Pagan Mythology and the Bible - Finds from Ugarit

[cyberjosh]

A terrific article titled "Pagan Mythology and the Bible" was published over 10 years ago by Garry K. Brantley. It shows how finds from Ugarit & Ras Shamra have aided Biblical studies, and also some ways in which it has negatively impacted it by interpretations imposed by liberal scholars. Concerning some common themes and/or elements between pagan mythology and the Bible Brantley argues for "Similarity, Not Dependence" and states rather smartly,

[W]e should expect some similarity of language and literary style between extra-biblical and biblical texts due to common cultural milieu (see Redford, 1987, 13[3]:27). In fact, if biblical language and style were entirely unlike the literature of its secular contemporaries, the Bible’s authenticity would be suspect.

[aside]

I have also bought a terrific book from him called Digging for Answers: Has Archaeology Disproved the Bible?, and you can get it on amazon used for $0.01 (!!!) up to $2.50 (if for some reason $0.01 seems suspect - but look at the seller's good ratings) at its cheepest, and I bought mine from there for $3 or $4 used I think (it had some underlined sentances - but who cares?). He talks about this issue with Ugaritic literature & the Bible in one of his chapters, as well as cases against the Documentary Hypothesis, discusses the "Historical-Critical Method", some gnitty-gritty on the actual scientific method of archaeolgical digs with facts about strata, etc., discusses evidence of the conquest of Canaan and its conflicting theories, and also as well has a very good introduction as to how Biblical Archaeology has changed and grown with different "schools" of thinking starting with the great W. F. Albright up to modern day. He also carefully delineates the difference between the evidence & the "schools of thought" for interpreting that evidence. Most importantly it's not boring or mundane and is highly readable and compact (170 pages) and I gurantee you wont get bored with it. One Amazon reviewer's review-title says it all: "Exceptional in readability and approach...". It is very engaging.

For $0.01 you should have no excuse not to buy that book! (You do have to pay shipping of course though ) It has invaluable apologetics information about archaeology that is presented in a rather unique, fair, and inteligent format. And for the skeptics he is also bound to satisfy them to a degree as well because of his very reasonable and balanced approach, although he does err on the side of the Bible (but for good reasons which he presents and explains at length in the book). He also has terrific source citing so that you have lots of supplemental material to reference (similar to the amount of sources used for that article above - roughly - for each chapter in the book). In short: I recommend it.

[/aside]

But perhaps we can discuss some of these issues and delve into ANE texts and the semitic cultural context in which the Bible was written.

[continued below to keeps posts to a reasonable size...]

 

[cyberjosh]

As a second focus as well though it is interesting to note benefits that the texts from Ugarit have given Biblical scholars for interpreting more accurately ancient Semitic words. Jeff Benner who started the Ancient Hebrew Research Center [here] has a whole section on Ugarit on his site, and one article titled "Ugarit and the Bible" notes some of the linguistic benefits that we have gained from studying those texts. One of the more interesting facts is something we learn about the Prophet Amos:

In Amos 1:1 we read that Amos was a "shepherd" . The normal Hebrew word for shepherd is רע׆(ra'ah). Instead this passage uses the rare word נקד (noqed, underlined in red above) which is found in only one other passage (2 Kings 3:4) and is applied to Mesha, King of Moab. It is difficult to determine the meaning of Hebrew words that are rarely used in the Biblical text as there is not enough context to make an accurate assessment of the word. By turning to other Semitic languages the meaning of some words can be found and this is the case with this word. The Ugarit word (neqed), a closely related word to the Hebrew נקד (noqed), is used for one who is in the sheep business. This is not just a simple shepherd but one who owns or manages a large operation. Thanks to the Ugarit tablets discovered, we are able to understand the Biblical text with more clarity

This meaning for noqed of a "large sheep owner/businessman" (perhaps head of a sheep-herding guild - many scholars believe) actually makes alot of sense in the context of the Bible and what we know of Mesha from the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone). Mesha in the Bible, as recorded in II Kings 3, was required to give King Omri of Israel 100,000 sheep annually, and the Mesha Stele also shows that Mesha kept and was known for sheep in the land:

Mesha records,

"And I built ... the temple of Baal Meon; and I established there [...] the sheep of the land" (lines 29-31).

