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A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. The latter title has a biblical echo in the corrupted form Baal-Zebub (II Kings 1:2ff. Learn more about Biblical Sidon and Sidonian religion in Claude Doumet-Serhals article SidonCanaans Firstborn in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Historical Background of HoseaBaal and Idolatry. All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. Baal transformed into Zeus, who transformed into Jupiter, etc. Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 28:2); Hezekiah attempted to eliminate it; Manasseh his son again gave it royal support (II Kings 21:3); and Josiah in his turn purged the Temple of YHWH of the utensils made for Baal and Asherah (II Kings 23:4). This is not brand new, but it is picking up speed. Some extraordinary discoveries from recent excavations have allowed us to partially reconstruct Sidonian religion during the Bronze and Iron Agesshowing that Baal worship at the site had deep roots. 1:21), would be catastrophic. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan (1968); Albright, Arch Rel; S.M. The worship of this idol consisted in exposing that part of the body which all persons usually take the utmost care to conceal. Baal's sister-consort Anath demanded that Mot release her brother. In the Ugaritic mythological texts Balu (bl) is the name of the god which is used more than twice as often as his next most frequent name, Haddu (hd). The tablets, although closely attached to the worship of Baal at his local temple, probably represent Canaanite belief generally. Asherah was a fertility goddess. In other words, God is saying that He was driven to defeat and scatter Israel because they were guilty of exactly the same sin as the Samaritans! Updated: 12/07/2022 This god also, apparently according to Canaanite lore, defeated El and had associations with the sun and thunder. Unlike Egypt and Mesopotamia, which depend on irrigation, the Promised Land drinks water from the rain of heaven (Deut. Updates? Archeological excavations have dated information about Baal back as far as the second millennium BC, and the spread of Baal worship caught fire in Egypt in 1400 BC. A complex religion with traditions and gods from all over the ancient Middle East, Baal worship offered something for everyone. Most of the information they gave turned out to be wrong, to be lies. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble." This viewpoint was developed as the basic and final argument against Baalism. Pagan Religious Practices. This is typical Israeliltish syncretism, but it will not work. After a sortie against the sea-god, Baal returned to his house and ordered Koshar to install a window; Koshar laughed, reminded Baal of the debate, and complied. This corrupt blending of a holy God with a pagan goddess became part of everyday religious practice, which is why evil king Manasseh put an Asherah pole . In contrast, the church has had periods of strength and weakness all throughout its historyit goes through cycles of rallying around truth and then gradually letting it slip. Doumet-Serhal explains the significance of the handles iconography: The dragon epitomizes the most fundamental ancient mythical perception of the Mesopotamian storm god. Your email address will not be published. . The Canaanites worshiped Baal as the sun god and as the storm godhe is usually depicted holding a lightning boltwho defeated enemies and produced crops. He was considered superior to his father, El, the chief of the deities. But church is where we come to have our minds stretched and measured against Christ's standard. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. Not only do the Jews have to deal with the abomination of Zeus and Antiochus Epiphanes IV (Daniel 8), but the Greek pantheon later gets repeated in the Roman pantheon, and practices from both the Greeks and Romans still exist today. In the Bible, Baal is spoken of in a negative light, as an idol and a false god, and is associated with idolatry and paganism. Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated divided means. Everything Joshua* (Yehoshua) did was in accordance with the TaNaKh, which is an acrostic for Torah (=Law/Instruction), Neviim (=Prophets), and Ketuvim (=Writings). In the mysterious tablets of Ugarit, discovered by Claude Schaeffer, Baal is the God of rain, thunder, and extraordinary bolts of lightning. BAAL Worship: Mass Satanic Ritual at the 2022 Commonwealth Games In addition to Baal still influencing religions and pagan practices today, we must take note of what happened to the Israelites and vigilantly watch our churches. ( The first is the Assyrian crisis, discussed here.) that the southern kingdom of Judah ever had .just like her momma. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. As a Semitic common noun baal (Hebrew baal) meant owner or lord, although it could be used more generally; for example, a baal of wings was a winged creature, and, in the plural, baalim of arrows indicated archers. Characteristics of Jezebel Churches (Baal Churches) They were afraid of God, but they did not really change their way of life. . It may seem easy to point the finger at the ancient Israelites and say, How could you let a bull statue into Israel? The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel." Those familiar with the Biblical text will recall that Sidon was an influential, wealthy Phoenician city when the kings of Israel and Judah ruled during the Iron Age. Psalms 106:28-33 - bible.com Baal remains silent during the exchange, whereas God showers a sopping-wet altar with fire. In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. The Worship of Baal - Bible