Near Eastern peoples later - that is, begin to worship no longer Archangels, Archangeloi, but Angeloi, each his Angelos. They descend from the higher polytheism to the lower monotheism. After what was explained yesterday, what I am about to say will no longer seem strange to you, and you will realise that men will have to cure themselves of the arrogance which saturates the whole science of religion: that what is usually called monotheism may look down on polytheism as the subordinate religion.“ (Lit.:GA 172, p. 202)

Literature
References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com.
Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books
A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works
Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English.
Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold
steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA)
Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.
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