R.C. Sproul

where there are specific gods for specific purposes.

We remember the Greeks and the Romans, for example.

They had a god of wisdom and a god of love and a god of war and a god for the garden and a god for the home and all different kinds of gods and goddesses.

And we say they are polytheistic.

That is, they believed in many gods.

And then they say the next stage in the development of religion is from polytheism to what's called henotheism.

H-E-N-O-T-H-E-I-S-M.

Henotheism.

You may not be familiar with that word.

Well, that's a specific type of polytheism where the idea is there's lots of gods round and about, but only one per nation.

Like the Jews have Yahweh, and the Canaanites have Baal, and the Philistines have Dagon.

Each nation has its own particular god, and that god resides in the nation and reigns over the nation, and sometimes that god will go to war against the gods from other nations.

But it's sort of a transition stage from simple polytheism

to a more advanced theology.

And finally, as this evolution takes place, the acme of development is reached when people begin to believe in one God, e pluribus unum.

Out of the many, one God emerges.

And that God is seen as the great God over all things.

He is the creator.

He is the ruler.

He is the chief and only God.