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The words "Baal" and "Baalim"
(Early Semitic
and Hebrew words -- Bá'ál; plural, Be`alîm or ba'allm)
As previously discussed, the word Baal dates back to
the oldest usage of Semitic and primarily meant "possessor",
"lord" or "owner" and was commonly used in the Old Testament.
In Hebrew, a man could be considered the "baal" of a house,
of a field, of cattle, of wealth, even of a wife. A ram was
said to be "baal" of two horns, a bird "baal" of two wings.
Inscriptions supply ample evidence of the word being used
in the other Semitic languages. In the Torah, the plural ba'allm
or be'alîm is used with same meaning as that of the
singular usage, whereas in modern translations it is used
only in reference to deities.
We've
always thought that we're not alone
Humans seem to easily anthropomorphize both the known world
and especially the unknown (both the visible and invisible
in simplistic terms). That is, we believe that the world around
us thinks and acts just like us. Likely most sentient beings
have similar thoughts, so this is not just a phenomenon confined
to humans.
A
common belief among all cultures through time has been that
there are unseen beings or powers that can influence us. Anything
not understood was (and still is for some) easily delegated
to this other realm. These entities are not necessarily always
thought of as being more powerful than us -- there are plenty
of cultures with beliefs of genies and spirits fluttering
about, during good and sometimes bad.
There
are many theories as to how the concept (or "realization",
depending upon your bias) of a god or gods came about. Some
believe that the following set of steps could have been a
path towards monotheism.
Springs
of life-sustaining water from crevices in rock faces are often
viewed as being miraculous, especially among the thirsty.
People often thought, "Where does that water come from?"
It's not too much of a leap of faith for early peoples to
have thought that there must be some spirit or being that
is the creator and owner of a water source. Another being
brings wind to an area. And another brings the rains.
The
term Baal eventually was being used in reference to the unseen
owners of local water sources, the wind, the rains, and so
forth. Eventually the belief was shared that this Baal for
this river must be the same Baal for that rock face spring
over there, and perhaps it's the same Baal as the one that
brings the rains. A regional owner of these life-sustaining
forces was soon thought of as being a regional god, a being
under which humans lived and relied upon for support.
Therefore,
some scholars argue that the original concept of Baal may
have derived from the belief that a Baal was a local god who
became the rightful owner of an area by creating and sustaining
life-providing springs and streams.
Others
assert that a Baal was the genius-lord of a place which
provided all of the elements that cause its fecundity: "bread,
water, wool, flax, oil, and drink" (Os, ii, 5; in the Hebr.
text 7).
Regional
Baals become a Big Baal
Through
time, the word Baal retained the connotation of ownership
but mainly in reference to a deity's control of an area. The
term was originally applied to various local gods, but by
the time of the famous fourteenth century BCE Ugarit tablets,
Baal had become the Ruler of the Universe.
Special
Baals
Several Baals enjoyed special attributions: as per the Biblical
texts, there was a Baal of the Covenant (Bá`ál Berîth (Judges,
viii, 33; ix 4); cf. 'El Berîth (ibid., ix, 46); one of the
flies (Bá`ál Zebub, IV Kings, i, 2, 3, 6, 16,); there also
probably was one of dance (Bá`ál Márqôd); perhaps one of medicine
(Bá`ál Márphê), and so on.
Among
all the Semites, the word, under one form or another (Bá`ál
in the West and South; Bel in Assyria; Bal, Bol, or Bel in
Palmyra) constantly recurs to express the deity's lordship
over the world or at least some aspect of it.
The
different Baals from various tribes, places and sanctuaries
were not necessarily conceived as identical. Each might have
had its own nature and its own name: the fish-like Baal of
Arvad was probably Dagan; Baal, also called Hadad, is regularly
denominated as "the son of Dagan" (the Biblical Dagon); the
Baal of Lebanon was possibly Cid "the hunter"; and the Baal
of Harran was the moon god. In several Sabean Minaean cities,
and in many Canaanite, Phoenician, or Palmyrene shrines, Baal
was worshipped as the Sun god, although Hadad seems to have
been the chief Baal among the Syrians.
The
diversity of the Old Testament intimates the many Baals by
speaking of Baalim (Baal in the plural), and specifying the
singular Baal either by the article or by the addition of
another word.