History . This Bible History Daily Article was first published in 2017, British Museum Excavations at Sidon Expose Millennia of History, The Phoenician Alphabet in Archaeology by Josephine Quinn. FREE ebook: Israel: An Archaeological Journey. you didnt even mention her horrible daughter Athaliah, the only killer queen In exchange, they would offer information about their unit. The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. The worship of Moloch, which was practiced at a special site (outside the walls of Jerusalem in the valley of Ben-Hinnom) called Topheth, became firmly established in the time of King Manasseh, his son Amon, and at the beginning of Josiah's reign. When religion is ungodly, its power is destructive, and every institution in the nation suffers. Baal worship also included, at times, child sacrifice, which we see some Israelite kings engaging with later on. Baal God Origin & Biblical Significance | Who is Baal? There are several ideas as to exactly what Elijah meant by "How long will you falter between two opinions?" The summer drought did not mean that YHWH had died (like Baal), nor did the return of the rains signal the resurrection. Superstitious fear and sexual rites on the one hand fought against faith and loyalty on the other. In mythological texts from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 B.C.E) city-state of Ugarit, she is called "the creatress of the gods"; her consort at Ugarit, the god El, is . The Israelites displayed a pandemic failure to love their fellow man. For instance, Amos 2:7 describes a deliberate act of ritual prostitution in a pagan temple: "A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name." Isa. From Easton's Bible Dictionary:Baal-peor: lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Numbers 25:3; 31:16; Joshua 22:17), worshipped by obscene rites. It indeed produces great material prosperity, but it is consumed through self-indulgent gorging. Scholars previously associated the theonym with solar cults and with a variety of unrelated patron deities, but inscriptions have . Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. * Jesus is a transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT a translation! The myths also tell of Baals struggle to obtain a palace comparable in grandeur to those of other gods. The only trouble is that people like to feel comfortable in moral mediocrity. It may be, however, that these extra Baalim are Baal's attendants, mentioned as the seven or eight lads whom Baal is ordered to take with him in his descent into the netherworld. Baal's resurrection followed Mot's demise, the good news being transmitted through a dream of El: The fields were still parched from the drought and again Anath and Shapsh set out to find Baal. The longest of the texts deals with the construction of Baal's house on top of Mount apn. The motifs of these myths were adopted and adapted in Jewish and Christian eschatology. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. This describes to a T what Israel did then and their descendants are continuing to do today. Sidon is the birth place of Jezabel. Required fields are marked *. There was, therefore, continuity in Sidons population from the Bronze to the Iron Age. This shows that the Egyptian Cleopatra had maritime connections with the ancient Kerala Tamils. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. God's first command to destroy any forms of idol worship came early in the Bible in Exodus 34:13. . This is exactly what God warns us to flee, and the only way to come out of it is by developing and maturing in our relationship with God. The contest on Mount Carmel was reported as demonstrating that Baal was an impotent non-entity and that the rain came only from YHWH. What made the very name Baal anathema to the Israelites was the program of Jezebel, in the 9th century bce, to introduce into Israel her Phoenician cult of Baal in opposition to the official worship of Yahweh (I Kings 18). Given Sidons position on the coast, it is not surprising that the storm god is Sidons most important god. What do we know about the religion surrounding this Canaanite deity, and how did it affect those in the Old Testament? Molech was another such god. In Tamil Nadu, the following words payachi paarai, Peyazhwar, payans, pai (meaning devil) are currently in use. Evil practices never go away. Asherah (Hebrew ), also spelled Ashera, was a major northwest Semitic mother goddess, appearing also in Akkadian sources as Ashratu, in Hittite as Asherdu and in Ugaritic as Athirat.She was the consort of the chief deity El and the mother of 70 other gods.. Biblical SidonJezebel's Hometown - Biblical Archaeology Society In daily life, they conformed to and reflected the Babylonish system just as Israel does today. So it was that, about 250 years after it was established, the ten-tribed northern kingdom became extinct as a sovereign nation. Elijah had to take drastic measures to prevent Baal worship from completely eradicating the worship of the true God (I Kings 18:20-40). The name is more likely derived from the god Baal. Val is related to valimai in Tamil. After we accept His calling, He commands us to become moral as He is. If you will not be committed to Him, you are going to die.". Gray, The Legacy of Canaan (rev. In the El-Amarna letters the logogram for the weather-god is conventionally read Addu, but that it is sometimes to be read Baluis indicated by the addition of the phonetic complement-lu, as well as by the names like Mut dIm written syllabically as mu-ut-ba-a-lum. Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. Who was the Canaanite god Molech? - CompellingTruth.org "Christian" religions of this world have mixed the traditions of paganism with some of the truth of God's Word. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. Baal Worship Baal-Berith Berbers Bet (Ha)-Midrash Bet Din Bethar Bibliophiles Bloodletting Chronicles of Kings of Israel Episcopus Judaeorum Essenes Exile Fable Flood Forced Baptism Garden of Eden Glass Golden Calf Goliath Great Revolt Great Synagogue Hannah and her Seven Sons Hasmoneans/Maccabees Hebrew Printing Hekdesh Herod Herodian Dynasty YHWH's victory over the waters is connected either with the rescue of Israel at the Exodus (Ps. Given Jezebels religious fervor in the Bible, one would expect to find evidence of Baal worship at Sidon. They were Canaanites and shared numerous similarities, including many of the same gods, with their close neighbors in the southern Levantwho were also predominantly Canaanite. Charles Whitaker It seemed they couldnt border a single person who didnt try to destroy them or convince them to worship their own gods. 131; Sanh. . The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God. No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV). By the time of the prophet Hosea (mid-8th century bce) the antagonism to Baalism was so strong that the use of the term Baal was often replaced by the contemptuous boshet (shame); in compound proper names, for example, Ishbosheth replaced the earlier Ishbaal. They clash violently until both are prostrate and the Sungoddess warns Mot not to fight with Baal lest El hear and overthrow him. Thus the basis of the Baal cult was the utter dependence of life on the rains which were regarded as Baal's bounty. The rains were fully controlled by YHWH who called them from the sea and poured them out on the surface of the earth (Amos 5:8b; 9:6b). Well dive more into this in the historicity of Baal in a few sections. Apostasy is a defection from trutha forsaking of one spiritual approach in favor of another. Like ancient Israel, we can easily fall back into our former ways. PDF Canaanite Child Sacrifice, Abortion, and the Bible Virtually all reference to Baal's consort, the violent "Virgin Anath" with whom Baal copulates by the thousand in one of the Ugaritic mythological fragments has been excluded from the Bible, but the goddesses Ashtart (Judg. 14:2). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. This connects with the curse of Laodiceanism because God shows in the Laodiceans what can happen spiritually as people increase materially. It will be far more terrible than anything ever seen on this earth! Two practices in particular are mentioned in Scripture. 10:25, 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18). Despite having the power and support of the king of Israel and his . In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baals epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. Since Baal was, like almost all ancient deities, a fertility god, the human act of intercourse demonstrated that they wanted Baal to prosper them. II Kings 17:5-6 relates the ultimate consequence. How could you worship Baal? But if we dont exercise extreme discernment, we may find ourselves doing the same with modern-day baals. 3:10; cf. Paul, then, is letting the church know that it need not be concerned about missing the end time. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. Ginsberg, Kitvei Ugarit (1936); J. Oberman, Ugaritic Mythology (1948); A.S. Kapelrud, Baal in the Ras Shamra Texts (1952); M. Dahood, in: Studi Semitici, 1 (1958), 7578; N. Habel, Yahweh Versus Baal: A Conflict of Religious Cultures (1964); J. The cosmic character of afon leads to its use as a synonym for "sky" in Job 26:7: "who stretched out afon on emptiness who suspended earth on naught." God's pattern is being established. Elijah prepared the way for Elisha, who had a double portion of Elijah's spirit and did many more miracles. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. In spite of the fact that the word is used as the theophorous element in personal names, such as Eshbaal, Merib-Baal, Jerub Baal, it was long believed that the term remained an appellation and did not become a proper name, except in the case of the Mesopotamian Bel and in late theological speculation. But Jezebels religion is not Jewish whereas the religion of the Tamils is more like that of the Jews. Baal was the god of agriculture and fertility in Canaan, becoming a fallen angel and a demon. Baal Worship The Battle for the Israelites' Hearts The Kingdom of Israel fell below the historian's radar. He describes Israel as a luxuriant grape vine sending runners in every direction, indicating a bountiful crop. Revelation 2:14 "THE DOCTRINES OF . The combined letters o and e is joined to pronounce the sound ye. The Baal-worship so often alluded to and described in Holy Writ might, perhaps, be better styled Cid-worship, moon-worship, Melek ()-worship, or Hadad-worship, according to places and circumstances.Many of the practices mentioned were most probably common to the worship . Gen. 41; II Sam. Since you mentioned John baptizing Jesus. But God has a different perspective; He says they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17). Join the BAS Library today. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Alan, how said anything about John baptizing Jesus? Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. 22:816). While they gave lip service to the Creator, they adopted most of the Canaanitish religion with its lewd immorality, and in actual practice, patterned their life after it. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. Whether it turns out to be the falling away remains to be seen. Right now, though, we are witnessing a steady defection from the basic principles of the Bible, away from what we call the Judeo-Christian ethic.