REVIEW ESSAY - Divine Doppelgängers: YHWH's Ancient Look-Alikes, edited by Collin Cor-nell (Eisenbrauns, 2020), 280 pp. Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

This review essay critically examines Divine Doppelgängers: YHWH's Ancient Look-Alikes, edited by Collin Cornell, which explores the theological implications of similarities between the God of the Bible and deities from the Ancient Near East. The book's contributors analyze the issue from multiple perspectives, including comparative religion, Biblical studies, and theological discourse. Scholars highlight textual parallels between Biblical depictions of God and descriptions of other gods, such as Chemosh and Marduk, raising questions about God's claimed uniqueness. Various responses emerge, from viewing these similarities as mere rhetorical strategies to proposing radically new theological frameworks. Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein evaluates these perspectives from an Orthodox Jewish standpoint, critiquing approaches that undermine Biblical monotheism. He advocates for a traditional resolution rooted in Urmonotheismus—the idea that ancient polytheism arose as a corruption of an original monotheistic belief. Additionally, he explores the possibility that pagan deities were either distortions of Divine reality or spiritual entities subordinate to God, akin to angels or astrological forces. The essay concludes that while scholarly findings pose intellectual challenges, they do not fundamentally disrupt Jewish theological commitments. Instead, they offer an opportunity to deepen understanding of the historical and cultural milieu of Biblical times.