Baal Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The Old Testament researcher Thomas Römer (Uivesity of Lausanne and Collège de France, Paris) leads the readers competently and fascinatingly through the history of Israel from its dark beginnings to the Hellenistic period. In the... more

The Old Testament researcher Thomas Römer (Uivesity of Lausanne and Collège de France, Paris) leads the readers competently and fascinatingly through the history of Israel from its dark beginnings to the Hellenistic period. In the environment of desert and cultivated land - in the Levant and Mesopotamia - presents itself powerfully a multiplicity of gods and goddesses. In the face of political upheavals collateral gods appear in Cannan at the turn of the first millennium B.C. There are among others. El in different expressions and Jhwh. They first show themselves henotheistic and only later is Jhwh worshiped monotheistically. In the centuries that followed, these changes in Israel (the northern kingdom) and in Judah (the southern kingdom) received further intensification and differentiation from the other gods. This tendency is further intensified by military defeats and expulsions of the autochthonous population. Key events of faithful coping are the case of Samaria in 722 BC. through the Assyrians and then especially in 587 BC. the conquest of Jerusalem by the New Babylonians. Salvation-historical theological responses to these historic upheavals finally lead in the Hellenistic period (4th / 3rd century BC) to the only universal God, who no longer needs a name for Judaism, but as monotheistic kyriós and théos throughout the Mediterranean and finally worldwide until today veneration finds.

The Only God among the Gods. The Original Character of YHWH in Light of the Recent Scholarship In the Old Testament one may come across seemingly polytheistic passages. In Ps 82:1, for example, “God takes a stand in the divine council,... more

The Only God among the Gods. The Original Character of YHWH in Light of the Recent Scholarship
In the Old Testament one may come across seemingly polytheistic passages. In Ps 82:1, for example, “God takes a stand in the divine council, gives judgment in the midst of the gods.” Who are these gods, and what is their relation to YHWH? After elucidating the North-West Semitic Iron Age concept of deity used with a wide variety of meanings (angels, spirits of the dead), the present study discusses religious historical theories concerning the development of polytheism in Israel and the alleged original character of YHWH. While in the past the God of Israel was considered a special type of deity in the region, more recent studies categorise YHWH as an El-type king-god, as a Baal-like storm-god, or as a hypostasis of the Edomite Qos. This article briefly surveys the issue in recent scholarship and weighs up the arguments.

The Psalms are an underused resource as a biblical basis for mission, especially since the Gentiles are treated more positively in the Psalms than in most of the rest of the Old Testament. In the Psalms, the inclusion of the Gentiles in... more

The Psalms are an underused resource as a biblical basis for mission, especially since the Gentiles are treated more positively in the Psalms than in most of the rest of the Old Testament. In the Psalms, the inclusion of the Gentiles in the community of God focuses on their coming to Zion. This article explores what that means in the context of Israelite religion and the Canaanite images it borrowed. Hermeneutical conclusions are drawn from this and the history of interpretation of these Psalms in order to enrich the theology of mission.

K U N S T -L e b e N -M ü T T e R b e r t o l t b r e c h t s › b a a l ‹ z w i s c h e n H a n n s Jo h s t s › D e r e i n s a m e ‹ u n d A n d r e a s T h o m s › A m b r o s M a r i a b a a l ‹ Von Florian G e l z e r (bern) Unter... more

K U N S T -L e b e N -M ü T T e R b e r t o l t b r e c h t s › b a a l ‹ z w i s c h e n H a n n s Jo h s t s › D e r e i n s a m e ‹ u n d A n d r e a s T h o m s › A m b r o s M a r i a b a a l ‹ Von Florian G e l z e r (bern) Unter den zahlreichen Vorlagen zu bertolt brechts ›baal‹ befinden sich auch zwei zeitgenössische Werke des expressionismus, Hanns Johsts Drama ›Der einsame‹ und der Roman ›Ambros Maria baal‹ von Andreas Thom. Die Texte verbindet eine ähnliche thematische Konstellation: Im Zentrum steht jeweils ein junger Dichter, der am Konflikt zwischen Künstlertum und Mutterbindung leidet und schließlich zugrunde geht. Damit können die drei Texte als Variationen einer typisch expressionistischen Künstler-und Generationenproblematik betrachtet werden.