The reference to sheep is significant, as it reflects the main occupation of the people of Moab, in agreement with the Bible. 2 Kings 3:4 tells us,

Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to supply the king of Israel with 100,000 lambs and with the wool of 100,000 rams.

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a019.html

Mesha was clearly a major sheep dealer and very powerful (obviously, because he was King), and so noqed probably did mean a sheep manager and seller who was higher up on the heirarchy. So it is likely that Amos came from an upper class family and was head of a guild (for trade purposes) which had dozens of other shepherds under him. Another article on Amos says it best:

Shepherds and farm laborers in that era would typically have been illiterate, but the prophecies of Amos are cast in beautiful and often fiery language that calls upon a wide variety of types of literature and employs a rich poetic tongue. His oracles show broad knowledge of the history of both Judah and Israel as well as of the kingdoms and empires that surround them - scarcely what one might expect of a farmhand. Moreover, the word translated "shepherd" is not the common Hebrew word for that type of work but a rare word (noqed) that occurs in only one other passage, 2 Kings 3:4, where it identifies a royal sheep rancher. On the basis of these clues, many scholars have concluded that before he became a prophet, Amos may well have been a substantial owner of flocks of sheep and goats and of herds of cattle and may have owned groves of sycamore fig trees that provided his cattle with fodder.

Thus, it was likely a relatively prosperous and well-educated man to whom the call of God came. As Amos succinctly put it, "The Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel'" (Amos 7:15).

Amos did not approach his task as a professionally trained prophet or a member of one of the prophetic guilds known as sons of the prophets. "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son" (Amos 7:14), Amos strongly asserted. He was not denying that God had indeed called him to prophesy, but he was consciously separating himself from professional prophets who made their living by foretelling the future and who thus could often be corrupted by royal patrons.

At any rate, this is one of the many things from the knowledge which we have gleaned from finds at Ugarit which has aided Biblical studies.

Tell me your thoughts, questions, and comments - and if you have any other interesting topics related to this please post them.

God Bless,

~Josh

 

[nadab]

In the year 1928, the plow of a Syrian farmer struck a stone that covered a tomb containing ancient ceramics. Hearing of this find, a French archaeological team headed by Claude Schaeffer journeyed there in 1929. Before long, an inscription was unearthed that enabled the team to identify the ruins as the ancient city of Ugarit. Writer Barry Hoberman said that "no archaeological discovery, not even that of the Dead Sea Scrolls, has had a more profound impact on our understanding of the Bible."(The Atlantic Monthly, Feb. 1985)

Thousands of clay tablets were discovered throughout the ruins of Ugarit. Economic, legal, diplomatic, and administrative texts have been found in eight languages, written in five scripts. Schaeffer's team found inscriptions in a hitherto unknown language - given the name Ugaritic - using 30 cuneiform signs, which followed the same order as Hebrew, but added other letters.

Ugarit was a flourishing cosmopolitan city in the second millennium B.C.E., producing cereals, olive oil, wine, and timber - a product sorely lacking in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Moreover, the city's location at the strategic trade routes made it one the first great international ports. Despite it's material prosperity, Ugarit was always a vassal kingdom.

The city was the northernmost outpost of the Egyptian Empire until incorporated into the secular Hittite Empire in the 14th century B.C.E. Ugarit was obliged to pay tribute and to supply it's overlord with troops. When invading "Sea Peoples" (generally identified as seafarers from the Mediterranean islands and coastlands, Amos 9:7) began ravaging Anatolia (central Turkey) and northern Syria, Ugarit's troops were requisitioned by the Hittites, leaving it defenseless and was completely destroyed in about 1200 B.C.E.

