About 35-37,000 years ago there was an early Communal Worship cave in Israel

Unlike the open to the sky altars of the imageless monotheistic KaBa and the Jerusalem Temple, early polytheists may have gathered inside painted caves. Researchers working at a prehistoric cave site in northern Israel have now discovered evidence of a very early instance of communal worship, a find that “sheds light on the role of ritual centers in the evolution of human society”.

The discovery is based on a “ritual complex” dating from around 35,000 to 37,000 years ago found in the Manot Cave, a site in the western Galilee that was extensively used by prehistoric humans. The ritual complex, set apart from the main cave area in “the darkest depths,” is “enclosed naturally by impressive stalagmites that create a distinctive entrance,” and features “a unique and impressive rock with geometric engravings resembling a turtle shell” in a central location, the researchers said.

The discovery is a “breakthrough in our understanding of human society” that “reveals the central role of rituals and symbols in shaping collective identity and strengthening social bonds.” The Manot Cave ritual complex is the “first evidence” of its kind in the Levant and “among the first in the world,”.

The centerpiece of the discovery is an engraved rock, “deliberately placed in a niche in the deepest, darkest part of the cave. The turtle-shell design… indicates that it may have represented a totem or a mythological or spiritual figure,” Barzilai said. The rock’s “special location, far from the daily activity areas near the cave entrance, suggests that it was an object of worship.”

The area around the turtle-shell rock contained ash remains, “confirming the use of fire to illuminate the ritual space, likely with torches,” and testing showed the space possessed “enhanced natural acoustics, which could have created a unique auditory experience for communal activities such as prayer, singing and dancing,” the researchers said.

Prof. Hershkovitz said that for prehistoric tribes, “darkness embodies sacred and hidden qualities, symbolizing rebirth and renewal,” so it is “not surprise that prehistoric hunters chose to conduct their rituals in the darkest part of Manot Cave,”. Establishing such ritual centers was “a central element in the development of collective identity,” a step in the transition from “small, isolated hunter-gatherer groups (bands) based on blood ties between individuals to large (tribal) complex societies,”.

The dating of the ritual complex (from 35,000 to 37,000 years ago) coincides with what is called the Aurignacian culture, a phase of prehistory when modern humans were known for cave paintings and the use of symbolic objects. While modern-day Israel is dotted with prehistoric sites inhabited by early Homo sapiens populations as well Neanderthals and other hominids, evidence of art and symbolic activity in the Paleolithic is scarce in the region.

The fact is that nothing has even been found in the Levant that compares to the spectacular cave paintings and exquisite figurines found across Upper Paleolithic Europe or the 51,000-year-old depictions of pigs from Indonesia. The Paleolithic record is replete with exquisite works, from cave paintings to carvings done tens of thousands of years ago – such as the Lion Man sculpture found in a German cave and made of mammoth ivory some 38,000 years ago.

The inhabitants of the Manot Cave descended deep into the earth and had a natural chimney about 10 meters inside. The ritual complex described in this article was found about 50 meters beyond the entrance, past several rows of stalagmite barriers.

For thousands of years before Prophet Abraham, Allah sent tens of thousands of prophets to all the bands, tribes, nations and empires on the earth, and not one of God’s Prophets was able to establish an ongoing to the present imageless monotheistic community.

During the many centuries between Prophet Adam and Prophet Abraham, God’s Prophets focused totally on teaching the Divine truth of imageless monotheism. And for thousands of years before Prophet Abraham, the prophets who God sent to the thousands of bands, tribes and nations on the earth spreading the Divine truth of imageless monotheism; not one of them was able to establish an ongoing imageless monotheistic community that lasted for more than a few generations. “And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah, confirming what was with them, a party of the people who were given the Book threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs, as if they did not know it!” (Qur’an 2:101)

And: “The people of Noah denied before them, and the companions of the well and Thamūd; and ʿAad and Pharaoh and the brothers [neighbors] of Lot; and the companions of the forest, and the people of Tubbaʿ. All denied the messengers [Allah sent to them] so My threat was justly fulfilled.” [50:12-14]

Until Prophet Abraham, all Prophets were raised and sent to the whole of mankind in different lands and at different times but with the same message. A hadith puts the number of prophets sent to all mankind as 124,000 (Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 5, 169) But the number is not important. What is essential is that no land, people or period was neglected; prophets were sent to everyone.