At first sight the title must seem like a misunderstanding at best, at worst an intentional perversity. After all, the 'Prodigal Son' is not a person, but a character in a parable, a literary form where from the beginning both speaker and... more

Okuyucu bu metinde oldukca garip, ayni olcude zengin bir tarihe sahip olan bir yiyecegin oykusunu bulacaktir. Antropolojik kokleri en ciplak haliyle olasilikla yazili tarih oncesinin cig et yeme pratigine dayandirilabilen, ancak... more

Okuyucu bu metinde oldukca garip, ayni olcude zengin bir tarihe sahip olan bir yiyecegin oykusunu bulacaktir. Antropolojik kokleri en ciplak haliyle olasilikla yazili tarih oncesinin cig et yeme pratigine dayandirilabilen, ancak medeniyetle birlikte farkli kulturler (gocebe-yari gocebe-tarimci) ve dinsel gelenekler (Yunan ve Dogu, ayrica Girit gibi guneyli ve adali) uzerinden surdurulegelmis ve o kulturlerce iceriklendirilmis, dahasi, arka planindaki olasi insan kurbani ve yamyamliga ragmen, once Orfiklerce, sonra Yeni Pisagorcularca modifiye edilmis olan bir yiyecekle karsi karsiyayiz. Yani, gercekte insan kurbaniyla iliskili olsun ya da olmasin, belli belirsiz arkaik ya da kannibalistik bir imaja sahip olan cig kofte, aslinda ayni zamanda ve ozellikle felsefi bir yiyecektir. Yine de o sadece Yeni Pisagorcular araciligiyla edinmis oldugu felsefi yaniyla da tarif edilemez. Cig koftenin astrolojiyle ilgili bir yani da vardir ve biz bunu onun geleneksel yedi baharatindaki sayi sembolizminde goruruz. Ote yandan, gayrimedeni, avam ve tasrali imajina ragmen, onun belki de simyevi bir yanindan bile soz edilebilir. Bu calismada ilk kez cig koftenin kokleri, tarihi, yaslandigi sembolizm, iliskilendigi dinsel ve dinsel olmayan gelenekler ve mitolojiler gibi konular irdelenmistir.

Who is Satan? It’s a question not asked a lot. In this paper, we will look at several reasons for understanding that Satan is the same entity at Baal in the OT, who also happens to be Zeus, who became Jupiter and is therefore the Prince... more

Who is Satan? It’s a question not asked a lot. In this paper, we will look at several reasons for understanding that Satan is the same entity at Baal in the OT, who also happens to be Zeus, who became Jupiter and is therefore the Prince of Rome.

En ninguno de los cuatro evangelios se menciona el nombre del monte donde Jesús se transfigura. Algunos autores piensan que fue en el monte Tabor. Jesús pudo haber escogido también otros montes significativos como el monte Sion, el... more

En ninguno de los cuatro evangelios se menciona el nombre del monte donde Jesús se transfigura. Algunos autores piensan que fue en el monte Tabor. Jesús pudo haber escogido también otros montes significativos como el monte Sion, el monte Carmelo, el monte de las Bienaventuranzas o el monte de los Olivos. Yo estoy de acuerdo con los que sitúan este hecho en el monte Hermón, a pesar de ser el más alto de Israel. Para respaldar esta aseveración hemos hecho un recorrido por la historia espiritual de este lugar.

An analysis of the Old Byblian inscriptions, Elibaal (KAI 6) and Shipitbaal (KAI 7) Inscriptions and the Azarbaal Spatula. I analyze the provenance, grammar, and orthogrophy, while providing my own translation of each inscription. I... more

An analysis of the Old Byblian inscriptions, Elibaal (KAI 6) and Shipitbaal (KAI 7) Inscriptions and the Azarbaal Spatula. I analyze the provenance, grammar, and orthogrophy, while providing my own translation of each inscription. I include a summary of previous research on each inscription and conclude with the significance of each, including relevance for the study of the Hebrew Bible.

Primeros teónimos púnicos en un santuasrio de la cultura talayótica de Menorca (Islas Baleares) entre los siglos II a.C. y II d.C.

