The Divine Council Worldview (DCW)

Michael Heiser

Oct 5

Definition and Origin

Explanation of the Divine Council Worldview (DCW)

Three words comprise the term ‘Divine Council Worldview’ (DCW). Divine refers to beings of non-human spiritual, divine, or angelic origin. These beings, it is argued, make up a council in the heavens that operates under the authority of a supreme deity. A worldview is a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world that an individual holds. To say there is a Divine Council Worldview is to say that the presence of a Divine Council governs how you think about the world, mainly how it affects one’s personal life philosophy.

Religious belief governs much of society and morality in the ancient and modern worlds. The Ancient Near Eastern concept of a Divine council typically sees various lesser deities governing different aspects of human social life rather than under the influence or control of a single supreme deity. In that way, an individual’s life decisions are highly influenced by his or her view of the gods and their ordering and responsibility within the Divine council.

Historical context: Origins of the DCW in ancient Near Eastern religious beliefs.

The Divine Council Worldview (DCW) is not limited to the Hebrew Bible. Similar divine assemblies and hierarchies are found in various ancient Near Eastern religions.

Mesopotamian Religion (Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians):

In Mesopotamian religions, gods and goddesses formed a divine council presided over by a chief god. For example, in the Sumerian pantheon, Anu is the head of the council, and other deities such as Enlil and Enki hold significant roles. In Babylonian mythology, Marduk is the chief god of the pantheon, leading other deities in important decisions. The Epic of Creation, the Enuma Elish, describes the struggle for power among these divine beings.

Egyptian Religion:

In ancient Egypt, a divine council of significant deities like Osiris, Isis, and Horus governed the cosmos. The concept of a sacred assembly is evident in texts like the "Book of the Dead," where the deceased pharaoh joins the gods in the afterlife. The god Ra, associated with the sun, held a prominent position, while other gods like Thoth and Ma'at played vital roles in Egyptian mythology.

Canaanite Religion (Phoenicians, Ugarit):

Canaanite mythology featured a divine assembly headed by El, the chief god. Baal, associated with storms and fertility, was a significant council member. The Ugaritic texts, discovered in modern-day Ras Shamra, provide detailed accounts of the divine council, including the conflicts and decisions made by its members.

Hittite Religion:

In Hittite mythology, the divine council included gods like Anu, Kumarbi, and Teshub. Kumarbi's attempt to overthrow Anu and take his place as the head of the council is a central theme in Hittite myths. The struggle for supremacy among these deities is a common motif in Hittite religious texts.

These examples demonstrate that the Divine Council Worldview was a prevalent theme in ancient Near Eastern cultures. The belief in a council of gods, each with distinct roles and powers, was a fundamental aspect of their religious beliefs and cosmologies. These divine assemblies were central to understanding the natural world, human fate, and the divine order in these ancient societies.

The presence of the Divine Council in other ancient cultures can lead to various conclusions. It could mean that all religions of the ancient world are true in some sense and lead to a synthesis of the Christian, Hebrew, and other ancient texts. That would be a grave error, however. Christians should read the texts of Ancient Near Eastern cultures to see how the Bible corrects these accounts as polemic, demonstrating that Yahweh is the supreme authority in the heavens.

Overview of key figures and scholars associated with the development of the DCW.

Doctor Michael S. Heiser (drmsh) has written extensively on the Divine Council in his books Unseen Realm and many articles, including the entry on Divine Council in the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets, 2012. This article is highly recommended, and Heiser’s entry on the Divine Council in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, 2016. Dr. Michael Heiser has written extensively on the subject and is credited with researching the DCW above any other scholar today.

That is not to say that other authors have not written on the subject. See the following articles for more information:

McCarter, P. K., Jr. “Sons of God (OT).” Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988.

Ryken, Leland, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, Colin Duriez, Douglas Penney, and Daniel G. Reid. “Assembly, Divine.” Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Newsom, Carol A. “Angels: Old Testament.” Edited by David Noel Freedman. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Coomber, Matthew J. M. “Reading the Old Testament in Ancient and Contemporary Contexts.” In The Old Testament and Apocrypha, edited by Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page Jr., and Matthew J. M. Coomber. Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2014.

The following books also have sections on the DCW from contemporary scholars:

Brueggemann, Walter. Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2005 (628).

Hinson, David Francis. Theology of the Old Testament. Vol. 15. SPCK International Study Guide. London: SPCK, 2001 (65).

De Young, Stephen. The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century. Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2021 (63).

Core Tenets of the Divine Council Worldview

The Divine Council is an assembly of gods or heavenly beings.

When God divided the nations at Babel (Genesis 11:1–9), he did so according to the number of sons of God (Deuteronomy 32:8). These divine beings formed a Divine Council of heavenly judges or rulers. These so-called gods were intended to judge righteously over the nations (Psalm 82). In time, these beings rebelled against God’s authority, receiving the worship of the nations and ruling unjustly (also Psalm 82).

A hierarchy is associated with the roles and functions of various heavenly beings in the council.

Job 1:6–7 provides one of many divine counsel episodes in the Bible. “One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD asked Satan, ‘Where have you come from?” “From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered him, “and walking around on it’” (CSB). There are a few characters present. Yahweh (LORD), the Almighty God, is convening his council members, the sons of God (God’s first angelic creation). Further, Satan is present, the adversary or accuser. There are three levels of a hierarchy, and different roles are played at each level. Satan is like a prosecutor who accuses humankind. The sons of God, judges who rule the nations. And Yahweh, of course, like a supreme court judge over all the earth.

The DCW is compatible with modern monotheistic belief systems.

Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God. The scriptures repeatedly refer to the divine council members as gods, a translation of the Hebrew word, elohim. If elohim is only used for the Almighty God, then to say there are other gods is heresy. However, elohim is used in the scripture for many different spiritual beings and has a broad, rather than specific, meaning.

Many are jarred by the idea that the gods of the Pagan nations are not to be seen as inventions of the human psyche. That sounds like polytheism. If you are a Pagan, then it is polytheism. But, the Bible does not describe these beings as gods in the same way that Yahweh (or Jesus) is God. They are lesser deities designed to be subject to God, the Almighty. That is why the Apostle Paul refers to them as “so-called gods” (1 Corinthians 8:5). None is God like Yahweh despite their divine nature and Divine Council authority.