In the opinion of Jacob Grimm, polytheism almost everywhere arose in innocent uncon sciousness. There is about it something soft and agreeable to one's feelings. It is never intolerant of other gods. Yet when the in telligence is roused a polytheist will revert back to the monotheism from which his faith started. Proto-historic precursors of the prophets read the signs of the weather in the skies, and their still prehistoric successors read the Will of God in their own hearts, and became priests and shamans, wabeno-men and rab-mags, un told ages before the first hieroglyph appeared carved on an Egyptian tomb or monolith. In sub lime egotism the primitive philosopher of early times interpreted nature and nature's God as an extension of himself. Dream life was to him revelation. And, indeed, to say that God spoke to one in a dream, is that not to say that one dreamed that God spoke to one? Soon a personal life was attributed to the sun, the moon, clouds, rivers, seas, oceans and the very trees. Some spiteful demon rooted the latter to the ground! The ever-varying phenomena of the sky, at dawn, at noon and at even-tide— many were the deities of men.
All this be it remembered was not pretty vention, allegory or poetic conceit! The prim itive philosophic theologian was no embryon Cabalist, no conscious fabler. On the contrary he and his disciples entertained the idea of a polytheon as their highest wisdom. He meant speaking of his gods, precisely what he said. Monotheism did not succeed polytheism. Nor did the latter succeed monotheism. They are twins, born together. For whenever the early thinker, at rare moments, though deeply and felt clearly he must have experienced, however feebly, or even grossly, the presence of an ever abiding mystery pressing for interpretation. We have thus monotheism, in truth, through out all ages, not in genuine conflict to poly theism in the inner life nor yet clear to thought ; but potentially, in living intuition in the religious sentiment. Truly, it may be said of Him, He is not far from any of us.