Otro impactante e interesante libro por parte del autor Henry Makow que nos expone explícitamente lo que muchos aun no quieren creer acerca no solo de los Illuminatis, sino de todo lo que acontece en el mundo y que desde hace décadas de... more

Otro impactante e interesante libro por parte del autor Henry Makow que nos expone explícitamente lo que muchos aun no quieren creer acerca no solo de los Illuminatis, sino de todo lo que acontece en el mundo y que desde hace décadas de décadas ya ha sido planeado con suficiente antelación por parte de personas que actualmente no son humanas y que son satanistas poseídos por entidades (demonios) que controlan sus cuerpos y voluntades!.
En al mundo entero nada de lo que aparenta es real (benévolo) y nada de lo que el sistema expone es para el bien y el progreso del mundo entero!
Entiéndase que todo lo que los Medios de Comunicación, Gobiernos, Organizaciones, Bancos, Comercio, Educación, Medicina, Fianzas, Entretenimiento, etc, etc, etc, no está hecho para un bien social o para una evolución, entiéndase que todo lo que ellos han expuesto desde hace más de 100 años está plagado de mentiras, engaños, muerte, robos, manipulación y un sin fin de cosas que hacen que todo parezca una ficción cuando no lo es y que es una realidad dura y cruel, una realidad donde ellos gobiernan cada rincón de todo lo establecido en nuestra sociedad, pero que al ser humano, al ser un individuo lleno de dudas y carente de fe les es fácil y dócil a ellos de manejar y adoctrinar desde el mismo momento de nuestro nacimiento con métodos y creencias que nos roban literalmente el poder de razonar, indagar, cuestionar e investigar y que es un arma mortal para el mundo porque a raíz de eso miles y miles mueren en sacrificios, niños enteros torturados, violados y asesinados para el deleite de unas bestias, países enteros cayendo en ruinas por deudas creadas de la nada por los bancos, miles y miles siendo enseñados a creer y apoyar movimientos e ideologías que van en contra de Dios haciéndoles creer que es bueno, miles siendo envenenados a través de medicamentos e inyecciones venenosas, miles y miles siendo engañados con noticias falsas, sensacionalistas y llenas de miedo y terror para que el mundo sea dócil a la manipulación y un sinfín de cosas más que han instaurado en la sociedad desde el siglo XIX hasta nuestros días y que va en aumento descaradamente por la inutilidad y la falta de creencia en las personas que habitamos este mundo!

The similarities between St George and the Muslim saint Khidr are striking. When looking for the mentifacts at the root of the similarities, we come across the Greek god Zeus, the Hebrew prophet Elijah, and the Phoenician weather-god... more

The similarities between St George and the Muslim saint Khidr are striking. When looking for the mentifacts at the root of the similarities, we come across the Greek god Zeus, the Hebrew prophet Elijah, and the Phoenician weather-god Baal. This leads us to believe that the St. George we know today has little in common with the Palestinian martyr he is named after. We maintain that the modern St George is a conglomeration of mentifacts that are thousands of years old.

Self-conscious Israelite monotheism arose from the rejection of gods now identified as alien. It did not evolve from an absorption of powers by the high god, Yhwh, taken over from lesser beings -- although all unnatural agency is... more

Self-conscious Israelite monotheism arose from the rejection of gods now identified as alien. It did not evolve from an absorption of powers by the high god, Yhwh, taken over from lesser beings -- although all unnatural agency is subordinated to his own agency. What led to the denial of others was his alienation even from gods regarded as his subordinates and servants. This alienation was the outcome of a reformationist or Axial critique: the symbol is mere appearance, and like icons and ritual, like the high places (I add here), like the temple and ark in Jeremiah: between the symbol and the Real falls the shadow. The Axial critique did not address the practical monotheism of devotion to a high god, and the universal classification of other deities as his agents, which is why even philosophical, or self-conscious, monotheism, like that of Deutero-Isaiah (per Saul Olyan's work), can accommodate their appearance. But the ideal of monotheism, monotheism as a form of distinctive identification, seems to arise principally in anticipation of pre-Socratic controversies about the identity of the one and the many, already in 7th-century works -- precisely the era of Judah's Reformation.

As divine epithets, the terms baal and baals are always definite in HB. The same holds for the divine designations, asherah and its basic plural, ashtarot. "The baal" is used as a collective plural frequently; "the asherah" can serve... more

As divine epithets, the terms baal and baals are always definite in HB. The same holds for the divine designations, asherah and its basic plural, ashtarot. "The baal" is used as a collective plural frequently; "the asherah" can serve the same function. The possessive suffix on asherah, as in blessing formulae at Khirbet el-Kom and Kuntillet Ajrud, also reflects the nouns' inherent need to be marked for definiteness in such contexts (much like elohim when it does not function as an exclusive soubriquet). The collectivization of the subordinate gods (including astral and ancestral gods at different times) comports with the identification of the chthonic gods as Rephaim, extinct mythic aboriginals, and of the celestial as foreign, in the march to monotheism of the 7th century. Cross-ref. Brisker Pipes; Jerusalem and the Lineages.

