"The god, it would appear, was frequently thought of as the physical progenitor or first father of his people"

William Robertson Smith’s observation that “The god, it would appear, was frequently thought of as the physical progenitor or first father of his people” highlights a pervasive theme in ancient religious consciousness. Across numerous early societies, there is evidence that deities were not simply remote or abstract creators, but intimately connected to the tribes or nations who worshipped them. The divine figure was imagined as having engendered the people directly, bestowing not only existence but a shared identity rooted in kinship.

Such a belief system serves several interconnected functions. First, it confers a unique relationship between the community and its god, establishing the deity as a patriarchal ancestor. This familial bond is more than symbolic; it is invoked to explain obligations and privileges, such as divine favor for the group, as well as the expectation of loyalty and obedience from the people. Addressing the god as ‘father’ is not merely a metaphorical invocation of authority or protection, but can be interpreted as an affirmation of literal descent, a spiritual, if not always physical, genealogy.

This notion of divine parentage reinforces the cohesiveness of the group. If a people descend from the same god, their solidarity is sanctified, and lineage is safeguarded through rituals, myths, and taboos that perpetuate the family structure. The shared progenitor also distinguishes one community from another, explaining, in religious terms, why boundaries had to be maintained, why outsiders were excluded, and why rivalries or wars broke out between groups claiming different divine ancestors.

Moreover, the god’s role as progenitor allows religious traditions to merge with social regulatory mechanisms. Sacrifice, rites of passage, and inheritance laws could all be grounded in this primordial kinship, where the god’s blessings and the ancestral heritage become inseparable. In sum, Smith draws attention to the profound way religious thought intertwines with social identity, presenting the deity not only as a creator, but as a recurring wellspring of the people’s origin, unity, and order.