The city of Ugarit (the modern Ras Shamra on the Syrian coast opposite the north-east tip of the island of Cyprus), "has provided information about worship quite similar to Canaan's, including its gods and goddesses, temples, "sacred" prostitutes, rites, sacrifices, and prayers. A room was found between a temple to Baal (Hebrew meaning "Owner; Master") and another temple devoted to Dagon (a god of the Philistines and believed to have been adopted from the Canaanites) that contained a library of hundreds of religious texts considered to date from the 15th and early 14th centuries B.C.E. The mythological poetical texts reveal much about the Canaanite divinities El, Baal, and Asherah and the degrading form of idolatry that accompanied their worship."(Insight on the Scriptures, vol. 1, p. 152)

Merrel F. Unger, in his book Archaeology and the Old Testament (1964, p. 175) commented: "The Ugaritic epic literature has helped to reveal the depth of depravity which characterized Canaanite religion. Being a polytheism of an extremely debased type, Canaanite cultic practice was barbarous and thoroughly licentious."

Ugaritic documents opened a new door to the religious concepts and practices of the time. The religion of Ugarit appears to have borne great similarities to that practiced by the neighboring Canaanites. Little was known about Baal worship aside from the Bible's references to it until excavations at Ugarit brought to light many religious artifacts and hundreds of clay tablets. Many of these ancient documents, now known as the Ras Shamra texts, are thought to be liturgies of or words spoken by those participating in the rituals at the religious festivals.

More than 200 gods and goddesses are mentioned in the Ras Shamra texts, with the supreme diety being El. Some of these goddesses, such as Ashtoreth, symbolized the quality of not only sexual lust but also of sadistic violence and warfare. The Baal Epic from Ugarit depicts Anath as effecting a general slaughter of men and then decorating herself with suspended heads and attaching men's hands to her girdle while she joyfully wades in their blood. She is also depicted as threatening to smash the skull of her father, El, and cause his gray hair to flow with blood and his gray beard with gore if he did not comply with her wishes.

Divination, astrology, and magic were widely practiced in Ugarit. One Ugaritic poem seems to indicate that cooking a kid in milk was part of fertility rite common in Canaan religion. In the Mosaic Law, however, the Israelites were ordered: "You must not boil a kid in it's mother's milk."(Ex 23:19)

The extremely base and degraded nature of Canaanite worship, of which Ugarit was a part, underscores the justness of God's executing a decree of destruction upon the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham's seed. Just before the nation of Israel was to enter the land, Moses told them: "And you well know that Jehovah your God is crossing before you. A consuming fire he is. He will annihilate them, and he himself will subdue them before you; and you must dispossess them and destroy them speedily, just as Jehovah has spoken to you....It is for the wickedness of these nations that Jehovah is driving them away from you."(Deut 9:3,4)

 

[cyberjosh]

Thanks for the contribution nadab! Detailed as always.

Did you say at one time that you have access to some database that helps you do your research? I'm trying to recall what you said. I might be interested in looking at such a database myself. It seems to have plenty of detailed information.

God Bless,

~Josh

 

[nadab]

Hello cybershark,
The in-depth database I use is the Watchtower Library, that is updated yearly. However, it is only available to Jehovah's Witnesses. We recognize it essential to take in "accurate knowledge" of the Bible and have "full discernment", in order to "make sure of the more important things, so that (we) may be flawless and not be stumbling others up to the day of the Christ."(Phil 1,9,10)

 

[wavy]

The bible has its fair share of mythology and repugnant cultic practices, with due respect to nadab.

One topic I have been studying lately pertains to the light the Ugaritic texts have cast on the ancient religion of Israel, including its polytheistic backround. I think that could make for interesting discussion....


Kind regards,
Eric

 

[stovebolts]

The Baal Epic from Ugarit depicts Anath as effecting a general slaughter of men and then decorating herself with suspended heads and attaching men's hands to her girdle while she joyfully wades in their blood. She is also depicted as threatening to smash the skull of her father, El, and cause his gray hair to flow with blood and his gray beard with gore if he did not comply with her wishes.

Some thy's got converted to they from Word.. hopefully I've caught them all.