From a great Phoenician god, crowned on his throne, to an insignificant fly posed on Adam’s skull representing his sin; Belcebú, in the course of a few centuries, went from being a divinity worshipped and celebrated by eastern peoples to... more

From a great Phoenician god, crowned on his throne, to an insignificant fly posed on Adam’s skull representing his sin; Belcebú, in the course of a few centuries, went from being a divinity worshipped and celebrated by eastern peoples to being demonised and seen as a ridiculous insect by preachers. This transformation of a pagan god is an example of the changing of the god Baal into Satan in several of his biblical manifestations. As regards this god, the most well-known passage is that of King Ozias in the Old Testament, who suffered a fatal fall from a window. Due to his serious injuries he feared for his life and sent his subjects to consult the oracle of Beelzebub, to whom human sacrifices were offered so that he might predict the future. For that reason, and because of the heat, his temple was full of flies. King Ozias died after the consultation with the Philistine god, not so much from his injuries but because he had worshipped a strange god and not trusted in Yahweh, the true god.

This article discusses the Baal-Zaphon stele, a New Kingdom funerary stele from Ugarit depicting a certain Mamy worshipping the levantine god Baal-Zaphon. The stele, though well known since the early twentieth century, lacks a recent... more

This article discusses the Baal-Zaphon stele, a New Kingdom funerary stele from Ugarit depicting a certain Mamy worshipping the levantine god Baal-Zaphon. The stele, though well known since the early twentieth century, lacks a recent detailed study. A new edition of the text is proposed here, based on parallel inscriptions and on a personal inspection of the stele at the Louvre. The edition also incorporates a fragment mentioned in 1938 by Montet but absent from subsequent editions of the text. Finally, the article discusses the iconography of the stele, its parallels, and the ambiguous relationship between Baal and Seth.

We found on the sky disc of Nebra the Babylonian Pleiades intercalary rule encoded in a double manner. It gives a practical instruction, when one month must be switched on in a luni-solar calendar. In this iconographic program the golden... more

We found on the sky disc of Nebra the Babylonian Pleiades intercalary rule encoded in a double manner. It gives a practical instruction, when one month must be switched on in a luni-solar calendar. In this iconographic program the golden disc symbolizes the sun as well as the full moon. This double interpretation arises from the meaning of the Babylonian Akitu New Year feast at full moon in the spring month necessarily:
The full moon in the spring month symbolizes the new-year at the beginning of spring. Therefore, one finds in Near East often the symbol of a circle (beside figurative representations) for the sun AND moon, not seldom with the Pleiades.
At the reign of Hammurabi – possibly also the production time of the sky disc – in 1800 B.C. the last visibility of the Pleiades in the evening sky occurred in such a way that when they disappeared and at the same time the First Crescent Moon
appeared (the „ideal situation“) the following full moon decorated the sky at the beginning of spring: The full moon as a symbol of the sun! Thus three elements (First Crecent Moon, Pleiades and full moon / sun) symbolize the spring feast (today
Easter). Nowadays no Pleiades appear in the Easter rule. The „Plejadenschock“ led to the fact that the Pleiades disappeared from that rule. In 600 B.C. the sky constellations had moved on account of the precession so far that the intercalary rule was not valid any more in the spring month. Exemplarily at the example of Persepolis we indicate the reaction to the „Plejadenschock“. We look in addition at orientations and at symbols of Persepolis. We discuss the effects of the „Plejadenschock“ in the Persian’s empire, thus with the Jews, Syrians and Arabs.

Nonostante il suo ruolo nell’Antico e nel Nuovo Testamento, il profeta Elia non è oggetto di un culto particolarmente diffuso in occidente. Poiché, ad eccezione delle chiese carmelitane, i casi nei quali il profeta viene offerto alla... more

Nonostante il suo ruolo nell’Antico e nel Nuovo Testamento, il profeta Elia non è oggetto di un culto particolarmente diffuso in occidente.
Poiché, ad eccezione delle chiese carmelitane, i casi nei quali il profeta viene offerto alla venerazione dei fedeli non sono numerosi come si ci potrebbe attendere, indagare su quali e quante opere raffiguranti il fondatore dei Carmelitani esistano in una città come Genova può aiutare a riflettere sui motivi di questa presenza limitata.
Obiettivo del presente lavoro è dunque quello di effettuare una prima ricognizione in territorio genovese per valutare, senza addentrarsi nel dibattito critico né ponendosi limiti cronologici, quali siano stati e siano tuttora i messaggi e i temi che hanno condizionato, positivamente o negativamente, la diffusione del culto di Elia.

