Judah during the 9th and 8th centuries BCE was basically polytheistic, with Yahweh operating as a national god in the same way that surrounding nations each had their own national gods.[12] The Exile allowed the worship of "Yahweh-alone" to emerge as the dominant theology of Yehud,[13] while the "sons of Yahweh" of the old pantheon evolved into angels and demons in a process that continued into the Hellenistic age.[12]