The fresh conceptual out-of Phoenician myths that has been kept of Philo because of Eusebius (such as biblical sees on the same topic) was once aren’t regarded as that have suspician of the important grant and you can considered as mainly an innovation by the Philo, without the independent value because a way to obtain experience with Phoenician religion. That it doubtful feelings as the disappered thanks to the fresh new recovery away from spiritual epic literature of Ugarit to your north Syrian coast (1927-1937).
Such extreme poetical messages located of the D.F.Good. Schaefer into the some campaigns have shown the gods regarding Philo incur labels for the high part today better-understood regarding Ugarit together with from other source. New Philo myths is actually described as a similar moral dump and you can primitive barbarity with affection for detailed names and you will personifications which can be available at Ugarit.
The brand new resources of studies indicate little change in the content away from Canaanite mythology between c. 1400 BC and 700 BC. Many details of Philo’s membership, not just in the matter of the names out of deities, in the mythological environment too have done arrangement towards Ugaritic mythology and you will late Phoenician inscriptions. Scholars is actually, for this reason, warranted for the taking, no less than provisionally, all research preserved by Philo that don’t involve subjective interpretation to the his region.
The new divinities and therefore shape about mythological texts from Ugarit was basically obviously maybe not unusual with the city, but have been current among all of the Canaanites, simply because they brear just an obscure link to typically the most popular deities worshipped in the city itself
Because the mythology off ancient Ugarit imply, the latest faith of your Canaanite peoples is actually a harsh and you may debased form of routine polytheism. It was regarding the beautiful virility-cult praise out of a particularly smutty and you can orgiastic form, and therefore proved to be more important than nearly any other character faith on ANE.
The fresh Ugaritic deities are now best-known from the numerous out-of religious messages relationship regarding 15th and you may early fourteenth millennium BC which were utilized in a collection located from inside the a building mainly based ranging from Ugarit’s a couple higher temples, one to intent on Baal while the other so you can Dagon
Canaanite deities, on the one-hand, expose superior fluidity out-of character and you may function, so that it is have a tendency to very hard to solve the particular website name of various gods or perhaps to identify their kinship to at least one other. This really is one of several grossly unreasonable areas of Canaanite faith, an indicator of their corrupt character. At exactly the same time, Canaanite deities keeps generally etymologically clear labels, a fact and therefore appears to point out the fresh Canaanite pantheon as representing a good cruder and much more primitive brand of polytheism.
Miscellaneous epigraphic and you may literary supply reveal the latest labels of one’s chief gods and goddesses many Canaanite citaies in almost any periods.
Este is the name where the new supreme Canaanite goddess are recognized. This really is in addition to a name wherein Goodness is called in the the outdated Testament — Este, the brand new Jesus (Elohim) out-of Israel ( el elohe yisrael: Gen. ). For the majority prose it occures more often having an adjunct: Este Elyon (one particular large God, Gen. ), Este Shaddai (traditionally, God-almighty, Gen. 17:1), El Hai (The life style Goodness, Josh. 3:10), and also are not in the plural away from majesty, Elohim. During the Hebrew poetry El is more constant, where it really stands more often than not without any adjunct (Ps. , 33, 48; ; Job 8:3).
The phrase El are a common identity getting « god » from inside the Northwest Semitic (Hebrew and you can Ugaritic) and thus it is very used in the outdated Testament for heathen deities or idols (Ex boyfriend. ; Ps. ; Are. ). The initial general title try ‘ilum ; dropping the mimation in addition to nominative situation end ( u ) will get ‘el from inside the Hebrew. It actually was almost certainly an enthusiastic adjectival development (intransitive participle) regarding means « getting solid, powerful » ( ‘wl ), meaning « The newest Solid (or Strong) That. »
