Natural (a)theologies in Ancient Israel: Descriptive perspectives from philosophy of religion

Abstract

According to popular consensus, the ancient Israelites shunned natural theology and belief in Yahweh was based on revelation and not reason. In relatively recent times, this view has come under increasing pressure as the presence of natural theology in the Hebrew Bible has turned into a topic of sporadic interest. In this article, a contribution to this discussion is made by way of placing the topic in its proper framework within the philosophy of religion. In doing so, it provides a descriptive introduction to what will for the foreseen future remain a controversial issue.

Keywords

• arguments for the existence of God
• atheism
• atheology
• biblical theology
• Natural theology