aus Ugarit , the standard collection of this www.theology.edu, Quartz Hill School of Theology43543 51st Street It served as the crossroads between Mediterranean culture and the world of the Sumerians and Akkadians in Mesopotamia. These dead ancestors were known among both the Canaanites and Israelites as Rephaim . Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, 2. scholar. In 1 Kings 22:19-22 we read of Yahweh meeting with his heavenly council. Most of Schaeffer’s work—and that more directly related to Biblical studies—was on the top two levels, Strata II, 2100-1600 b.c., and Strata I, 1600-1200 b.c. The folks at Ugarit were also plagued by a host of demons and lesser gods. Uriyahu, the king, has written this. They are, in short, related languages and literatures. expressions are used in the Bible and Ugarit. The youngest son and daughter, Elhu and Thitmanet, were genuinely grieved at their father’s condition, but the firstborn Yassib thought only of his own prospects as his father’s heir. Ugarit has provided textual and linguistic material for the Sem. One of the central Ugaritic myths was the story of Baal's enthronement as king. The area where the archives of Ugarit were found had long been known by the Arabs living on the Mediterranean Sea coast of modern Syria as Tell Ras Shamra. Ugaritic is the next important step in understanding the Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) texts and culture that relates to the Bible. It did, however, employ the concept of battle as a figure of speech to declare the victory of God over the power of death. When the writer of the Biblical flood story wanted to describe the torrents of rain which fell on earth, he used the poetic expression, “The windows of the heavens were opened” (Gen 7:11). Baal is described as the rider on the clouds in KTU 1.3 II 40. The Israelites did not leave as many artisitic pieces behind as did their Canaanite neighbors. Many texts discovered at Ugarit, including the “Legend of Keret ,” the “ Aqhat Epic ” (or “Legend of Danel”), the “Myth of Baal-Aliyan ,” and the “Death of Baal,” reveal an Old Canaanite mythology. Jer 16:5// with KTU 1.17 I 26-28 and KTU 1.20-22). teacher instructed his students on these matters, he The epic entitled “The Birth of the Beautiful and Gracious Gods” describes a ritual of seething a kid in its mother’s milk in order to procure rain for the parched soil of Canaan. chapter and verse). Evaluation of the stories and the events they describe is a problem that requires other comparative evidence. Among the other gods worshipped at Ugarit there are Dagon, Tirosch, Horon, Nahar, Resheph, Kotar Hosis, Shachar (who is the equivalent of Satan), and Shalem. ilm. But after the discovery of the Ugaritic texts we gained new information concerning the meaning of archaic words in the Hebrew text. One of the most famous of the lesser deities at Ugarit was a chap named Dan il. and worms are your covering. We also understand the Biblical literature itself much better as we are now able to clarify difficult words due to their Ugaritic cognates. We now have a much clearer picture of Canaanite religion than we ever had before. For instances, read KTU 1. Cf. and his enemies have been conquered The prophet’s tragic experience is an allegory telling of God’s relationship with Israel. From the netherworld, however, Mot issued a further challenge to Baal. For example: the Ba'almentioned as Canaanite idol in the Bible, is known from Ugarit as well. Website: Baal, like Yahweh (cf. The reason Israel was so attracted to Baal Yet the Israelites sometimes participated in these pagan practices, as 1 Sam 28:1-25 clearly shows. Gray, The Legacy of Canaan (1957). Also see Ps 74:13-14 and 104:26. Ugarit was situated about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Antioch, about one-half mile from the Mediterranean Sea and directly east of the island of Cyprus. The ancient Canaanite city-state of Ugarit is of utmost importance for those who study the Old Testament. The story breaks off here, but one can be sure that it went on to tell how Pigal identified the murderer of her brother, and brought about his death in retaliation. bny . Eat, o Gods, and drink, Baal, at Mot’s insistence, journeyed to the netherworld. So, instead of honoring dead ancestors, Israel honored their live ancestors (as we clearly see in Ex 20:12, Deut 5:16, and Lev 19:3). Besides single words being illuminated by the In reality, however, based on the discoveries at Ugarit (the land called Canaan in the Bible), El is clearly the father of the gods in much the same way that Zeus is the head of the gods on Olympus in Greek