The Qur’an says: There never was a people without a Warner having lived among them’ (35:24) and “We (God) would never visit our wrath (chastise any community) until We had sent a Messenger to give warning.”(17:15)

So God decided to do things in an radically different and unique way. Instead of the theology truth of imageless monotheism, God decided to make a partnership loyalty covenant with a very small tribe, and send six hundred of his prophets to this small tribe; and work continually for centuries with the people of this tribe, until they were able to establish an ongoing loyal community that would always have a core of righteous and loyal believers.

Qur’an 5:20-21 states: “Moses said to his people: O, my people, remember the favor of Allah upon you when he appointed among you prophets and made you possessors [of the Land of Israel] and gave you what he had not given anyone among the worlds. O my people, enter the holy land which Allah has assigned to you.”

Allah selected Abraham the Hebrew (Genesis 14:13) and the descendants of Prophets Ishmael, Issac, and Jacob to be the first, but not the last monotheistic community. “There is for you an excellent example (to follow) in Abraham and those with him.” [Qur’an 60:4] and “Indeed Ibrahim was a nation obedient to Allah, a Hanif, he was not one of the polytheists.” [Qur’an 16:120].

“Praise to Allah, who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac. Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication [14:39]. And “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring (Ishmael) to dwell in a valley without cultivation, near your Sacred House (the Ka’ba); in order our Lord, that they may establish regular Prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: so that they may give thanks”. [Qur’an 14:37}

“And remember Our servants; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Endowed with power and insight. We made them perfectly pure and sincere by virtue of a characteristic most pure; their constant remembrance of the Abode”. [Qur’an 38:45-7]

“For who has a better religion than him who submits his will to Allah, being virtuous, and follows the creed of Ibrahim, a Hanif? And Allah took Ibrahim for a dedicated friend” [4:125].

And when his Lord tested Abrahim with certain words, he fulfilled them, He (God) said, “I am making you the Imam of mankind.” Said he, “And from among my descendants?” He said, “My pledge does not extend to the unjust” [Qur’an 2:124]. The covenant between God and the descendants of Jacob (later called Israel) does not include Jews who transgress the 10 commandments.

A narration from Abu Dharr relates that one day he asked the Messenger of Allah: “How many prophets are there in all? He replied: 124, 000.. He then asked: How many of them were messenger prophets? He replied: 313 from the above group. He asked: Who was the first of them? He replied: Adam…The first prophet among Bani Israel was Musa and the last of them was Isa and they were in all 600.” (Biharul Anwar, Vol. 11, Pg. 32.)

One of the most important visions of the prophets of Israel occurs in the words of the 8th century BCE biblical prophet Micah. He declared that until the end of history, and throughout the Messianic Age, religious pluralism will continue to be the norm, even among polytheists.

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in His paths. Torah will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.

“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord God has spoken. All the nations will walk in the name of their gods, and we (Jews) will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. (Micah 4:1-5)

The opening section seems to predict Jewish pre-eminence but it doesn’t, because it says ”many nations will come” (4:2) not “all nations will flow to Israel” to be taught God’s ways. The second section predicts the universal peace that will reign in the Messianic Age under God’ rule. So far this agrees totally with the better known prophecy of Isaiah (2:2-4).

Then comes Prophet Micah’s revolutionary addition. Micah declares that the verses of the first section do not proclaim Judaism’s victory over all other religions, or even over all other God concepts. Even in the Messianic Age the other nations will still be loyal to their Gods just as we are loyal to our God as Micah says in (4:5) “All the nations will walk in the name of their gods”

Indeed, it is possible to understand this verse to mean that the Messianic Age of universal peace will come about because all the nations, including Israel, actually live up to the best principles of their own religions.