That’s “monolatry.” It doesn’t mean tedium. Neither does it refer to a futuristic train, nor even to a platypus.
It’s a cool word, and if you can use it in a sentence three times today it can be yours!
Constitutional Law
Part 2: “What Were They Thinking?”
Digression: “A History of Government in 6 Revolutions: From the Paleolithic to Philadelphia”
112. Inventing God and Law: Religious Reform
Title: Part F: Religious Reform
Panel 1: People are gathered at a well inside the city of Jerusalem. A barefoot woman carries a jug on one shoulder, a commoner man sits at the well, and an elite man dressed in layers of rich fabrics is posed in an attitude of dismissal and thought. Beyond them, crowds of people throng the city, a pack camel is being led, a person rides a donkey.
NARRATION:
Jerusalem’s elites knew that something would have to change.
But what?
WOMAN:
Well, you could end corruption…
…give people justice…
COMMON MAN:
Stop the rich from oppressing the poor…
ELITE MAN:
No…
No…
No, it has to be something else. Let me think.
-=-
Panel 2: An overhead view of the city of Jerusalem. It has grown since the last time it was pictured, now snaking like a long backwards S down its hillside, flanked by its surrounding hills. A J. J. Abrams-esque lens flare shines from the bright temple at the top.
NARRATION:
Concluding that their old-time religion needed to get with the times, they embarked on a very unusual sort of cultic reform. What made it unusual was that, much as Yehudah was consolidating politically under a single king (King Hezekiah at the moment), they now consolidated their cult around a single god—Yahweh.
JERUSALEM VOICE 1:
It does make sense. After all, Yahweh just… is… all by himself.
JERUSALEM VOICE 2:
But don’t call this “monotheism,” because obviously all the other gods exist.
JERUSALEM VOICE 3:
Worshipping only one of many is monolatry.
JERUSALEM VOICE 4:
Like any other ancient religion, our monolatry is very tolerant.
JERUSALEM VOICE 5:
You want to worship other gods, too? Go ahead! Who cares?
JERUSALEM VOICE 6:
But as for our official state cult, from now on Yehudah’s civic religion will only worship the chief god: Yahweh.
-=-
Panel 3: A small explosion marks the ground and raises a small cloud of dust.
NARRATION:
The next hundred years were filled with some truly gripping history, all of which we’re going to skip right over.
Until suddenly—practically overnight—the Neo-Assyrian Empire collapsed.
CLOUD OF DUST:
POOF
-=-
Panel 4: A map showing Yehudah. It lies just east of the Dead Sea and the southern bit of the Jordan River, and it does not extend all the way to the sea. Jerusalem is marked by a star. A bit of northern territory is half-shaded to indicate disputed territory. The rest of the land all around is clear of any ruling empire.
NARRATION:
In the ensuing power vacuum, some sensed an opportunity.
JERUSALEM VOICE:
It’s our time to shine!
-=-
FOOTNOTE:
That’s “monolatry.” It doesn’t mean tedium. Neither does it refer to a futuristic train, nor even to a platypus.
It’s a cool word, and if you can use it in a sentence three times today it can be yours!
Stop the rich from oppressing the poor?
We’ve got to come up with a new word for how we feel about that. How about “heresy”?
Hmm…
The top image is giving me “Woman at the well” vibes, although I assue we are too soon.