It
was believed that the fertility of the region depended upon
the activity of the Baal god manifested in the autumn and
winter rains and heralded by thunder. The Canaanite "lord"
or Baal, was also known by the names Hadad or Rimmon, "the
Thunderer". Baal was also thought to be the male principle
of life and reproduction and therefore was celebrated with
acts of extreme sensuality.
It
is interesting to note that the term Baal-land was regarded
as being distinctly different from irrigated land. These concepts
have survived down to the present day in Muslim law when making
tax assessment for poor relief. But it's interesting to note
lots of things, isn't it.
The
roots of monotheism
Some academics argue that these beliefs led to the monotheistic
conception of supreme deity, the Lord of Heaven, of whom the
various Baals would be different manifestations of the same
deity. Some deem that the Bible favours this view, for its
language frequently implies the belief of a supreme Baal.
Baal
bore the titles "Rider of the Clouds", "Almighty", and "Lord
of the Earth". Other interpretations have Baal as the "god
of the thunderstorm, the most vigorous and aggressive of the
gods, the one on whom mortals most immediately depend".
It
was believed that Baal resided on Mount Zaphon, north of Ugarit,
and is usually depicted holding a thunderbolt. The Ugarit
tablets make him out to be chief of the Canaanite pantheon.
He is the source of life and fertility, the mightiest hero,
and the lord of war.
With
such grand titles, there obviously there were many temples
for Baal-worship in Canaan, and the name Baal was often added
to that of a locality, e.g. Baal-peor, Baal-hazor, Baal-hermon.
Ancient documents speak of the Baal of Tyre, of Harran, of
Tarsus, of Herman, of Lebanon, of Tamar (a river south of
Beirut), and of heaven.
Yahweh
vs. Baal
Baal worship was prolific throughout much of the ancient Middle
East. In the land of Canaan, the worship of Baal was found
among the Moabites and their allies Midinites during Moses's
time and was also introduced to the Israelites. The Phoenicians
became the greatest seafaring culture of the time, thereby
spreading the cult of Baal throughout the Mediterranean.
The
Baal cult venerated Israel, and at times led to a syncretism
-- a combination of different forms of belief or practice.
The cult of Baal was initially widely accepted by the ancient
Jews. Baal
was once worshipped by the royalty of the ten Biblical tribes
of Israel and by all who depended upon the sun god for the
prosperity of their crops and livestock. Within the religion
there appeared to be numerous priests and various classes
of devotees. Ceremonies
of tribute often included the burning of incense, burnt sacrificial
offerings, and human sacrifice.
The
practices of holy prostitution and child sacrifice were especially
abhorrent to the Hebrew prophets, who denounced the cult and
its temples as described in the Bible. This abhorrence probably
explains the substitution of Ish-bosheth for Esh-baal, of
Jerubbesheth for Jerubbaal (a name of Gideon), and of Mephibosheth
for Merib-baal with the substituted term probably meaning
"shame".
Although heavy-handed censorship was enforced, Baal worship
was never permanently stamped out.
There is some uncertainty as to the derivation of the name
"Beelzebub". Note that Beelzebub is the patron god
of the Philistines in ancient Palestine and is also identified
with the god of Ekron, Baal-Zebub.
Some
believe that the term is a deliberate mocking perversion by
the Jewish religious leaders of the Canaanite Baal-Zebul ("Prince
Baal"), one of the standard titles of the god Baal. In the
Bible (which was derived from the Jewish Torah -- writings
that were obviously aligned with Jewish interests), Beelzebub
is debased as the prince of evil spirits. He is also called
"Lord of the Flies", derived from the Hebrew "Baal-Zevuv".
Since Judaism became the basis for monotheistic worship in
much of the world, "Beelzebub" is now synonymous
with evil. In early English literature, Beelzebub becomes
Satan's chief lieutenant in Milton's Paradise Lost.
The
Canaanite Baal, son
of El
The
agricultural Canaanites celebrated the annual death and resurrection
of Baal as a part of their fertility rituals. This Great Baal
of Canaan was believed to be the son of El, who was considered
to be their high god. Note that this Canaanite El and the
early Semitic god Yahweh have a great deal in common -- it's
likely no small coincidence that many Hebrew names end in
el, which has the meaning of "of god" (such
as "Immanuel", "Jezzebel", even "Israel").
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