The Origins Of Yahwism

The relationship between the God of Israel (Elohim) and the Canaanite god El is widely contested among scholars. I will examine the Kinite position as the biblical account of Yahweh's origins. There's much discussion about the Ugaritic traditions, the Baal Cycle and the comparable material in the Bible related to the cosmic enemies. Ba’al confronts four enemies with basically the same names in the Ugaritic carried over into Biblical material. 

Transcript

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The subject today is the origins of Yahwehism. I will look at the difference between Yahweh, the god of the Israelites, and El, the god of the Canaanites. But before I do that, let me recap.

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An archaeological discovery in Syria has brought to light many ancient temple tablets of the Canaanite religion.

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The tablets revealed an old mythology naming three prominent deities El the supreme deity, Asherah the Lord of the Sea, and Baal the Lord of the Heavens.

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They are one big family, El and his consort Asherah with seventy sons. The relationship between the god of Israel, Elihim and the Canaanite god El is widely contested among scholars.

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Yes, there's wide support among them suggesting that Yahweh developed from the Al figure. Others contend for the Kenite position.

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The Kenite proposed explanation acknowledged similar parallels, traits, characteristics, titles, and attributes between them. However, there is no clear evidence to say that Yahweh and El are the same god or that Yahweh split off from Elfigar. The Kenite position proposes a strong theory of Yahweh's geographical connection with the south. There are biblical texts describing Yahweh's march from the south as well as Egyptian records describing Yahweh to Seir and Edom contending for early knowledge of Yahweh in these regions. Some of the most ancient texts of the Hebrew Bible and archaic poetry includes Exodus fifteen, Judges five, Deuteronomy thirty three, Abakuk three, and Psalm sixty eight, which provides clarity about early worship of the God of Israel. What's so revealing is that it places the origin of Yahweh in Timon, the south land, or from Edom, the country southeast of Judah or from Sinai. Based on this observation and others, some scholars long ago concluded that the worship of Yahweh, the god of Israel, had his origins south and east of Israel and Judah, in the region which today includes the northern part of Saudi Arabia, southern Jordan and Israel. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Kenites were a nomadic tribe in the ancient Levant. The Kanites were coppersmiths and metal workers. They played an important role in the history of ancient Israel. One of the most recognized Kenite is Jethril, Moses' father in law, who was a priest and shepherd in the land of Midian. According to the Kenite hypothesis, Yahweh was historically a Midian deity, and the association of Moses' father in law with Midian reflects the historical adoption of the Midianite cult by the Hebrews. Moses apparently identified with Jethro's concept of God Yahweh, with the Israelite god Alshadi. In the Exodus story, Moses flees from Egypt into the wilderness and has his encounter with Yahweh. This encounter takes place in the region referred to above. The first encounter between Yahweh and the Israelites was in Midium. Midiam being the name used in the Exodus story for the same region. Jethro at one point says that Yahweh is the greatest of all gods. Exodus eighteen and verse eleven. Simply put, Yahweh from the south probably did not originate from a Canaanite cult figure El, but it's possible El might have been an epithet or a cultic name of Yahweh. It should also be kept in mind that the role of El as Canaanite high god became largely insignificant at the beginning of the Iron Age around twelve hundred to one thousand BC. This diminished role probably explains why there are no traces in the Hebrew Bible of polemics against El. Yahweh and Atherat in the Old Testament this is Asherah, and the two are interchangeable names for the goddess Atherat. Atherat is an ancient West Semitic goddess who, in the earliest beginnings, is identified as consort of the supreme god, the queen of the Sumerian god Enu. She also appears in the Uyghuretic texts as Atherat, the consort of El, and by him she was the mother of seven or seventy gods. Seventy is a well known conventional number for a generally large family group. Hence the seventy sons designate not the divine council not the divine council as a whole but its leading members. As mother goddess she was widely worshipped throughout Syria and Palestine. She was frequently paired with Baal, who often took the place of Al. Asherah is the goddess of fertility and renewal in the cycle of life and was also known as she who walked the sea. She was often featured with a lion or ibex on either