Monotheism of YHWH; Son of EL:

 

YHWH (Yahweh), a "son of El," refers to a scholarly reconstruction of early mythology which shaped the Israelite religion's roots foundationally from ancient Canaanite polytheism, based on biblical texts, Ugarit literature and archaeology.

 

 In Ugarit texts (from ancient Ugarit, ~1400–1200 BCE), El (or ʾIl) is the high god of the Canaanite pantheon: the creator, the father of both gods and humans, often depicted as an elderly, wise figure (sometimes bull-like). He presides over a divine council of  the "sons of El" or "sons of gods" (bene elohim), including Baal, the (storm god) and Anat among others. El's consort, Ashera, mother of YHWH and his sibling gods.

YHWH does not clearly appear clearly by name in Ugarit texts as a High deity, suggesting he may have originated outside the core Canaanite pantheon, yet originating from Sumerian the historic cuneiform library, recorded factual historical data rather and not any form of religious text. In some theological scholar circles, the Ugarit tablets are understood as continuations and extensions of the Sumerian text found on cuneiform tablets.

 

"When Elyon [Most High] divided the nations... according to the number of the sons of G-d [beni elohim]... YHWY was selected from among his siblings as the god of the people of the lands of Israel; “Then the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For the portion of HaShem is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.  – D’varim/Deuteronomy 32:8-9

 

This portrays Elyon (an epithet of El) as the high god who apportions nations to his divine sons. YHWH receives Israel as his inheritance—positioning him as one of El's sons in a divine council. Later scribes adjusted it to "sons of Israel" to align with emerging monotheism. Similar echoes appear in Psalm 82, where G-d (often read as YHWH) stands among the heavenly council of El/Elyon among other gods, judging them.

 

Evolution toward Monotheism:  Over time (especially Iron Age kingdoms of Israel and Judah), YHWH absorbed El's attributes and identity:

 

Epithets like El Shaddai, El Elyon, and El Olam transferred to Yahweh.

Patriarchal stories link ancestors to El worship (e.g., altars to El).

Yahweh takes on creator/paternal roles once held by El.

Ashera (El's consort) appears in some inscriptions as possibly linked to Yahweh (e.g., "Yahweh and his Ashera"), though this was later suppressed.

 

 

While no Sumerian tablet names "El" as a god, scholars note indirect influences through trade, migration (Amorites), and shared ancient Near Eastern motifs:

High god parallels: El resembles Anu (distant sky father) or especially Enlil (active authority, father of gods, associated with wind/storms, enthroned elder). Some traditions link Enlil's name evolving into forms like Ellil, with conceptual overlap to El as patriarchal head. Linguistic note: "El" is Semitic (cognate to Akkadian ilum, "god").

 

Divine councils, creator roles, flood stories, and fatherly authority appear across Mesopotamian (Sumerian/Akkadian) and Levantine (Canaanite) traditions due to centuries of contact. Ugarit itself was a trade hub influenced by Mesopotamia.

 

The connections between Ugaritic tablets and Sumerian tablets are primarily indirect, rooted in cultural exchange, scribal traditions, trade, and the shared use of cuneiform script across the ancient Near East. They are not from the same culture or era but show how Mesopotamian (Sumerian-origin) influences spread westward to the Levant. Sumerian cuneiform (developed ~3200 BCE in southern Mesopotamia) is one of the earliest writing systems: logographic and syllabic, with hundreds of wedge-shaped signs on clay tablets. It was originally for Sumerian (a language isolate) but adapted for Akkadian (East Semitic) and others.

 

Alphabetic cuneiform (unique to Ugarit): Only ~30 signs, each mostly a consonant. This is one of the earliest alphabetic scripts, a major innovation possibly inspired by linear alphabets emerging in the Levant. Standard (Mesopotamian-style) cuneiform: Used for Akkadian, Sumerian, Hurrian, etc. Ugarit was multilingual and cosmopolitan, with scribes trained in both systems. Pedagogical tablets and dictionaries (including trilingual Sumerian-Akkadian-Hurrian) were found there.

 

Sumerian literary and magical texts (e.g., from the Lamaštu archive) appear on tablets in Babylonian script, imported or copied locally. Some link to Hittite or Emar traditions. Passages from the Epic of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian, with Sumerian roots) were found in Ugaritic archives. This shows Ugarit as a hub preserving and transmitting older Mesopotamian knowledge. Ugarit was a major port linking Mesopotamia (via overland routes), Egypt, Cyprus, and the Hittites. Scribes, merchants, and ideas moved along these networks.

 

Ugaritic myths (e.g., Baal Cycle, El as high god) illustrates parallels with broader Near Eastern motifs, some tracing back to Sumerian/Akkadian traditions (creation, divine councils, floods). Wisdom literature in Ugaritic epics echoes Mesopotamian structures. Amorite (West Semitic) migrations in the early 2nd millennium BCE helped bridge Mesopotamian and Levantine cultures. Ugaritic tablets represent a creative adaptation and localization of Mesopotamian scribal culture. Ugarit acted as a bridge, preserving Sumerian-influenced texts while innovating its own alphabetic system—contributing to the eventual development of the alphabet we use today. This is the pattern of regional exchange of El and broader Canaanite-Mesopotamian records.

 

After compilation of Torah by the Ivrim (Hebrews) while exiled in ancient Babylon (587 - 538 BCE, drawing on the Babylonian gods)), one well note major change was the Hellenization of Torah by the Greek, King Ptolemy of Egypt in attempts to assimilate the otherwise separatist Ivrim into Hellenistic Society around 250 BCE. Few remnants of the original compiled Torah (prior to Ptolemy) textually or archeologically have yet to be found.

 

Interestingly enough, nowhere in Ethiopian Sacred Text is the name YHWH ever mentioned (secondly handedly confirming the premise of this paper), In Ge-ez, the language of the ancient liturgical text of Ethipoia, “Egzi Abeher” (literally meaning “Lord of the Universe is employed where in sacred text outside the region employees the phrases, L-RD and, G-D in text revise by man rather than the G-d of the Universal.