The Baal Epic
Source: Ancient Near Eastern Text. Pritchard. Pg 136
…[…] Serves Puissant Baal, Ministers to the Prince, Lord of Earth. He rises, …, and gives him to eat.
He cuts the faat meat before him, With the bounteous knife fatling’s tenderness.He stands, serves liquor, and gives him drink. He places a cup in his hand, A flagon in the grasp of his hand; A vessel large and conspicuous, A jar to dumbfound a mortal; A holy cup of woman ne’er seen, Only Asherah beholds such a flagon. He takes a thousand pots of wine, Mixes ten thousand in his mixture. He rises, plays and sings, The musician plays the cymbals; The sweet-voiced youth doth sing Of Baal in the Fatness of Zaphon. Baal regards his lasses, Looks at Padriya, daughter of Ar, Also at Talliya daughter of Rabb. … … […].
… […]…

[…] …
Henna of seven maids,
Smell of coriander and ambergris. She locked the gates of Anath’s house and met the picked fighters in…
Now Anath doth battle in the plain, fighting between the two towns; Smiting the Westland’s people, Smashing the fold of the Sunrise. Under her, heads like sheaves; Over her, hands like locusts, Like a grasshopper – mass heroes’ hands. She binds the heads to her back, fastens the hands in her girdle.
She plunges knee –deep in knights’ blood, Hip-deep in the gore of heroes.
With darts she drives…, With the … of her bow… Now Anath goes to her house, The goddess proceeds to her palace.
Not sated with battling in the plain, With her fighting between the two towns, She pictures the chairs as heroes, Pretending a table is warriors, And the the footstools are troops.
Much battle she does and beholds, Her fighting contemplates Anath: Her liver swells with laughter, her heart fills up with joy, Anath’s liver exults; For she plunges knee deep in knights’ blood, Hip-deep in the gore of heroes.
Then, sated with battling in the house, Fighting between the two tables, …[…]s the knights’ blood, Pours the fatness of dew in a bowl. Maiden Anath washer her hands, Yabamat Liimmim her fingers; She washes her hands of knights blood, her fingers of gore of heroes. […]… to chairs,
Table also to table; Footstools turn back into footstools. She draws some water and bathes; Sky dew , fatness of earth Spray of the Rider of Clouds; Dew that the heavens do shed, Spray that is shed by the stars. She rubs herself in with ambergris [From a sperm whale] whose home’s in the sea.

The other story is from the story of Aqhat Page 151-152
Source: Ancient Near Eastern Text. Pritchard.
She penetrates El’s field and enters the pavilion of King Father Shunem. At El’s feet she bows and falls down , Prostrates herself, doing him reverence. She denounces Aqhat the Youth, Dames the child of Daniel the Rapha-man. Quoth the Maiden Anath, Lifting up her voice and crying:

(In 54-55 on the word “Aqhat†can be made out. A further 10 lines or so are missing. In them Anath may well have told a cock and bull story about the unaccommodating youth. In any case, El declared he could, or would don nothing against Aqhat.)

[… But the Maiden Anath replied: O El! [… rejoice not. Rejoice not […, Exult not [… With the might of my long hand, I’ll verily smash thy pate, Make thy gray hair flow with blood, Thy gray hair of thy beard with gore. And call Aqhat and let him save thee, The son of Daniel and let him deliver thee, from the hand of the Maiden Anath! Answered the Kindly One El Benigh: “I ween’d , daughter mine, thou wast gentle, And goddess free from contumely. On, then, perverse daughter; Thou’lt take whatsoever though wilt. Thouâ€â¢lt compass whatever thou list: Who hinders thee will be crushed.†– The Maiden Anath rejoices. There she is off on her way Toward Aqhat the Youth, O’er thousand fields, ten thousand acres.
Now laughs the Maiden Anath, and lifts her voice and cries: Oh, haearken but Aqhat the Youth, Thou’r art my brother, and I thy sister.

 

[wavy]

Comparably gory biblical passages related to Yahweh (or condoned by Yahweh):


I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.
--Deuteronomy xxxii.42


The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
--Psalm lviii.10

For the LORD'S indignation is against all the nations, And His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter. So their slain will be thrown out, And their corpses will give off their stench, And the mountains will be drenched with their blood. And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree. For My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats,With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Wild oxen will also fall with them And young bulls with strong ones; Thus their land will be soaked with blood, And their dust become greasy with fat.
--Isaiah xxxiv.2-7

I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come. I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.
--Isaiah lxiii.3-6

For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of hosts, A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the sword will devour and be satiated And drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord GOD of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.
--Jeremiah xlvi.10



Thanks,
Eric