The brand new conceptual off Phoenician mythology that has been maintained regarding Philo thanks to Eusebius (such as for example biblical sees on a single subject) was once commonly thought about having suspician of the vital scholarship and you may thought to be mostly an invention by the Philo, without having any independent really worth due to the fact a supply of experience with Phoenician religion. Which suspicious thinking as disappered due to the fresh data recovery off spiritual unbelievable literature off Ugarit on the north Syrian coastline (1927-1937).
This type of extreme poetical messages receive by the D.F.An excellent. Schaefer during the a series of techniques have demostrated that gods of Philo incur labels during the higher part now well-understood out of Ugarit including from other present. This new Philo mythology are characterized by a similar ethical forget and primitive barbarity with fondness having detailed labels and you will personifications that will be available at Ugarit.
The fresh sourced elements of education imply little improvement in the content of Canaanite mythology between c. 1400 BC and you can 700 BC. Of many specifics of Philo’s membership, not only in the challenge of one’s labels out of deities, however in the newest mythological atmosphere as well can be found in over contract with the Ugaritic myths and later Phoenician inscriptions. Students is, thus, warranted into the accepting, at least provisionally, all of the studies maintained of the Philo which do not include personal interpretation towards the their region.
The divinities and that profile on the mythological texts out of Ugarit had been obviously maybe not unusual toward urban area, however, had been newest among all the Canaanites, because they brear simply a vague link to typically the most popular deities worshipped around in itself
While the myths regarding old Ugarit suggest, new faith of your own Canaanite peoples try a harsh and you may debased form of routine polytheism. It actually was associated with the sensuous fertility-cult worship off an especially smutty and you can orgiastic type, hence proved to be so much more important than just about any other character faith regarding ANE.
The fresh new Ugaritic deities are now actually most widely known because of the numerous out of religious messages dating on fifteenth and you can early fourteenth millennium BC that have been utilized in a library located inside the a developing mainly based between Ugarit’s a few great temples, that intent on Baal as well as the almost every other so you can Dagon
Canaanite deities, into the one-hand, expose better fluidity out of character and you may setting, which makes it tend to extremely difficult to fix the particular website name of different gods or even identify the kinship to at least one other. This can be one of the really irrational regions of Canaanite faith, indicative of their corrupt character. In addition, Canaanite deities has actually by and large etymologically transparent brands, an undeniable fact hence appears to suggest brand new Canaanite pantheon as symbolizing an effective cruder and a lot more ancient sorts of polytheism.
Miscellaneous epigraphic and literary source let you know the newest names of your own chief gods and you will goddesses many Canaanite citaies in various periods.
El is the term in which the newest finest Canaanite goddess is actually identified. It is plus a reputation where Jesus is named when you look at the the outdated Testament — El, the latest Goodness (Elohim) from Israel ( este elohe yisrael: Gen. ). For the majority prose they occures more often that have an enthusiastic adjunct: Este Elyon (by far the most high God, Gen. ), El Shaddai (typically, God-almighty, Gen. 17:1), El Hai (The living Jesus, Josh. 3:10), and extremely commonly on the plural away from majesty, Elohim. Inside Hebrew poetry El is more constant, where it stands in most cases without having any adjunct (Ps. , 33, 48; ; Jobs 8:3).
The word El are a general label to possess “god” for the Northwest Semitic (Hebrew and you will Ugaritic) and therefore it can be included in the existing Testament to possess heathen deities otherwise idols (Old boyfriend. ; Ps. ; Is actually. ). The first generic term is ‘ilum ; losing this new mimation therefore the nominative circumstances end ( you ) becomes ‘el from inside the Hebrew. It actually was controllare questo sito fuori more than likely a keen adjectival development (intransitive participle) on the options “getting strong, powerful” ( ‘wl ), meaning “New Solid (or Powerful) You to definitely.”