Pantheon

A Pantheon refers to the set of gods in a set of polytheistic mythology or religion. It may also refer to a building, monument, or temple devoted to all gods or all the gods of a particular tradition.

Pantheons are found in almost all cultures at some point in their history. The Abrahamic tradition is thought to have evolved from a group of polytheistic religions in the Near East. Some of the gods of these pantheons (such as Baal) are mentioned in the Bible, and some phrases in the Bible suggest its origins in polytheism.

Bible Stories Traceable to Other Religions
Some stories contained in the Bible can be traced directly to polytheistic religions.


 * The flood story is a retelling of part of the Epic of Gilgamesh from Babylonian tradition.


 * The Biblical creation story is similar to the Babylonian Enuma Elish in several respects, including the order of creation (light, firmament, etc.) and geography (flat and round, with a dome over it).


 * Yahweh himself is an amalgam of other gods from the ancient Semitic pantheon.