Religion in Ancient Israel Midterm (terms)

Ugarit

• Ancient Canaanite city

• Discovered in 1930s, changed everything

• Provided evidence of Canaanite religion not in bible

• Included Baal myth

Baal

• Young upstart God

• Storm god

• Becomes king

Baal Myth

• Defeats Yam

• Builds palace (house)

• Defeated by Mot 

  • Sent to underworld

  • Rescued by Anat

  • ___ returns

• Ends with balance between life & death

• Theme: kingship & rise to power

El

• Consort to Athirat, rules the pantheon with consort

• Chief Canaanite god

• Original god of Israel?

  • Appears in early names

  • Old poetry

Athirat

Consort to El, rules the pantheon with consort

Yamm

• Child of El

• Sea god

• Enemy of Baal

Mot

• Child of El

• Death god

• Defeats Baal temporarily

Shapshu

• Sun goddess who oversees the cosmos

• Travels between the heavens and the Underworld

Anat

• Warrior goddess

• Helps Baal defeat Mot

Asherah

• Could be:

  • Goddess

  • Cult symbol (tree/pole)

• Associated with Yahweh (“Yahweh and his Asherah”)

• Removed in reforms

• Athirat?

Cosmogony

• Origin story

  • Psalms (74, 89, and 104) and Genesis

  • Yahweh takes on Baal’s attributes

  • David and Yahweh connection

El Shaddai

• _____ = divine title (linked to older El traditions)

• Psalm 91 

  • “You who dwell in the shelter of Elyon, who abide in the shadow of Shaddai”

• Book of Exodus 6:2–3

  • Yahweh says he was previously known as ____

YHWH

• “meaning ?” patron god of Davidic-Solomonic dynasty 

  • LORD in Scripture

  • Based on the root “to be”

Elohim

• “god/gods” or “divinity” [masculine plural construction]

Khirbet el-Qom

• Tomb site in Judah 8th–7th century BCE

  • West of Hebron

• Country side of Judah

• Inscription: “Yahweh and his Asherah”

Archaic Biblical Hebrew

• These poems are the earliest compositions in Hebrew 

  • ca. 1200-1000

• They reflect the period before the rise of the monarchy

Enthronement Psalm

• A body of psalms that focus upon the kingship of Yahweh

• Pattern:

  • Epiphany

  • Sea battle

  • Sanctuary focus

Song of the Sea

• Exodus 15

• Yahweh defeats the sea

• Chaos battle

Shiloh

• Housed Ark or the Covenant 

  • The period of the Judges

• Early tribal religious center

• Mobile worship (fits tribal period)

Jerusalem Temple

• Centralized worship

• Yahweh’s permanent dwelling

David

• Founded the Davidic dynasty

• Moved Ark to Jerusalem

Solomon

• Builds Solomon’s Temple

• Phoenician influence

Babylonian Exil

• 586 BCE

• Leads to major religious change

Theophoric element

• Name meanings

• Divine name in personal names

• Shows loyalty to deity

Ark of the Covenant

• Yahweh’s throne

• Mobile → later stationary

Solomon’s Temple

• Replaces Ark as central symbol

Elijah

• Name means: “My name is YHWH.”

• Mount Carmel

  • Yahweh’s prophet against Baal prophets

Ahab

• King of Israel

• Husband of Jezebel

Jezebel

• Wife of Ahab

• Daughter of Athbaal

  • Name means: “Man of Baal”

asherah pole

• Cult object

• Associated with Asherah

• Destroyed in reforms

Hezekiah

• Judean king

• Pushed worship of Yahweh

• Stopped Assyrians

Manasseh

• Promoted “abominable practices”

• Blamed for exile

Josiah

• Religious reforms

• Centralized worship

• Destroyed Asherah

Arad Temple

• 2 standing stones

• 2 incense burners

Standing stone

• Represent Yahweh

• Placed above where the feet are

Samaria

Northern kingdom capital

Mount Carmel

• Site of Elijah vs Baal prophets

Ketef Hinnom amulets

• Silver amulets

• Contain priestly blessing

• Used for protection

Apotropaic

• Protection against evil

Lamashtu

• Demon figure (Near East)

• Threat to childbirth

  • Domestic

• Lilith

Lilith

• Night/demon figure

• Threat to infants & childbirth

• Lamashtu

Arslan Tash amulet

• Syrian amulet

• Protects against evil

Terror of the Night

• Fear of unseen threats

• Sound-based danger