And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Notice the dramatic change of attitude in the people. The bulk of the Ugaritic mythological texts is concerned with the activities of Baal. Canaanite worship often took place in open-air sites at the tops of hills, referred to in the Bible as "high places." . The worship of Baal was popular in Egypt from the later New Kingdom in about 1400 bce to its end (1075 bce). In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. The Worship of Baal - Bible History 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). It disturbed them. Since the Ugaritic verified the antiquity and authenticity of this divine name, additional instances have been alleged in the Psalter and in Job. They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children. El is praised for his wisdom in granting the request since now it is insured that Baal will give his rain in season. Most of the information they gave turned out to be wrong, to be lies. Elijah prepared the way for Elisha, who had a double portion of Elijah's spirit and did many more miracles. 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. What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? 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. was furnished by Harvard University excavations in the form of personal names containing Baal as the theophorous element, such as bybl, "Baal is my father," bl zmr, "Baal sings" or "Baalis strong," bl zkr, "Baal remembers," bl mny, "Baal is my answer," etc. The worship of Baal penetrated Jewish religious life during the period of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became common in Israel during the rule of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33), and also influenced Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-2). Before descending to the realm of death, Baal copulates with a heifer and begets a male offspring. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. For those early Hebrews, Baal designated the Lord of Israel, just as Baal farther north designated the Lord of Lebanon or of Ugarit. The word bal, common Semitic for "owner, master, husband," became the usual designation of the great weather-god of the Western Semites. . In other words, prosperity turns people's heads. Theoretically, the Israelites did not believe in idols, but in reality, they did. Most often, it condemns Baal worship. Jun 2. THIS IS A PROFILE OF PRACTICES, DOCTRINES, AND SYMBOLS OF BAAL WORSHIP . (From Forerunner Commentary). These Israelites were lethargic in terms of true, spiritual matters. Everything Joshua* (Yehoshua) did was in accordance with the TaNaKh, which is an acrostic for Torah (=Law/Instruction), Neviim (=Prophets), and Ketuvim (=Writings). First was sexual orgies "under every green tree," where promiscuity and perverted sex acts were the norm. Study the god Baal, Baal worship, and the presentation of Baal in the Bible. Hosea exposes the problem between God and Israel. This full-body immersion was required for converts (giyur) to the sect called The Way (HaDerech) in Acts whether a Pharisaic/Saddusaic Jew or a Gentile proselyte (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_to_Judaism). Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. He was also king of the gods, and, to achieve that position, he was portrayed as seizing the divine kingship from Yamm, the sea god. BAAL the Religion of SATANISM - Loren Davis linked to Molech (also called Milcom in the Bible). Of special interest is the designation Aliy (ly) which is twice applied to Baal in the Krt Epic: Before the discovery and recognition of this name in Ugaritic, H.S. All rights reserved. Baal - World History Encyclopedia If Baal triumphed, a seven-year cycle of fertility would ensue; but, if he were vanquished by Mot, seven years of drought and famine would ensue. 18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. The right remedy, according to Israel's prophets, was to repudiate Baal completely and to seek and return to Israel's true God (Isa. He was considered superior to his father, El, the chief of the deities. Israel "walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel." 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). Did The Canaanites Really Sacrifice Their Children? | Bible Reading Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation. The latter name (Amarna, Addu) is to be related to Arabic hadda ("break," "crash") with reference to thunder. 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. Take the word isabel; it can be split as isa bel or as isai bel. ; contact address: [emailprotected]. Indeed, throughout its history, the most important god at Sidon was the storm godknown during the Phoenician period as Baal or Bel. In the mysterious tablets of Ugarit, discovered by Claude Schaeffer, Baal is the God of rain, thunder, and extraordinary bolts of lightning. (the Iron Age). Despite Gods efforts to dissuade them, the Israelites engaged with the Canaanite culture a little too much and adopted their practices, including Baal worship. However, before the war was over, both sides were summarily executing anybody who did this because those traitors could not be trusted. ed., 1965); H.B. People like to feel comfortable. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. Because Baal was neither alive nor a moral force, his worshippers felt they could communicate with him only by ritual actions that portrayed what they were asking him to do. The Aztec people used two calendars. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. Even now some ancient Jews (white and black) live in Cochin, Kerala, India. What happens if a person, trying to establish a religion, mixes falsehood with the truth of God? 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. At Shittim they attached themselves to Baal-Peor, ate sacrifices for the dead, and indulged in sacred sexual orgies (Num. (Iron Age) temple. Knowledge of Baals personality and functions derives chiefly from a number of tablets uncovered from 1929 onward at Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra), in northern Syria, and dating to the middle of the 2nd millennium bce. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. Learn about the Canaanite-Phoenician deities who were called Baal, which means Lord. No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV). That made God so angry that a plague spread through their ranks; Phinehas stood up and pled their case and the . In exchange, they would offer information about their unit. This is no different from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. Baal transformed into Zeus, who transformed into Jupiter, etc. A falling away is taking place right now. Recall God's prophecy in Deuteronomy 32:15, predicting that when Israel prospered, then it would rebel. This establishes the fact that the Cannanites (Phoenicians) has connections with the Tamil speaking ancient Kerala mariners. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. They clash violently until both are prostrate and the Sungoddess warns Mot not to fight with Baal lest El hear and overthrow him. Today, some evangelicals attempt to prepare the people for what is to come, but their teaching is a mixture of right and wrong. The triumph of Baal recounted in the myths and perhaps reenacted in ritual drama gave assurance of help in the present and the future as in the past. Ashtoreth was the fertility goddess consort of Molech. Since you mentioned John baptizing Jesus. 106 a ). Baal worship spread rapidly when the king of Israel, Ahab, married Jezebel, the princess of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31-32). Is Baal worship going on in USA and we don't even know it? 2:13) and *Asherah (Judg. All Rights Reserved. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? Our nation has embraced the old ancient paganism that we read about in the Bible. 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. A common designation of Baal in the Ugaritic myths is bn-dgn "son of Dagn"; but Baal is also considered the son of El who is called "Bull El his [i.e., Baal's] father; El King who begot him [Baal]" (tr il abh; il mlk dyknnh). One such deity who gripped Israel for a period of time was Baal. The Israelites fell into the worship of this idol(Numbers 25:3,5,18; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalm 106:28; Hosea 9:10). What would be considered Baal worship today? - eBible The laws given to Moses by God expressly forbade the Jews to do what was done in Egypt or in Canaan. Gen. 41; II Sam. Baal worship was the bane of the Ancient Israelites. This article is about Baal worship in the Bible. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. Silapadikaram, a Tamil Classic, mentions more than 200 musical instruments. Ashtar the Awful (ttrr) was then nominated to replace Baal, but when he ascended the throne, his feet did not reach the footstool nor his head the top and so he declined to reign on the heights of apn and descended from Baal's throne, but ruled over all El's earth. Who were the Sidonians of the Iron Age (c. 1200586 B.C.E.)? The only trouble is that people like to feel comfortable in moral mediocrity. Smith, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle (1994). Separating Fact from Myth: Asherah and Idol Worship - Steppes of Faith He just goes to sleep as he is freezing to death. 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. 3:10; cf. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Let's exemplify Baal doctrines as preached . Human-Ram Deity from Sidon. BAAL WORSHIP AND SEMITIC RACISM This term was used as a title and name of various local deities worshipped as guardians, heroes, and kings. Baal worship is something I associated only with Old Testament Bible days. At the foundation of every community is a way of life that its people live and teach their children. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. Baal (or Baalim) | Catholic Answers Required fields are marked *. Elijah is quite instructive here. Jesus says, "They are blind leaders of the blind. Kings Ahaz and Manasseh, (verses 9-11). In the Judeo-Christian tradition Asherah is considered a false Canaanite deity and a major source of temptation to the Israelites. Your email address will not be published. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. Doumet-Serhal explains the significance of the handles iconography: The dragon epitomizes the most fundamental ancient mythical perception of the Mesopotamian storm god. Historical Background of HoseaBaal and Idolatry. l, b . Adad (the Canaanite Hadad, the Semitic Hadda, the Hurrian Teshub, the Egyptian Resheph, the Phoenician Baal/Bel, the Sumerian Ishkur) is the Mesopotamian storm god, who has special maritime, celestial and meteorological attributes important to the well-being of sailors. . What the Bible says about Baal Worship - Bible Tools Tamil is connected with the Phoenician. By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. God's difference from us is that He is holy; He is moral and we are immoral. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them (2 Kings 21:3). Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. Baal was a god of prosperity, god of harvest, sex and fertility. 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. Sidon was well connected by trade by the traders of the Pandya kingdom of Tamil Nadu. 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. 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 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. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Elijah's work was to reveal the true God to Israel in a time of growing national crisis. Paul, in: Biblica, 49 (1968), 3436; U. Oldenburg, The Conflict Between El and Bal in Canaanite Religion (1969). But God. The word bel can be transformed into vel or val. The Spread of Baalism. They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. 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. 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. 13:2) such as Baal himself performed in the Ugaritic myth are depicted in the prophetic tirades. He sends someone long before the real crisis reaches its peak, while it is building. To become moral, we must kill our selfish egos through the use and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. Baal - the pagan idol in your garden. By Pat Franklin A third is that he is describing somebody teetering on a tightrope and trying to maintain his balance. This is God's way of showing that Israel abused its prosperity: It used its prosperity for the purposes of idolatry. 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. The prophet Haggai attributed the drought and scarcity in his day to the failure to rebuild the Temple (Hag. 106:28). A biblical pharaoh's border monument. In some cases, they attempted to attach this practice to worship of the Lord (Ezek 23:39). Join the BAS Library today. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two), Searching for Israel (Part Six): Israel Is Fallen, Is Fallen, He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true. (the Middle Bronze Age), this impressed handle depicts a ship and a leonine dragon, which is the symbol of the Mesopotamian storm god Adad. I know the firstborn of Creation through and for Him everything was made would appreciate it! Today Jezebel has built Baal altars in the name of 'church' and led many to Baal worship. A general understanding about the bamah and . 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. Baal - Wikipedia A religion with such a beginning was doomed to fail, bringing the nation down with it. 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. The events leading up to the Day of the Lord will be unmistakable to those with eyes to see. The spectacular victory for Yahwism did not have a lasting effect. Sidon is the birth place of Jezabel. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th11th-century B.C.E. The Lord calls for the worship of him and his idols to be uprooted and destroyed, and for the people to turn away from his false .