As a more or less coherent narrative work, the Baal Cycle merits an overarching literary interpretation, one that carefully attends to the myth's recurring motifs and themes, its characters and plot. To be sure, such a project faces a... more

As a more or less coherent narrative work, the Baal Cycle merits an overarching literary interpretation, one that carefully attends to the myth's recurring motifs and themes, its characters and plot. To be sure, such a project faces a serious, indeed, insurmountable challenge: the six surviving clay tablets are damaged and, in several places, woefully fragmentary. As a result, scholars not only disagree over the order of the preserved fragments, they cannot even agree whether the surviving tablets belong to a single narrative work. For the sake of argument, in this study I will presuppose that the fragmentary tablets currently gathered together under the designation the Baal Cycle originally constituted (at least part of) a single coherent whole. I will, moreover, adopt Mark Smith's construal and translation of the text (Smith 1997). While I admit that the current state of the text precludes, from the outset, the possibility of constructing anything more than a tentative interpretation of the Baal Cycle, I propose that, by focusing on the proverbial forest, rather than on the trees themselves-too many of which are missing-one can, at the very least, make the best of this unfortunate textual situation. The challenge, however daunting, of interpreting the available evidence must, in the end, be faced.

La presencia de los hebreos en las islas de Baal. (Datos para un estudio.) Notas sobre la intervención de Pere Bonnín en la jornada de estudios genealógicos en Netanya. Aunque no existe la documentación pertinente, todo indica que los... more

La presencia de los hebreos en las islas de Baal. (Datos para un estudio.) Notas sobre la intervención de Pere Bonnín en la jornada de estudios genealógicos en Netanya. Aunque no existe la documentación pertinente, todo indica que los hebreos llegaron a las islas y a la península más occidental del mar Mediterráneo junto con los fenicios. Recuerden que Hiram I de Tiro, suegro de Salomón, era también su armador y la flota fenicia viajaba por cuenta del Reino de Israel. Los fenicios/hebreos dieron el nombre de Iber al río Ebro y de Iberia a la tierra regada por este río. La raíz de Ebro es la misma que la de Ebreo. También llamaron Pitiusas (islas de pinos) a las islas meridionales: Eivissa (Ebussos), Formentera y Cabrera. Con sus incursiones desde las Pitiusas, establecieron en las islas septentrionales colonias o posesiones: baale. Baal significa en paleo-hebreo "el que posee" o "posesión". Adon (plural Adonai), derivado del egipcio Aton, gobierna cuerpo, alma y naturaleza, y da la Ley a su pueblo para que la guarde hasta el fin de los siglos. En cambio Baal es un dios más doméstico. La raíz asiria (babilónica) bēl, origen de Baal, supone un dominio concreto sobre las personas, pero también era usada como palabra de relación, igual que en hebreo: ba'al ha-bayit (señor o dueño de la casa) o ba'al-berith (señor de la alianza). Los griegos convirtieron las baale fenicias en Balearides y los romanos en Baleares, escrito también Baliares (genitivo:-ium). Existen restos arqueológicos que avalan esta interpretación, como el llamado «cementerio de los fenicios», situado en Son Bauló, Can Picafort, frente al Illot dels Porros. Las excavaciones en la cueva de la Moleta, municipio de Sóller, demuestran la existencia de un poblado prehistórico cuya antigüedad se calcula en 4000 años. Estos serían los mallorquines más antiguos, que recibieron la visita de fenicios y hebreos, griegos, cartagineses y romanos. En el yacimiento de Can Tamany se hallaron dos figurillas de bronce de una divinidad bélica con indumentaria fenicia. También se encontraron estatuas de los siglos IV y III aec en el yacimiento de la Roca Roja, destruido durante la conquista romana. Los paleo-lingüistas aseguran que la lengua de los iberos, así como la de los baleares, era muy parecida al idioma fenicio y paleo-hebreo como se deduce de la inscripción ibérica del siglo IV aec hallada en Ullastret, Girona. Su grafía se parece mucho a la paleo-hebraica, base del hebreo, y a la paleo-fenicia, base del griego. De ahí que los expertos consideren la lengua ibérica como un dialecto local del fenicio y del paleo-hebreo, similares al arameo, la lengua de los aqueménidas. Se puede afirmar que los descendientes de Jacob o Israel llegaron a las Islas de Baal con los fenicios, y los judíos-hebreos del Reino de Judá-se establecieron allí en la época de los cartagineses. Los fenicios, que durante los reinados de David y Salomón alcanzaron las costas de Iberia, fundaron Cartago en el año 820 aec durante el reinado del rey de Israel Jehú. Probablemente muchos israelitas participaron en la aventura, ya que Israel y Fenicia mantenían estrechas relaciones, condenadas por los profetas porque desviaban a los israelitas hacia el dios Baal. En el año 654 los fenicios de Cartago ocuparon la isla de Eivissa y establecieron colonias en Mallorca. En Eivissa se han hallado restos arqueológicos en Sa Caleta y en la necrópolis de Can Partit, así como dos santuarios dedicados a Baal i Astarte en Illa Plana y en la cueva de Es Cuiram.

