Canaanite Pantheon

Canaanite Pantheon

Ryan Ellison

Kyle Fung

Cameron Villalobos

Canaanite Pantheon: History

Ugaritic Tablets & Cuneiform Writting

• Not much was known about the Canaanite religion.
• Other than what was described in the Bible.
• Conflicts between YHWH and the Canaanite deities can be seen throughout the Old Testament.
• Modern understanding of the Canaanite religion came from the discovery of the Ugaritic Tablets.

Thank You

Bibliography

http://www.crystalinks.com/cuneiformtablets.html

Albright, William F. Yahweh and the gods of Canaan: A Historical Analysis of Two Contrasting Faiths. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1969.

Burke, David G. “Baal.” Page 70 in The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Edited by B. M. Metzger and M. D. Coogan. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Cassuto, Umberto. "The Palace of Baal." Journal Of Biblical Literature 61. (1942): 51-6.

Chisholm, Robert B, Jr."Yahweh versus the Canaanite gods: Polemic in Judges and 1 Samuel 1-7." Bibliotheca Sacra 164. (2007): 165-80.

Green, Alberto R. W. The Storm-God in the Ancient Near East: Biblical and Judaic Studies Vol 8. Indiana: Eienbrauns, 2003.

Helmbold, Andrew K. “Canaan, Canaanite.” Pages 295-8 in The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia Vol. 1. Edited by C. F. Pfeiffer, H. F. Vos, and J. Rea. Chichago Moody Press, 1975.

Helmbold, Andrew K. “Gods, False.” Pages 697-708 in The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia Vol. 1. Edited by C. F. Pfeiffer, H. F. Vos, and J. Rea. Chichago Moody Press, 1975.

Knight, Douglas A. “Idols, Idolatry.” Pages 297-8 in The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Edited by B. M. Metzger and M. D. Coogan. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Lewis, Theodore J. “Israel, Religion of.” Pages 246-51 in The Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issues of the Bible. Edited by B. M. Metzger and M. D. Coogan. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Montalbano, Frank J. "Canaanite Dagon : Origin, Nature." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 13. (1951): 381-97.

Noll, K. L. "Canaanite Religion." Religion Compass 1. (2007): 61-92.

Oden, Robert A. "Baal samem and 'El." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 39. (1977): 457-73.

Seow, C. L. “Ugaritic.” Pages 541-2 in The Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issues of the Bible. Edited by B. M. Metzger and M. D. Coogan. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Sparks, Kent. "Religion, Identity and the Origins of Ancient Israel." Religion Compass 1. (2007): 587-614.

Steiner, Richard C. "On the Rise and Fall of Canaanite Religion at Baalbek: a Tale of Five Toponyms." Journal Of Biblical Literature 128. (2009): 507-25.

Unger, Merrill Frederick. "Archeology and the Religion of the Canaanites." Bibliotheca Sacra 107. (1950): 168-174.

Wood, William C. "The Religion of Canaan: From the Earliest Times to the Hebrew Conquest." Journal Of Biblical Literature 35. (1916): 163-279.

Wright, David P. “Syria and Canaan.” Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide. Edited by Sarah Iles Johnston. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2004.

Origins

• Many of the deities have Mesopotamian influence.
• However, Egyptian influence had an impact as well.
• Origins of these deities were also locally influenced.
• Agriculturally related deities reflected the communities dependency on the fertility of the land.
• Urban areas tended to attribute a royal model to the deities.
• Foreign influence is limited.

Canaanite Spiritual Practices

• Practiced Idolatry - the worship of idols as representative of the deity.
• Believed in the use of Incantations/Curses.
• Slaughtered Animals - Both Sacrificial and Non-Sacrificial

Dagon

•Bible story (Judges 16: 28-30)

-28 Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "Lord GOD, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." He strained with all his might; and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life.

Yahweh victorious over Dagon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Baal_Ugarit_Louvre_AO17330.jpg

Canaanite Pantheon

Aspects of Canaanite Religion

Conflict Between Israel and Canaan

Pantheon

• Canaanite religion left an influence on Israel in two distinct ways.
• Mythological themes were borrowed by the Hebrews and adapted to their religion.
• ie, Incense altars
• Reaction of the Hebrew Prophets to the false theology and idol worship.
• Life of the Canaans had significant repercussions on the history of the Hebrews.
• Early examples show that not only did the Israelites accept the Canaanite Pantheon, but they also worshiped other deities besides YHWH.

One Observation

God victorious over other gods within broken story

• Canaanite Pantheon is comparable to the Homeric pantheon.
• No local pantheon.
• With the Ugaritic tablets, there is a selection of deities but any details to tie them down locally have been omitted.

http://endtimesrevelations.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/dagon.jpg

Dagon

•Bible story (1 Sam 4-6)

-Israel went to battle with Philistines, got battered, then called upon the Ark.

-Philistines fear Ark at first, but then overpower Israelites, take Ark to Ashod to house of Dagon, and place Ark beside Dagon.

-Next morning, Dagon fell upon face. Philistines put Dagon back in his place.-Next morning, Dagon fell upon face, now without head or hands.

-Plagues come upon Philistines in Ashdod. One involves rodents – implying damage to wheat crops, which is another attack upon Dagon, the “wheat god”

.-Ark is sent to different Philistine cities, resulting in plagues and devastation, so Ark is sent home to Israelites.

Yahweh victorious over Dagon

Dagon

• Philistine's favorite deity
• Largely found in 1 & 2 Samuel
• God of Grains/Wheat

http://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/345-1-samuel-5-and-6/

Confusion Within the Pantheon

• The head of the pantheon was El, but the most active figure amongst the Canaanites was Baal.
• Baal was considered to be the God of Life, which would normally be attributed to the highest god on the Pantheon.
• Each deity had a flexible personality and function, making it hard to differentiate one from another.
• Astarte (Ashtaroth), Anath, and Asherah - Three goddesses who all represent war and fertility, especially fertility.

Conclusion

• Canaanite religion, while conflicting with the Israelite religion, did influence some aspects of it.
• Within the Canaanite pantheon, confusion was abundant.
• Even the discovery of the Canaanite religion, through the Ugaritic tablets, only recently allowed further understanding.