mythology. In this text a goat is sent into the wilderness for Azazel (a demon) and one is sent into the wilderness for Yahweh. The Ugaritic god of the sea, Baal Zaphon, was the patron of sailors. Another example occurs in Ps 89:20. The Prophets of the Old Testament likewise protested against this behavior when it occured among the Israelites. had an earlier, oral form, but these copies date from the 14th cent. Ugarit experienced a very long history. asherah.jpg In Ugarit, as in Israel, the cult played a central role in the lives of the people. Although Ugarit is not mentioned in the Bible, it is d. skr. What is of great interest here is that Yam is the Hebrew word for sea and Mot is the Hebrew word for death! Similarly the flooding of rivers would be looked upon as the work of Yam. the city identified as Level three was destroyed by fire. In blessing Joseph’s sons, Jacob gave his best blessing to Ephraim, rather than to the firstborn, Manasseh (48:14). word for “fields” is similar to the Ugaritic word for “upsurging,” and the Heb. As the old saying goes, whose land, his god. כספסיגים which means "like silver". In Ugaritic texts, he is described as having “a lip to the earth, a lip to the heavens... a tongue to the stars.” The Bible contains several possible allusions to Môt, where he is personified as a demon who reigns over Sheol. The Heb. In 1932 the identification of the site was made when some of the tablets were deciphered; the city was the ancient and famous site of Ugarit. Pardee, Dennis. are of greatest interest. in several Near Eastern languages, including the previously unknown Sem. Most likely it came into being as cuneiform was passing from the scene and alphabetic scripts were making their rise. Yet El is also the name of God used in many of the Psalms for Yahweh; or at least that has been the presupposition among pious Christians. For these Israelites Yahweh was useful in the desert but not much help in the land. Ezekiel denounces such behavior as godless and pagan (in 43:7-9). In the original Hebrew version of these chapters, God is referred to as El or Elohim. Is this because the Hebrews also adopted these Canaanite ideas as well? Yet when one reads these Psalms and the Ugaritic texts one sees that the very attributes for which Yahweh is acclaimed are the same for which El is acclaimed. 2 I 13-32 and compare it to many of the Psalms. The tel was called by the locals Ras Shamra which means fennel hill . tlhmn The Ugarit Tablets were discovered as we know in an archaeological stratum ascribed to the period from about the 14 th to the 12 th century B. C. 17 On the other hand, the … Why should people interested in the Old Testament want to know about this city and its inhabitants? KTU 1.2 IV 10). The prophets of the Old Testament rail against Baal, Asherah and various other gods on nearly every page. The mythological figure Lotan (Biblical Leviathan) appears in the Ugaritic texts as an enemy of Baal. After a week at the site they discovered a cemetery 150 meters from the Mediterranean Sea. Ugaritic, the language of ancient Ugarit (in modern Syria), isn’t something that most people think about when it comes to Bible study. KTU 6.13 and 6.14). The style of writing discovered at Ugarit is known as alphabetic cuneiform. info@theology.edu maggots are the bed beneath you, In the Hebrew text The Israelites also participated in this activity; though the prophets condemned them for doing so (cf. Charles Virolleaud, Director of Archaeological Works in Syria and Lebanon, then administered by the French, excavated the site which proved to be a burial chamber. Cyrus H. Gordon, an American scholar, published a grammar of Ugaritic, along with a glossary and a transliteration of the extant Ugaritic texts. Most likely they did. Another of the more interesting aspects of Ugaritic religion which has a parallel in Hebrew religion was the practice of weeping for the dead . Answer: Ugaritic was an ancient language spoken in the city of Ugarit (on the Mediterranean coast of Syria) contemporaneously with many of the events in the Old Testament. Anat, however, decided to use force to get her bow. While Biblical offerings were regularized in the Mosaic law, particularly the Book of Leviticus, Biblical sacrifices go back to the earliest times. The book of Hosea begins by recounting the prophet’s marriage, divorce, and remarriage. lqs. and through his Asherah! During the latter half of the third millennium b.c. Doubtless Elhu would succeed to the throne after Keret died in a ripe old age. Accordingly, Hattusili forbade his merchants to acquire Ugaritic real-estate, or to remain in Ugarit