The monuments with which this paper is concerned are a group of votive stelai from Tunisia and Algeria dedicated to Baal / Saturn. This paper analyses their formal composition and examines the impact of Rome on the iconography of the... more

The monuments with which this paper is concerned are a group of votive stelai from Tunisia and Algeria dedicated to Baal / Saturn. This paper analyses their formal composition and examines the impact of Rome on the iconography of the cult. Although aspects of the stelai change, with the replacement of neo-Punic inscriptions of the pre-Roman Libyco-Punic phases by Latin ones in the Roman period, and the introduction of Roman style clothes for the worshipping figures who were formerly represented naked, in some parts of Numidia the same elements of ritual equipment and votive offerings persist throughout. So too does the basic composition and the simplistic, naïve style of representation. The cult appealed predominantly to the lower strata of society, and the stelai suggest that at this social level Romanization was limited, affecting clothes and language much more than cult systems and belief. Elsewhere, in the more Romanised coloniae of Numidia and the highly urbanised regions of Africa Proconsularis, there is a much greater degree of cultural borrowing from Roman art and religious practice.

The main character of sūrat al-Masad (Q 111), Abu Lahab, seems to have a Biblical connection with the Biblical character of Ahab. Abu Lahab alternatively, and without substantial change, can be read as “Abu’l-Ahab”, namely father of Ahab.... more

The main character of sūrat al-Masad (Q 111), Abu Lahab, seems to have a Biblical connection with the Biblical character of Ahab. Abu Lahab alternatively, and without substantial change, can be read as “Abu’l-Ahab”, namely father of Ahab. Ahab was the seventh kings of ancient Israel (r. ca. 885-874 BCE) and son of King Omri and husband of Jezebel of Sidon. According to the Hebrew Bible, the father Omri, his son Ahab and his wife Jezebel were introducing the Baal worship to ancieant Israel. Jezebel, as a Baal worshipers, had many Prophets killed. So, besides the name resemblances, Abu lahab/Abu’l Ahab, all the mentioned Biblical characters and their stories seems to have more explanatory power in the commentary of surat al-Masad than that of the conventional ones. The paper is attempting to show the Biblical background of surat al-Masad.

I did come pass some archaeological research report from Ashkelon, that they had founded graveyard of Philistines, that was timed to the end of the Iron age (10th and 9th centuries BCE) and that article did have some Bible places that I... more

SUMMARY: Lecture-11 provides a broad overview of Canaan and late Middle Kingdom Egypt (MB IIA/B), the fall/decline of the Middle Kingdom, the rise of the Hyksos and Second Intermediate Period (especially at Tell ed-Dab'a), the rise of the... more

