Myth and Mythmaking in Canaan and Ancient Israel by Mark Smith (2031-2041)
- Three stereotypical explanations of myth from a monotheistic perspective
- monotheistic theology equals faith, while myth is told stories.
- holy texts of monotheism leave no room for myth, which is polytheistic
- monotheism is based in history, but ancient religions, which had myths, are not.
- Mythic continuity between ancient Israel, Canaan, and Ugartic texts.
- Baal Cycle and Epic of Aqhat are major Ugaritic myths.
- Baal Cycleenvisions of cosmic battle for political control. Expressed in terms of kingship.
- By modern standard of course, this constitutes religious because it involved the gods.
- Baal Cycleenvisions of cosmic battle for political control. Expressed in terms of kingship.
- Most material is inscriptions mentioning gods and names with theophoric elements.
- Traditions of Tyrian god Melqart may reflect Ugaritic tradition
- Namely, those of Baal and cult of divinaized royal ancestors, present at Ugarit.
- Meqlart is the dead hero who “awakens from the dead”.
- Best source for Canaanite myth is Phil of Byblos’s Pheonician History
- Embedded in the work of Eusebius and Porphyry.
- MYTHIC MATERIAL IN ISRAEL
- Early evidence does not distingush greatly between Israel and neighboring regional religions.
- Even with developing Israelite religion, other gods of Pheonicia, Edom, etc. existed within the Israelite-Judean religious context.
- So, El, Ball, Yahweh, a dynastic god; divine council, Asherah, etc.
- Held onto a sort of cult for the deceased and concept of divine council.
- Council was at a low level.
- Originally El was probably the name of the deity supporting the group.
- Ex. 6:2-3
- Identifies El Shaddy, El being the older god, with Yahweh.
- Reflects that Yahweh was previously unknown; now, then it was El Shaddai.
- Much language previously associated with Baal is used
- Baal Shamem, though, is the Phoencian storm-god.
- Israel also had old Levantine/Canaanite imagery of Baal in its memory.
- Much shared imagery between HB and Baal Cycle
- Mythic imagery was political
- Mythic language was used as
- way to tie divine and human kings
- unite tribal groups
- legitimize a ruler
- Mythic language was used as
- People drew on the imagery found in things like the Baal Cycle because everybody knew it, the poor, uneducated, rich, and educated.
- Canaanite literature was more anthropomorphic; our knowledge of Judean myth in that period reduced anthropomorphisms.
Theology, Priests, and Worship in Canaan and Ancient Israel by Karel van der Toorn (p. 2043-2058)
- Dichotomy of Israelite religion vs. Canaanite religion should be rejected.
- In the Iron Age (1200-500 BCE), “Israelite preachers labeled all non-Yahwhistic practices “canaanite.” A strict and uncompromising Yahwism, itself the outcome of a long process, was retrospectively presented as the original religion of the Israelites” (2043).
- van der Toorn focuses on the fundamental “common theology” of the religious culture in ancient Syro-Palestine.
- GODS
- gods of ancient world inhabited the earth
- Leviticus, god is in the tabernacle; Genesis, god chooses the enter the earth. Yahweh has a physicality in Israelite memory.
- No such thing as “faith”.
- Worldy phenomena was heavenly, the gods at work.
- dwelt at fringes, such as mountains
- Baal of Ugarit at Mount Zaphon.
- Yahweh of Israel from “Mountainous area in the southeast of Palestine” (2044).
- It is mistake to reduce gods to mere personifications of nature.
- “reality of the Syro-Palestinian gods was not metaphorical but personal” (2044)
- They had thoughts, emotions, will power, bodies, albeit incredibly large bodies.
- Fundamental difference was in terms of power, longevity, authority, influence, and knowledge.
- Deity is thought to be seated on a celestial throne
- cf. Temple imagery of Ps. 133
- Zion is the Temple/Palace of Yahweh.
- Syro-Palestinian religions shared the idea of a “fundamentally unfathomable divine essence… in the notion of holiness” (2045).
- gods of ancient world inhabited the earth
- PANHEONS
- Oldest pantheon is from Ebla (c. 2450-2250)
- Dagan is the leader of the pantheon, followed by Adda (Addu/Adad/Hadad)
- Dif. Adads worshiped in near cities
- Cthonic deities played a role in ancient Syro-Palestinian religious thought.
- Baal and Hadad developed into distinct deities, one Canaanite and the other Aramean.
- Different forms of Hadad based on location.
- Phoenicia
- Main goddess is Ashtarte, associated with Baal Shamem.
- Baal Shamem is also associate with Baal Malage and Zaphon.
- Seafaring gods.
- Philistines worshiped Dagan.
- Transjordan inhabited by Israelite, Ammonites, and Moabites, according to HB.
- Milcom of the Ammonites, Chemosh of the Moabites
- Both these deities are also situated at Ugarit.
- Group of underworld deities called the Shaddayin
- Occurs in Ps. 106.36 as the god of child sacrifice.
- Edom
- Regarded by Israel as kindred.
- Religious, this was very real; Yahweh, national god of Judah and Israel, is often associated with Mount Paran and Mount Seir.
- “it is the nearly unanimous verdict of historians of Israelite religion that Yahweh has southeast Semitic origins, whether his first worshiper were Kenites, MIdians, or Edomnites
- Yahweh is not a traditional member of the West Semitic Pantheon
- Although some characteristics of Baal was transferred to Yahweh, Yahweh’s origins were not in the West Semitic pantheon (p. 2047).
- Oldest pantheon is from Ebla (c. 2450-2250)
- National Theologies.
- Each communities in Syro-Palestinian region has one or two primary gods
- For city, tribe, or nation.