throughout the year. Ashteroth Karnaim (Astarte was called Ashteroth in the Hebrew Bible) was a city in the land of Bashan east of the Jordan River, mentioned in Genesis 14:5 and … In this text, Ba'al defeats the seagod Yam in a conflict that prob… Môt is the god of death at Ugarit. The people at Ugarit saw the desert as the place which was most inhabited by demons (and they were like the Israelites in this belief). Moreover, he is successful in overtaking and defeating a coalition of invading kings. As the epic begins, Yam had a house, and he demanded recognition as the supreme lord of mankind. Bibliography H. L. Ginsberg, “Ugaritic Myths and Legends,” Ancient Near Eastern Texts, J. Esau, the firstborn, lost his birthright to Jacob (Gen 25:29-34). Animal sacrifice appears to be taken for granted in Chapter 4 of Genesis, but its origin and significance are simply assumed. The words are reminiscent of Isaiah 27:1: “In that day the Lord (i.e. One example of this is found in Proverbs 26:23. This makes eminently more sense in context than the word mistakenly divided by the Hebrew scribe who was unfamiliar with the second word; so he divided into two words which he did know even though it made no sense. all who were leaders of the earth; What we have learned from the excavations of the city and from the language (a Semitic language somewhat similar to ancient Hebrew) has given us a clearer understanding of some aspects of Canaanite culture and worship and … Since the discovery of the Ugaritic texts, study of the Old Testament has never been the same. In fact, these Psalms were most likely originally Ugaritic or Canaanite hymns to El which were simply adopted by Israel, Also, read Ps 82:1, 89:6-8!). much like the American National Anthem was set to a beer hall tune by Francis Scott Key. KTU 1.114:2-4 says: hklh. and culture took place during the time represented by Level I. Our knowledge of the religion of Ancient Syria-Palestine and Canaan has been greatly increased by the Ugaritic materials and their significance cannot be overlooked. "silver lips" mean? Before a journey Ugaritic sailors made offerings and prayed to Baal Zaphon in hopes of a safe and profitable journey (cf. Worship at Ugarit and in Ancient Israel, In Ugarit, as in Israel, the cult played a central role in the lives of the people. For example, in Death and Hades are flung into the “lake of fire” (Rev 20:14). "young man" and if Psalm 89:20 is translated this way it is clearly more meaningful. have parallels in the literature. Cedar wood was brought from Lebanon (as it was for Solomon’s Temple), and within seven days Kothar-wa-Khasis built the house. The oldest written evidence of the city is found in some texts from the nearby city of Ebla written around 1800 BCE. (The The reason for this is simple to understand; the people of Israel worshipped these gods along with, and sometimes instead of, Yahweh, the God of Israel. 5. כֶּ֣סֶף סִ֭יגִים "silver lips" is divided just as it is here. abbreviation KTU stands for Keilalphabetische Texte In 1928 a group of French archaeologists journeyed with 7 camels, one donkey, and some burden bearers towards the tel known as Ras Shamra. That is, Yahweh overcomes death by his recurring creative acts. For this reason it is worthwhile that we pursue this topic. The kings of this last and greatest period were: In the period 1200 - 1180 the city steeply declined and then mysteriously came to an end. Ps 47:9, 93:1, 96:10, 97:1 and 99:1). We can thus learn very much about the one from the other. 25-35). Since Baal is the god of fertility the meaning of this myth is quite easy to understand. y .db .yrh. This has led many Old Testament scholars to suppose that the Canonical prophet was modeled on him. One of the most, if perhaps not the most, important aspect of Ugaritic studies is the assistance it gives in correctly translating difficult Hebrew words and passages in the Old Testament. Cain, Abel (Gen 4:3, 4), Noah (8:20) and the line of Abraham (15:9, 10) all offered sacrifices prior to the giving of the law. Prior to the discovery of the Ugaritic texts at Ras Shamra in 1929, the Hebrew Bible was considered the leading authority on the Canaanite religion. 