side of her. Asherah was a beloved household goddess to Canaanites who believed she brought special blessings to families and helped people to accomplish their goals. Her statues were found under most trees, some figures were carved from living trees or constructed as pillars beside roadside altars. Many terracotta figures of goddesses have been on earth around Jerusalem, with more being uncovered every year. But who was Atharat, known in the Old Testament as Ashrah to the Israelites? Well there is much debate in the academic world in an attempt to answer this question. Many scholars believe that Ashrah in the Jerusalem temple was none other than the symbol of the goddess, either a tree or a wooden pole, and the image was hers. Second Kings chapter twenty one seven. John Day, an Oxford scholar, says until the discovery of the Uyghuric text it was common not to accept her existence, but since the discovery of the text no one can deny there was a Canaanite goddess Asherah. And it is generally accepted that this same goddess appears a number of times in the Old Testament. For example, in Deuteronomy chapter sixteen, verses twenty one and twenty two, you shall not plant any wooden thing as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God which you shall make, and you shall not set up a pillar which the Lord your God hates. Day concludes his observation saying, It seems therefore that these texts reflect a religious syncretism in which Asherah was closely related to Yahweh, presumably as his consort. The presence of the symbol of the goddess Asherah next to Yahweh's altar most naturally suggests, he says, that she was regarded in the circles of those who hold to syncretism as Yahweh's consort. Although there is debate about the type of cult object mentioned in the Old Testament, the evidence is strong that the Asherah in the Hebrew Bible was a wooden pole symbolizing the goddess Asherah. For example, Exodus 34 and 13, it says, But you shall tear down and destroy their altars, smash in pieces their pillars, and cut down their asheraim. Asherim is a symbol of the mother goddess Asherah, usually a tree or a pole dedicated to her and placed near her many shrines. Also in Deuteronomy seven and five, and there's a quote in chapter twelve and three, and in chapter sixteen and twenty-one, but let me quote seven and five. But this is how you shall deal with them. You shall tear down their altars, and smash to pieces their sacred pillars, and cut down their asherim, and burn their carved or sculpted images in the fire. Judges six and verse twenty five also in verse twenty eight and thirty, but quoting verse twenty five, and tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the asherah that is besides it. Also in first Kings fourteen and verse twenty three, for they also built for themselves high places to worship idols and sacred pellars and asherum. These were on every high hill and under every luxuriant tree. Many scholars in the world of academia contend that Ashrah was a goddess venerated, worship in the Jerusalem temple devoted to Yahweh, and was therefore regarded as his consort. They often cite archaeological evidence discovered in the West Bank in the territory of Biblical Kingdom Judah. The eighth century inscription that mentions Yahweh and his Asherah. The tombs were investigated by an historian, a renowned historian and archaeologist, William G. Deaver. He argues that unless the goddess Ashra herself had been a living, potent deity and had been widely venerated, a symbol like a tree or wooden pole would have been meaningless, indeed a farce. And if it or she was powerless, why does it or she continues to appear with Yahweh? But not all scholars hold to this view. Mark S. Smith, a Princeton historian, is unwilling to acknowledge Asherah's full fledged goddess role in the period of the monarchs. He is willing to accept that Asherah played a role in the various functions in the cult of Yahweh. For Smith, the evidence is just not there. Now no doubt this debate will continue for some time to come. It's my view that it will zigzag as new archaeological evidence are found at Israel's ancient sites, adding new understanding to the biblical text. Now let's look for a bit at Yahweh and Baal. The Baal cycle is a Ugaretic cycle of stories about the Canaanite god Baal, a storm god associated with fertility. The Baal cycle series are summarized thus. Yam wants to rule over the other gods and be the most powerful of all. Baal opposes Yam and slays him. Baal with the help of Aneth and Arat me persuades El to allow him a palace. Baal commissions to build him a palace. Kings of the gods and rulers of the world seek to subjugate Mot. Mot kills Baal and Af brutally kills Mot, grinds him up, scatters his ashes. Baal returns to Mount Cephon. Mot having recovered from being ground up and scattered challenges Baal. Baal refuses. Mot submits. In the Ugaretic text, Baal is the one who rides the clouds. Baal is associated with lightning, storms, winds, thunder, rain, fire, arrows, and a chariot in the clouds. Baal as a storm god is represented with a thunderbolt and a spear