- I.e. Adad of Aleppo is not the same as Adad of Damascus.
- Polytheism was counterbalanced by “a particularism in the dovotion”.
- Notion of inheritance is employed outside of Israel
- Ugaritic texts call Mt. Zaphon the “inheritance of Baal”; netherworld the inheritance of Mot, god of death” (2048)
- Still on the notion of inheritance
- Philo of Byblos wrote:
- Kronos gave Byblos to Baaltis
- Beirut to Poseidon
- Egypt to Thoth
- Philo of Byblos wrote:
- Covenant, perhaps, popularily in Israelite religion because Yahweh was not always the god of Israel
- He had to compete with other West Semitic gods.
- “It may be surmised that he championed this covenant theology precisely because of the actual polytheism of his day” (2048).
- Use Deut. 6:4 as an example.
- Yahweh was not automatically the god of Israel
- So it had to be constructed theologically.
- While this approach to Yahweh’s centrality, namely the aforementioned, is unique, there are other West Semitic parallels
- Baal at Ugarit, Dagan among Philistines, Chemosh among Moabites
- These were the main gods; other existed, but they were lesser.
- Baal at Ugarit, Dagan among Philistines, Chemosh among Moabites
- “Devotion to the national god became a sign of political allegiance and patriotism” (2048).
- True, but the terms van der Toorn uses have far too much baggage in the modern period.
- Each communities in Syro-Palestinian region has one or two primary gods
- Religion and politics
- King played an important role in religion
- 2 Kings 11:17
- priest Jehoiada “made a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people, that they should be Yahweh’s people; and also between the king and the people” (2049)
- “So intricate were their links [palace and temple] that it is often difficult to say where religion stops and politics begin and vice versa.
- 2 Kings 11:17
- wrong to say that religion was a “state ideology in disguise” (2049).
- priests of royal sanctuaries were like civil servants.
- Political authorities tried to maintain power through policies on religious life.
- Saul tried to get rid of necromancers and wizards (1 Sam. 28:3).
- David transfered ark from Kirath-jearim to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6)
- A political AND religious move.
- King Jeroboam embellished Bethel and Dan sactuaries/changes date of autumn festival (1 Kings 12:25-33).
- Incriptions throughout Syro-Palestinian area show that kings were divine elected.
- Lady of Byblos made Yehawilk king of Byblos
- Baalshamein make Zakkur king of Hamath and Lu’ash
- We see this is Psalms through things like Ps. 2:7 and 110:3, both of which say, “I have begotten you.
- Divine paternity legitimized his position.
- Some double rulers as king and priest.
- king of Byblos was also the priest of the Lady of Byblos (2049)
- Some northern Aramiac kingdom referred king as a steward of the storm-god Hadad.
- We see this in Israel as well when kings are reported to offer sacrifices at altars.
- Find these references.
- Ancient Israelite religion had a procession of the ark into the temple to commemorate creation, which prolaimed Yahweh’s kingship’
- Also happens in LBA Ugarit and Emar.
- And in Babylon.
- King played an important role in religion
- Temples
- Many open-air shrines throughout 1st and 2nd millennium.
- Some cult installations were expanded into temples, or palaces for the temple.
- E(2).KAL is a palace in Akkadian or a temple for a diety.
- Temples typically contained images, and thus housing, for various gods.
- Ugarit had temples for El, Baal, Dagan, and others.
- Emar had temples for Ninurta, Adad, Ninkur, and others.
- Iron Age Judah: Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem.
- image of Baal and Asherah referred to as “vessels” (2 Kings 23:4)
- Hostpilaity for worship of sun-god and Tammuz (Ezekial 8:14-160 (2051).
- Juridical function of temples based on theology.
- The judge was the deity.
- “The situation at the Israelite temple at Bethel is probably characteristic of many Syro-Palestinian sanctuaries” (2051).
- Amos encountered a priest at a temple in Bethel while prophecying against him. (Amos 7:10-13)
- In short, temple was central in Syro-Palestinian religion; it was the intersection of heaven and earth; the crossroads of religion, social, economic, juridical, and politics (2052).
- Priest
- Priests needed to be unblemished throughout Syro-Palestinian region.
- Cf. Leviticus 21:16-24
- In Emar, they had the sacrificer, carrier of divine statue, diviner, singer, spouse of god, etc. (2052).
- Priests needed to be unblemished throughout Syro-Palestinian region.
- Worship
- Three types of offering in Israel
- Burnt, flour, and wine.
- These were also offerings at Ugarit and Iron Age Phoenicia (2053).
- Also, sheep, lamb, cows, birds, cereal, fruit, libations of win/hony/ghee/milk.
- Some meant sacrificing animals and then eating it.
- Meat was a rarity.
- Usually done for thankgiving for divine favor, vow payment, or spontaneous desire (Lev. 7:11-18).
- Annual sacrifice in Autumn, sacrifice at time of plower and sowing (October and December; end of harvent (Spring) (2053).
- Hymns considered part of temple worship.
- Similarities between a text at Ugarit (1.101:1-4) and Ps. 29, showing a shared tradition.
- See all other Psalms, of course.
- Various gestures for worship, symbolic of social relations
- bow down, bend over, etc. (2054).
- Sometimes, fees had to be paid to priest for sacrifice (2 Kings 12:16)
- This also happens in late examples of Punic tariffs which require payment to priest for sacrifice.
- Go to temples to get oracles
- Some prophets were actually paid, some were not.
- Three types of offering in Israel
- When I am ready to write, read pg. 2056-57 on ISRAELITE MONOTHEISM. This is an incredibly important thing to focus on when I write.