DY: I never said that we should understand the Torah in light of secular sources. Sort of. I mean, there are times where secular sources can shed light on the Torah. Especially in this case, where the Rambam himself tells us that that he quotes Aristotle on these issues. (Or the Gemara in Avodah Zarah, which I assume you’re also referring to, which again explicitly tells us it’s referring to what was standard worship in those days. Hence, sources from those times on what was worshipped can add insight to the Gemara.)
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