touching the ground with streaks of lightning at its other end. The description became an official title of Baal's recognized throughout the entire ancient Near East as a deity of great veneration. To ancient people the one who rides the clouds was a deity whose status was on question. The leaders, scribes, and prophets of the Bible were quite familiar with Ba as a main source of anxiety and threat. There are many polemics against Baal in an effort to make the point that Yahweh, the God of Israel, deserves worship instead of Baal. The title of Baal as cloud rider is transferred to Yahweh. In the book of Deuteronomy it says Israel, no other god is like ours. The clouds are his chariot, as he rides across the skies to come and help us. Deuteronomy thirty three and verse twenty six. The book of Psalms has similar reference as well. For example, in Psalm sixty eight, praise the one who rides across the ancient skies. Psalm one hundred four Bless Yahweh, O my soul, who makes clouds his chariot. Isaiah nineteen verse one. Look, Yahweh is riding on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Yam, the god of the sea. In the Canaanite Patheon, Yam takes the role of the adversary of Baal in the Ugaratic Baal cycle. He is one of the Elihims and son of Al. Yam is one name of the god of river and sea. His palace is in the depths of the oceans. Yam is the deity of chaos and presents the power of the sea. The gods cast out Yam from the heavenly mountain Sapin. Yam is identified in the biblical text as the sea monster Leviathan. Mot was the ancient Canaanite god of death and underworld. He is the son of Al. He was worshipped by Canaanites and Phoenicians. According to Uguritic text, Baal is slain by Mot in battle. Annette, who is a powerful goddess of war, fertility, honored as a protector, agent of vengeance, and bearer of life, comes upon Mot, takes hold of him, splitting him with a blade, widowing him in a sieve, burning him in a fire, grinding him under a millstone, and throwing what remains of him over a field for birds to devour. El, Baal's father, dreams that Baal is alive, and sends Safpash to bring him back to life because the land has become dry. After seven years Mot, the death god, returns seeking vengeance. A single battle between the two breaks out and Mot is warned that his own father will turn against him and overturn his throne if he continues. Mot conceded and the conflict ends. It's important to compare Uyguratic traditions and the comparable material in the Bible related to the cosmic enemies. Baal confronts four enemies with basically the same names in the Uyghuric material and Yahweh in the Bible. For example, sea in the Hebrew is Yom or Pardon me Yam in the Uyghur. Leviathan in the Bible is also a reference to a sea monster. Tanin in the Bible is also a reference to a m sea or water monster. Then we have the word Mawit, which is a biblical word meaning in the Uyghuretic death. Israel and her enemies, Israel's enemies, just as these cosmic enemies are mentioned as Baal or Annette's old enemies, they are known in Israelite tradition as enemies of Yahweh the warrior God. Three of these enemies show up in Psalm seventy four twelve to seventeen. Let's read Our God and King, you have ruled since ancient times. You have won victories everywhere on earth. By your power you made a path through the sea, and you smashed the heads of sea monsters. You smashed the heads of the monster Leviathan, then fed him to wild creatures in the desert you opened the ground for streams and springs, and dried up rivers, you ruled the day and night, and you put the moon and the sun in place. You made summer and winter and gave them to the earth. Here in the Psalms the cosmic enemies defeat serves as prelude to creation. In comparison, Isaiah twenty seven and verse one shows Leviathan's defeat as a sign of the end times. Isaiah twenty five verse eight also declares a reversal of the power of the cosmic enemy death. It depicts God as swallowing up death, which reverses the comparable image of death's demanding to swallow Baal in Uyghuretic narration. The book of Job shows these cosmic enemies both as human enemies or foes and divine playthings. Job himself expresses the understanding of these forces as hostile powers. When he complains against God, am I sea? Am I a sea monster? Tanin? Is that why you imprison me? Job seven and twelve. Yet the narrative of Job downplays these enemies by reducing them as pits for divine pleasure. Yes, pits for divine pleasure, not as an enemy, but as a newborn baby. Job thirty eight verses eight to eleven. Leviathan is the sea creature caught by Yahweh's fish hook, drawn by a rope and nose ring. God asked Job, will you play with him like a bird? Job forty and twenty nine. Psalm one oh four and twenty six similarly in a very similar way identifies this figure as a creature made for play. Leviathan whom you form to sport with, it says. Biblical scribes do not acknowledge, no, they do not acknowledge their foes with the status of gods. Even though there was a time in Israel that they may have been regarded as divine. Thank you for your attention.