28-30). As he dies, so the vegetation dies; and when he is reborn so is the world. Instead of the two words above, the Ugaritic texts lead us to divide the two words as The high ethical monotheism of the Israelites is not paralleled at Ugarit. That is, the texts were written in one of four languages; Sumerian, Akkadian, Hurritic and Ugaritic. [The Tale of Aqhat: see DOTT , pp. The people at Ugarit saw the desert as the place which was most inhabited by demons (and they were like the Israelites in this belief). The most significant discovery was the library with inscrs. He had lost a succession of wives, and feared that his line would soon become extinct. There is little doubt that this figure corresponds to the Biblical Daniel; while predating him by several centuries. Although names are similar, the religious meaning was quite different. The rendering “backs” (KJV) is more meaningful than “high places.” In David’s lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan, he cries out: Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings (2 Sam 1:21 KJV). But they refused to extend their art to images af Yahweh (cf. Simply because when we listen to their voices we hear echoes of the Old Testament itself. Baal was successful. In many of the Ugaritic texts El was described as a bull, as well as a human form. El was the chief god at Ugarit. This has caused commentators quite a bit of confusion over the centuries, for what does The major epics. This process is known as assimilation. This detail relates directly to Genesis Chapters 11 through 25 that encompass Abraham's story. Here the epic breaks off, but its conclusion may be surmised. During the Bronze Age, copper ore passed through Ugarit en route from Cyprus to Mesopotamia. In Ugarit we read that Baal opened a window of his celestial house, uttered his voice, and thus sent a thunderstorm to the world (Baal II. The population of Ugarit at that time was roughly 7635 people. yw . Ugarit was an ancient port city in northern Syria, in the outskirts of modern Latakia, discovered by accident in 1928 together with the Ugaritic texts. This is a unique blending of an alphabetic script (like Hebrew) and cuneiform (like Akkadian); thus it is a unique blending of two styles of writing. This rite is known as a eliminatory rite; that is, a contagion (in this case communal sin) is placed on the head of the goat and it is sent away. The presence of an invoice or receipt tablet in 12th cent. As Isaiah notes, (14:9ff). of KTU: The Cuneiform Alphabetic Texts from Ugarit, Ras Ibn Hani, and Other Places. ilm w tstn. Emar, like Ugarit and other Syrian sites with cuneiform archives from the Bronze Age, suggests a depth to the cultural traditions embedded in the Bible that is too easily neglected. This is the very description of heaven which one finds in the Ugaritic texts. International diplomacy certainly was a central activity among the inhabitants of Ugarit; for they were a sea-going people (like their Phoenecian neighbors). This usage makes good sense in Deuteronomy 33:29 which would read, “Your enemies shall come fawning to you; and you shall tread upon their high places (bamot).” Artistic portrayals from the ancient Near E frequently depict a conqueror with his foot on the back of his victim. Of several hundred Ugaritic texts discovered, the epics discovered in the library of King Niqmad II, who is known to have paid tribute to the Hitt. Keret, however, forgot his vow to Athirat, and the goddess caused him to fall sick. language known as Ugaritic written in an alphabetic cuneiform script. Biblical monotheism could not picture Death as an evil god, a rival of Yahweh as Mot was a rival of Baal among the Canaanites. KTU 1.116 I 2-5, and KTU 1.5 VI 11-22 describe the worshippers weeping over the departed in the hopes that their grief will 124-128; ANET , PP. One of the most interesting of these lesser deities, Asherah, plays a very important role in the Old Testament. As a language develops the meaning of words changes or their meaning is lost altogether. This was, to the dwellers of Ugarit, what the Passover was to Israel and the Lord s Supper to the Church. For instance, look at M. Dahood s brilliant commentary on the Psalms in the Anchor Bible series for the necessity of Ugaritic for accurate Biblical exegesis. The modern discovery of Ras Shamra dates from 1928 when a Syrian peasant accidentally plowed up a flagstone which covered a subterranean passageway. “The ethical and moral heights reached in the Bible are [not] to be found in Ugarit,” remarks archaeologist Cyrus Gordon. the words were supposed to mean). As in the Biblical sacrifices, it was necessary that animals offered be without blemish. Death is often personified in the Bible. There she is called the wife of Baal; but she is also known as the consort of Yahweh! In the story, Baal is killed by Mot (in the Fall of the year) and he remains dead until the Spring of the year. They also found some Mycenean and Cypriot materials. The epics prob. If Yahweh is all of these there is no need for the Canaanite gods to