SUMMARY: Lecture-11 provides a broad overview of Canaan and late Middle Kingdom Egypt (MB IIA/B), the fall/decline of the Middle Kingdom, the rise of the Hyksos and Second Intermediate Period (especially at Tell ed-Dab'a), the rise of the reduced, indigenous Egyptian kingdom of the Thebans (in central-southern Egypt), the Theban struggle to reunite Egypt, and the final expulsion of the Hyksos and foundation of an Egyptian empire in Canaan, This lecture is designed mainly as an educational resource/aid for college students (i.e., normally posted only on my institution's course website), the public (e.g., people auditing my course), and interested colleagues from other disciplines (to whom I periodically provide copies privately). I am posting it here, both as a broader access, educational tool, and especially to promote the study of this region and its past societies. For further knowledge about this region and period, I refer interested parties to the textbooks and other sources from which the initial materials were extracted for this ppt. (see syllabus; e.g., initially Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible), and/or the bibliographies in these works and my online resource guides (see other files in my academia folders). Much of this and the other lectures summarize the pertinent materials in the course textbook(s), add in other data, including my own research materials, and furnish numerous images to clarify/illustrate the wealth of information encountered in the textbook(s). Some generic imagery (usually indicated as such) is posted to aid in transmitting various concepts visually, and/or when a specific image remains not located (temporarily). I update and revise such lectures each time, with such elective courses normally being taught once every two years. I try to cover the most current, mainstream views, and usually place summary notes at the end of each lecture (or in separate test study guides). Over time, each lecture is improved, errors rectified, and additional data placed within the lecture. These ppt. lectures take many hours to compile, but they have proved useful to many of my more serious students (who have since pursued graduate degrees), and a few colleagues, who, like me, often teach outside our main fields of specialty, and I hope they can be of benefit to others as well. My apologies for any errors I may have made (over time, as I teach this course every two years, I try to rectify any errors that might slip in inadvertently), and for my liberal usage of educational imagery from professional sources and vetted internet sources. UPDATES: Sept. 29, 2023 (revised formatting, some new text and some images, especially Abydos and King Seneb-Kay).

We should begin with Brecht, but we shouldn't end there." Edward Bond 1 I. Warten auf "Baal" Friedrich Cerhas Baal ist nach Paul Dessaus Puntila-Oper (Uraufführung: Berlin 1966) die zweite Musiktheater-Adaptierung eines... more

We should begin with Brecht, but we shouldn't end there." Edward Bond 1 I. Warten auf "Baal" Friedrich Cerhas Baal ist nach Paul Dessaus Puntila-Oper (Uraufführung: Berlin 1966) die zweite Musiktheater-Adaptierung eines Brecht-Schauspiels. Zum ersten Mal wurde ein solches Stück von einem Komponisten der jüngeren Generation vertont, der nicht mehr aus dem Musiker-Kreis rund um Brecht stammte und auch keinen Kontakt zu dessen unmittelbaren Nachfolgern am Berliner Ensemble hatte. Wohl schrieben bis heute zahlreiche Komponisten Bühnenmusiken zu Brechts Stücken. Keiner außer Cerha wagte sich jedoch in den zweieinhalb Jahrzehnten nach Brechts Tod (1956) an das Unternehmen, einen kompletten Theatertext des Dichters in ein musikalisches Bühnenwerk zu transformieren. Erst 24 Jahre später folgte eine weitere Adaption eines Brecht-Schauspiels für das Musiktheater. Es war der Galilei des Schweizer Komponisten Michael Jarrell (Uraufführung: Genf 2006). Bereits diese wenigen Fakten lassen aufhorchen. Es scheint, als habe man Adaptionen von Brecht-Stücken für das Musiktheater, sieht man einmal davon ab, dass Dessau seine Oper Puntila noch auf Anregung des Autors geplant, aber erst nach dessen Tod auf das Textbuch von Peter Palitzsch und Manfred Wekwerth komponiert hat (Uraufführung: Berlin1966), 2 wie eine Tabuzone gemieden. Gleichzeitig rangierte in der post-Brecht'schen Theaterpraxis, flankiert von theoretischen Erörterungen und zunehmenden Analysen, an erster Stelle das Modell des epischen Musiktheaters, als dessen Paradigma die Brecht-Weill-Oper Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny betrachtet wurde. Die Ausklammerung von Brechts Theatertexten bei gleichzeitiger Kanonisierung des epischen Theaters beziehungsweise Musiktheaters zu einem Modell und "Monument" der Moderne, so Heiner Müller 3 , können allerdings den zeitlichen Abstand zwischen Dessaus Puntila und Cerhas Baal nicht allein erklären. Im Westen kam ein Boykott des Autors und 1 Edward Bond: On Brecht: (Hg.), Mechanismen der Macht. Friedrich Cerha und sein musikdramatisches Werk (Schriftenreihe des Archivs der Zeitgenossen. 1), Innsbruck, Wien, Bozen 2016. 2 seiner Stücke hinzu. Die Anti-Brecht-Kampagnen, die in der Bundesrepublik und in Österreich nach dem 17. Juni 1953 einsetzten, 4 führten in Wien zu einem zehnjährigen Aufführungsboykott, getragen und unterstützt von der Wiener Theaterkritik, den Wiener Theaterdirektoren und der österreichischen Theaterwissenschaft. 5 In der unmittelbaren Nachkriegszeit war das Klima für eine erneute Brecht-Rezeption nach einer langen Pause von 14 Jahren (seit 1932) allerdings noch günstig. So hatte Viktor Matejka, KPÖ-Stadtrat für Kultur und Volksbildung in Wien, bereits 1946 einige Brecht-Aufführungen auf den Weg gebracht, darunter ein Gastspiel des Züricher Schauspielhauses, das die Uraufführungs-Inszenierung der Mutter Courage von 1941 zeigte. 1950 spielte das Berliner Ensemble Brechts Bearbeitung des Hofmeisters von Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz. Und nachdem Hanns Eisler, der nach seiner Rückkehr aus dem amerikanischen Exil (1948) für zwei Jahre in Wien lebte, 1949 die Kantaten-Fassung von Brechts Mutter in einer Rundfunkproduktion der RAVAG uraufgeführt hatte, inszenierte Manfred Wekwerth 1953 unter Brechts künstlerischer Leitung die Bühnenfassung der Mutter am Wiener Neuen Theater in der Scala. (In jener Zeit vor dem Boykott, um 1948, begann der 22-jährige Cerha, "alle Stücke Brechts zu lesen". Er habe "sie verschlungen", besonders "die frühen Stücke", 6 die er "bei allem Respekt" für das Spätwerk bevorzugte, wie er rückblickend in einem Gespräch mit Albrecht Dümling erklärte. 7 ) 1958, als Cerha gemeinsam mit Ernst Krenek eine Galilei-Aufführung des Berliner Ensemble in Berlin besuchte, 8 hatte sich die Situation in Wien völlig verändert. De facto war Brecht ein verfemter, geschmähter Autor, diskreditiert als Dichter des Kommunismus, belegt mit einem Bann, der erst im Februar 1963 beendet wurde, als Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder in einer Inszenierung von Gustav Manker am Wiener Volkstheater Premiere hatte. 9 Im gleichen Jahr konnte man auch eine Baal-Produktion des Wiener Ateliertheaters besuchen. Es war die zweite nach der österreichischen Erstaufführung von 4

