The Evolution of The Judeo-Christian God

There are other ways of interpreting this story, but here is how these stories fit into one of the key larger, overarching stories we're working on this semester:

Ancient Greek, Sumerian etc: Gods as forces of nature and as “persons” who appear and walk among us. Man-gods who descend to underworld and return with wisdom.

The Torah:  God as a the forces of nature (creation, flood, destruction of Sodom) and as a “person” (has a body, emotes, speaks etc.); worship as ritual in exchange for fertility and land (Abraham, Isaac, Moses etc).

Job: God as mystery. This is also the last time He speaks to man (in the Hebrew book order)

Judaism in Christ’s time: God as particular to a given people and place.  God as law, as keeping to moral codes of conduct in exchange for worldly rewards. 

Platonism and Neo-Platonism:  God as the eternal, unchanging Ideal, the “One”, the “Form of the good”.  Achieved thru reason/philosophy (thinking).  Concept of eternal soul that descends to temporarily occupy our physical bodies.

Christianity: An amalgamation of most all of these characteristics:  God as a person (Jesus).  God as the eternal, unchanging “Form of the good”.  Worshipped by keeping to moral laws (vs ritual) in exchange for soul achieving *eternal* rewards. 

Medieval Christianity:  Blending of these with Pagan (heroes as half divine, half mortal), Druidic and Celtic ancient European holidays and rituals.  Magical tokens and sites.  Saints.

And of course the story continues...