exist! The origin and explanation of the sacrificial system in the Bible are very vague. All of the tablets found at Ugarit were written in the last period of its life (around 1300- 1200 BCE). The Baal Epic says, “When thou smotest Lotan, the slippery (serpent) (and) madest an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant (with seven heads)...” (Baal I. i. Another creature which has ties to the Old Testament is Leviathan. The idea of the elder brother losing his rights in favor of a younger brother is common in the Biblical record. The ancient Canaanite city-state of Ugarit is of utmost importance for those who study the Old Testament. The bow was dropped into the sea, so Anat did not get it after all. Baal was the storm god (also known as Hadad, or Baal Hadad) who showed his claim on the land by the thunder and lightning, and the storms which brought rain to the earth. to meet you when you come; all who were kings of the nations. The King was the chief diplomat and he was completely in charge of international relationships (cf KTU 3.2:1-18, KTU 1.6 II 9-11). latest news and information. Ps 29:10). vi. Excavations have brought to light the royal tombs of Ugarit, two large temples, and artifacts illustrating international commerce between Ugarit, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Hittites of Asia Minor, and the Cretan-Mycenaean areas. Until the discoveries at Ugarit-Ras Shamra, little was known about Canaanite religion, and that little was based mainly on second-hand sources. That there was a bronze serpent in the temple as well is well known. it raises from their thrones “As the myths of ancient Ugarit indicate, the religion of the Canaanite peoples was a crude and debased form of ritual polytheism. The people of Ugarit believed that the god Baal struggled with the god of the sea Yam, depicted as a sea snake: “You smote Leviathan, the dodgy serpent, you have destroyed the twisting serpent cursed with seven heads” (O Ba’lu. Pomegranate, palm, and apple tree -- all the trees of the field are dried up; surely, joy withers away among the people. Ugarit, modern Ras Shamra, was an important maritime city situated in northern Syria, fifty nautical m. E of the point of Cyprus. 149-155]. Hosea 2:19, for example). Of particular interest in this connection is what Joel 1:8-13 has to say, so I quote it in full: Lament like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth. In Ugarit we read that Baal opened a window of his celestial house, uttered his voice, and thus sent a thunderstorm to the world (Baal II. The Israelites borrowed art, architecture, and music from their Canaanite neighbors. The priests mourn, the ministers of the Lord. Reluctantly Pabil gave his daughter to Keret, and in due time Keret was blessed with sons and daughters of his own. Ugarit and the Bible. The fields are devastated, the ground mourns; for the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil fails. KTU 1.1 IV 14 says: sm . drink wine till you are sated. The Aqhat Epic tells of a son of the pious King Danel (a variant of the name Daniel) who accidentally acquired a bow which was meant for the goddess Anat. The folks at Ugarit were also plagued by a host of demons and lesser gods. The first three chapters of the book of Hosea provide an example of the new light Ugarit sheds on the Bible. “Ugaritic Studies at the End of the 20th Century.” Bulletin of the American Schools … KTU 1.102:15-28 is a list of these demons. At that time both Ebla and Ugarit were under Egyptian hegemony, which shows that the long arm of Egypt extended all along the west coast of the Mediterranean Sea (for Ugarit is located in modern day Syria roughly dead east of the NE coast of Cyprus on the coast of Syria). The prophets despised this behavior; they saw it as a lack of trust in Yahweh, who is God of the living and not god of the dead. In the graves they discovered Egyptian and Phoenician artwork and alabaster. Its ruins are often called Ras Shamra after the headland where they lie. was that, first of all, some Israelites viewed Yahweh as a God of the desert and so when they arrived in Canaan they thought it only proper to adopt Baal, the god of fertility. Ugaritic Poetical Narratives). Ps 68:4, 33) rides the clouds. The likelihood is that this is the 'Dan'el' of the ancient Canaanite epic discovered in 1930 at Ras Shamra, the ancient Ugarit, on the north Syrian coast, and dating form about 1400 B.C. This is also true of the Biblical text. “Ugarit and the Bible: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Ugarit and the Bible, Manchester, 1992.” Journal of the American Oriental Society.