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. Baal was a fertility and earth god of the ancient cultures and was later exported to Egypt where he was worshipped as the storm god. There are several ideas as to exactly what Elijah meant by "How long will you falter between two opinions?" Ahaz fostered Baal worship (II Chron. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. Avot 5:11 on the connection between tithing and rain). Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. 11:1011). For one to keep on coming to services and leaving, like a theatergoer, without his options, opinions, or decisions resolved but deferred, is an erosion of character. 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. The Aztec people used two calendars. 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. Now the word isai, simply means music in Tamil. Even now some ancient Jews (white and black) live in Cochin, Kerala, India. because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. Superstitious fear and sexual rites on the one hand fought against faith and loyalty on the other. Thus in any year anxiety about the rainfall would be a continuing concern of the inhabitants which would suffice to give rise to rites to ensure the coming of the rains. After we accept His calling, He commands us to become moral as He is. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. We may not sacrifice our children on altars for everyone to see; instead, we sacrifice them behind closed doors at a doctor's . In some cases, they attempted to attach this practice to worship of the Lord (Ezek 23:39). (II Kings 17:35-38). Apostasy is a defection from trutha forsaking of one spiritual approach in favor of another. What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? The word bel can be transformed into vel or val. The prophet Amos particularizes the epidemic of social injustice in the Kingdom of Israel. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan (1968); Albright, Arch Rel; S.M. Anyway she changed her mind and sent his son to Libya etc Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. In the Judeo-Christian tradition Asherah is considered a false Canaanite deity and a major source of temptation to the Israelites. More than 1400 of her works have been featured in various publications. Isaiah 29:13 clarifies what God means: "Therefore the LORD said: 'Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.'" The word bal, common Semitic for "owner, master, husband," became the usual designation of the great weather-god of the Western Semites. Christ warned the Pharisees: "For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the traditions of men." linked to Molech (also called Milcom in the Bible). 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. 14:2). Reuben Alcalay, a famous Hebrew lexicographer, stated that Yehoshua is closely related to Let there be So, lets be intellectually honest and start using the proper English translation: Joshua. (verse 8). Thus, according to Sakkunyaton, Baal's natural father was Ouranos and Dagn became his foster-father, while El-Kronos effected the transfer. The Largest Baal Worship Service on the Planet is in America August 27, 2017 by Andy Roman "They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." Daniel 5:4. Israel "walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel." Baal & Asherah. Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 spirits. Whatever the case, there is no doubt about Elijah's intent: "How long will you keep shifting from one opinion to the other?" Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Elijah's work was to reveal the true God to Israel in a time of growing national crisis. Groves and high places were places of worship erected to Canaanite gods and goddesses. The combined letters o and e is joined to pronounce the sound ye. Or about Yahweh? In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. Some of Judah's kings spent years tearing down shrines and high places to foreign gods (II Chronicles 34:1-7). The bird cannot make up its mind where it wants to settle down, so it just keeps hopping around. 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). Despite Gods efforts to dissuade them, the Israelites engaged with the Canaanite culture a little too much and adopted their practices, including Baal worship. The Assyrians deported the population en masse from its homeland in Canaan, transplanting it virtually in toto to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th11th-century B.C.E. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. Though it hurts, the pain is indicative of rescue and cure. Since El and Dagn are distinct deities, this seeming confusion over Baal's paternity needs explanation. 33:7) has been made the basis of intriguing speculation by Eissfeldt. They were afraid of God, but they did not really change their way of life. The latter title has a biblical echo in the corrupted form Baal-Zebub (II Kings 1:2ff. So-called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. The variant form Hadad (hdd) is attested to only once in Ugaritic. Discovered in a farmer's field in northeastern Egypt, this inscribed monument bears the name of one of the few pharaohs actually named in the Old . He was overseeing a tevilah (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism#Full-body_immersion_.28Tvilah.29) in a mikveh (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh). 3:10; cf. I prefer transliterating the sheva with [*] rather than any other English vowel letter, so I prefer Y*HWaH to YuHWaH or to YaHWeH, for that matter. This is the crux of our salvation through Jesus Christ. Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. It will be far more terrible than anything ever seen on this earth! ; contact address: [emailprotected]. He takes something loathsome and vile, something that is a direct affront to almighty God, a pagan idol, and turns it into a cute little children's fairy tale, so that you can buy the book, see the movies, get the cuddly toy, and bingo! One was 260 days and was used for . What Is Coptic and Who Were the Copts in Ancient Egypt? While much about Molech's nature and origin are uncertain, the Bible mentions Molech on eight occasions, providing some context regarding the problems associated with this ancient god. 19Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. What is so interesting is that, by verse 35, it is clear God is no longer addressing Himself to the Samaritans, but to Israel: [T]he LORD had made a covenant and charged [Israel], saying: "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. It was this Israelite worship of Baal which was challenged by the Hebrew prophet Elijah in his famous conflict with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in I Kings 18, when he challenged the. . Omissions? guilty of adopting the ghastly Canaanite practice of child sacrifice. This life-and-death struggle pitted the worship of Baal against the worship of Jehovah. Drought and the Fall of the Hittite Empire. There was, therefore, continuity in Sidons population from the Bronze to the Iron Age. The open-air altar shrine, called a bamah (plural bamot), is known through several books of the Biblical canonbut none more so than the Book of Kings, where they play a prominent role in assessing the performance of a king.Often referred to as "high places" in translations of the Bible, bamot were worship sites that usually contained an altar. In the mythology of Canaan, Baal, the god of life and fertility, locked in mortal combat with Mot, the god of death and sterility. In other words, prosperity turns people's heads. Charles Whitaker 11:17; I Kings 8:3536; Jer. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Looking at these two definitions we can say . Tamil is connected with the Phoenician. God's difference from us is that He is holy; He is moral and we are immoral. A DSS fragment has it spelled Iaw in Greek (iota-alpha-omega), which is consistent with Yahoah; see ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/lxxjewpap/4QLevB.jpg. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 114) or with eschatological victory (Isa. Some become discouraged with the church because we are always being toldto some measure anywaydisturbing things about ourselves. Sidons Storm God. One of the rooms in this temple had a bench, where offerings would have been placed, and an altar made of . In the Bible, the followers of the one true God encounter other gods, or previously worshipped idols themselves. They think that what they are doing is right, but they are deceived. This connects with the curse of Laodiceanism because God shows in the Laodiceans what can happen spiritually as people increase materially. The prophet turns the heat on, and they become angry with him when he is actually working to make them better. 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. 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 . How many pagan ideas have we let seep in? 55:613; Jer. . "But there was no voice. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. Huffmon, Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Texts (1965), 174; W.F. Who Was Baal? Learn about the Canaanite-Phoenician deities who were called Baal, which means Lord. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? But their carnality and their fear of men persuaded them to worship Baal, because they wanted to be friends with their fellow Israelites. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baals epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. In the Bible, Baal (also rendered Baal) was an important Canaanite god, often portrayed as the primary enemy of the Hebrew God Yahweh. Israel "feared other gods" (verse 7). Possibly even more treacherous than this was a parallel development: mixing the worship of Yahweh and Baal. Nyberg had restored it in Deuteronomy 33:12; I Samuel 2:10; II Samuel 23:1; Isaiah 59:18, 63:7; and Hosea 7:16. He is deceived into thinking that his material prosperity proves that God approves of his conduct and attitudes. THIS IS A PROFILE OF PRACTICES, DOCTRINES, AND SYMBOLS OF BAAL WORSHIP . There is no doubt that prosperity is good, but unless one is properly focused and disciplined, it can also be a demanding master because of its power to distract one into idolatry. Baal and Asherah were two giant stumbling blocks for the people of Israel. Yet, he was in trouble his whole life, from his teenage years on. God's pattern is being established. The latter name (Amarna, Addu) is to be related to Arabic hadda ("break," "crash") with reference to thunder. Did the Carthaginians Really Practice Infant Sacrifice? In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. Your email address will not be published. It is not known to what extent the Canaanites considered those various Baalim identical, but the Baal of Ugarit does not seem to have confined his activities to one city, and doubtless other communities agreed in giving him cosmic scope. The first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. In popular and syncretistic religion in Israel, Yahweh could be equated with both El and Baal. . Did the Ancient Israelites Think Children Were People. Depending on the tradition, she was either Baal's mother, lover, or both. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. But when a falling away happens around us, perhaps even beginning before we were born, it is easy for our minds to adjust to the point that we almost forget the continuing rebellion against God and His way. 27:1). If it is of men, it will not work very long. It proved extremely hard for a monotheistic faith to compete against the Canaanite fertility cult. The right remedy, according to Israel's prophets, was to repudiate Baal completely and to seek and return to Israel's true God (Isa. Historical Background of HoseaBaal and Idolatry. In Canaanite religion her primary role was that of mother goddess. Baal was a false god the feckless Jewish King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, attempted to force upon the nation of Israel during the time of Elijah the prophet (see 1 Kings 18). Baal, of course, could not talk to them, but if he could, he would probably have said basically the same thing, so the people were in a very uncomfortable situation. Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. Most often, it condemns Baal worship. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14). California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Portions of ancient Baal liturgy were adapted to the praise of Israel's God, as the Ugaritic poems have shown. It seemed they couldnt border a single person who didnt try to destroy them or convince them to worship their own gods. No doubt, we cant cover the breadth of verses on Baal here, but we should make a note that Baal becomes a big player in the book of Judges and during the time of the kings when Israel appears to succumb most to the foreign pantheons. Today, music performers entice young and old in the practice of the worship of Baal-Peor For a while, both sidesthe Confederate and the Unionaccepted those turncoats and took their information. Claude Doumet-Serhal of the British Museum details recent excavations at Sidon in her article SidonCanaans Firstborn, published in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. l /), or Baal (Hebrew: baal), was a title and honorific meaning 'owner', 'lord' in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity.From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. 2:13) and *Asherah (Judg. Then stood up Phinehas, and exe Then they linked up with Baal Peor, attending funeral banquets and eating idol food. 4:12; Hos. Evil practices never go away. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). What is so interesting is that, by verse 36, God is no longer reporting on the Samaritans but is addressing Israel. Through the window, a cleft in the clouds, Baal gave forth his holy voice which convulsed the earth and sent his enemies scurrying to the hills and woods. The Name] instead of prouncing the YHWH word even though the Masoretes added the sheva below the Y and the Qamats below the W. One interpretation is that it is a localized occurrence, in the sense of it happening just within the little flockthe church. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal" (verses 15-16). Recall God's wrath when Aaron made a golden calf at the urging of the Israelites in the wilderness and proclaimed a feast to the Lord (Exodus 32:1-5). The practice of Baal worship was wide spread in Bible times and was very evil. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/ggenova. 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! For this reason, God shows that the preacher, not the civil authority, is the most vital part of the community. The Jordan River (Nahar ha-Yarden) qualified as a mikveh as its flowing living waters originated from a natural spring (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River). We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). 10:25, 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18). A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. The basis for this view was the fact that in biblical usage the plural of the term, with the article, "the Baalim," appears to designate minor local gods (Judg. A religion with such a beginning was doomed to fail, bringing the nation down with it. 26:1920). Christ's purpose is to cure, not merely to comfort, so pain will be often involved when dealing with a prophet. The events leading up to the Day of the Lord will be unmistakable to those with eyes to see. Doumet-Serhal explains the significance of the handles iconography: The dragon epitomizes the most fundamental ancient mythical perception of the Mesopotamian storm god. Baal persuaded Asherah to intercede with her husband El, the head of the pantheon, to authorize the construction of a palace. Thus it is clear that Baal, representing the life-giving rains, fluctuates in his ability to withstand the power of Mot, who represents drought, sterility, and death. Baal rejoiced and celebrated with a banquet. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. We need to be reminded of it because it can have a detrimental effect on us. Your email address will not be published. Isai is music in Tamil and Vallavi means an expert. Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 demons. For Constantine, the acceptance of Christianity was done solely TO UNIFY TERRITORY, RELIGIONS, AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS. The proposition for the concept is as follows: The Latins called the Phoenicians as Poeni. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated divided means. I would also challenge the suggestion in the text of the article that the location of Lots cave is known. Next both Mot and Baal appear reconstituted and reactivated and again in conflict. Indeed, throughout its history, the most important god at Sidon was the storm godknown during the Phoenician period as Baal or Bel. 74:1314, 89:910, 93:1ff. Only the individual could decide which side he would be on, because Elijah made it clear, "God does not want you the way you are. (Iron Age) temple. Baal was also worshipped by various communities as a local god. In the parallel Ugaritic list, which is unfortunately very fragmentary, the "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" apparently corresponds to Baal apn, while those following are termed simply Baalim (blm). ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. In this regard, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and Elisha, a type of Christ. Alan, how said anything about John baptizing Jesus? BIBLIOGRAPHY: W. Hermann, in: DDD, 13238; M.S. El is praised for his wisdom in granting the request since now it is insured that Baal will give his rain in season. This second, universal interpretation is a better fit because, when we look at the whole passage, the events and personalities are worldwide in scope. A biblical pharaoh's border monument. Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation. It disturbed them. 13:2) such as Baal himself performed in the Ugaritic myth are depicted in the prophetic tirades. Kings Ahaz and Manasseh, Molech was another such god. Mot refused and boasted how he had mangled Baal. The latest archaeological discoveries shed light on Biblical Sidon and provide a window into the Sidonians polytheistic religion and worship practices during the Bronze and Iron Ages. The above comment is by Prof. Abraham Joseph, M.Sc., M.Phil. The word "Baal" derives from the Semitic stem "bel", meaning "lord". The Bible tells us that there were dire consequences for Israel worshiping a false god (Judges 2). What modern-day Baals have we worshipped in place of God? Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: And the plague brake in upon them. This establishes the fact that the Cannanites (Phoenicians) has connections with the Tamil speaking ancient Kerala mariners. ed., 1965); H.B. The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". Updates? 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. Murder and sexual immorality was a part of Baal worship. In the Hebrew Bible, Moloch is presented as a foreign deity who was at times illegitimately given a place in Israel's worship as a result of the syncretistic policies of certain apostate kings. Let's exemplify Baal doctrines as preached . However, God shows there is a possible harmful, secondary effect: As people become financially secure, their attention is diverted from His purpose to vain and unimportant things. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. Gen. 41; II Sam. One such deity who gripped Israel for a period of time was Baal. Combine a one-year tablet and print subscription to BAR with membership in the BAS Library to start your journey into the ancient past today! *Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE MORE THAN THE CREATOR". Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. And she has taken over many so-called churches. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. You have a cuddly little Baal idol in your child's bedroom without even suspecting it. Since their rejection of the house of David under Jeroboam I, the Israelites had practiced a syncretistic religion (Amos 5:21-26; 8:14; I Kings 12:25-33). 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. 1:4; Hab. The Sovereign Creator is not a God who allows His favor to be bought with crumbs. Elijah says disturbing things. Dated to c. 1750 B.C.E., the handle pictures the storm god as a leonine dragon. In the books of Kings and Chronicles, we can read the record of a given king who turned away from God and served the Baals, and the foolishness sounds quick and casual because we are reading a summary. Observing Christmas and Easter in the name of Christ is no different. And Asherah and Baal led the way together (Judges 3:7, 1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 23:4). At one point in A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton, he deals with soldiers who left the service of their armyeither the Confederate army or the Union army. But Baal was not exclusively a fertility god. Jun 2. Jehu's massacre of the Baal worshipers (II Kings 10:1828) did not eradicate bull worship (II Kings 10:31). 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. So it was that, about 250 years after it was established, the ten-tribed northern kingdom became extinct as a sovereign nation. These Israelites were lethargic in terms of true, spiritual matters. As a result of their sin, the men of Israel were judged by God. In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. The most prominent idol that they worshiped was Baal. Nevertheless, despite the biblical tendency to avoid the use of the word as a proper name, it is now quite clear that by pre-Israelite times the term had become the usual name of the weather-god of Syria-Palestine. Most of them were just saving themselves and making themselves comfortable in their situation. 14:2, 9; Num. What the Bible says about The word is used as the name of a town in ancient Israel in Deuteronomy 1:4, Joshua . Baal worship was the bane of the Ancient Israelites. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. First was sexual orgies "under every green tree," where promiscuity and perverted sex acts were the norm. This god also, apparently according to Canaanite lore, defeated El and had associations with the sun and thunder. Two practices in particular are mentioned in Scripture. There are indications that Baal and other gods and goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon were associated in the minds of their worshipers with certain heavenly bodies. Elijah had to take drastic measures to prevent Baal worship from completely eradicating the worship of the true God (I Kings 18:20-40). . Given Jezebels religious fervor in the Bible, one would expect to find evidence of Baal worship at Sidon. It indeed produces great material prosperity, but it is consumed through self-indulgent gorging. At the foundation of every community is a way of life that its people live and teach their children. The god of arts and crafts, Kothar, then proceeded to build for Baal the most beautiful of palaces which spread over an area of 10,000 acres. Fertility was envisaged in terms of seven-year cycles. 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).