This paper starts with a die-study (19 coins instead of the 7 previously known, among which 3 overstruck) of the coinage with the name TERSIKON and the aramaci legend 'Cilicia' which is generally given to Pharnabazos at Tarsus. We then... more

This paper starts with a die-study (19 coins instead of the 7 previously known, among which 3 overstruck) of the coinage with the name TERSIKON and the aramaci legend 'Cilicia' which is generally given to Pharnabazos at Tarsus. We then discuss the full coinage attributed to Pharnabazos and Datames/Tarkumuwa putting their volumes into perspective with the Hecatomnid coinages of Mausolos and Idrieus. The core of the paper is about the many countermarks found on Cilican as well as on Pamphylian staters of the beginning of the 4th c. BCE. We give a long list of 287 specimens detailing for each which kind of countermark(s) and on which isssue of which mint (Selge, Aspendos, Side, Nagidos, Kelenderis, Holmoi, Soloi, Tarsus, Mallos, Issos and even Lapethos on Cyprus). Since it is likely that each of these countermarks was applied at the same time and place, each could be taken as the equivalent of a virtual hoard, giving precious information about what then circulated. The countermak with a bull has been struck on coins from 11 different mints. Accepted chronologies must be adapted to this crucial evidence Many issues dated ca. 350 BCE have in fact been produced before 370 BCE. Many countermarked coins are die-linked prompting the idea that countermaks were applied soon after strike. It turns put that the 4 overstrikes we do have for the coinage of Pharnabazos and Tarkumuwa are all on the same obverse die (out of more than 600). And the four coins have been cointermarked with the bull to r. It is also likely that several coinagesq were produced at the same place.

In his seminar, Specters of Marx, Jacques Derrida discusses how one of the essential qualities of the specter is his ability to appear incessantly. The inability to know when the specter may appear, however, not only enforces its haunting... more

In his seminar, Specters of Marx, Jacques Derrida discusses how one of the essential qualities of the specter is his ability to appear incessantly. The inability to know when the specter may appear, however, not only enforces its haunting quality but also conveys a despairing sense of what Derrida refers to as empty Messianism from which emits “a curious taste of death” (Derrida 169). Derrida also contends that with the empty Messianic wait lies the possibility of hope. In a number of Coetzee’s novels, the characters feel they are possessed by demons or ghosts, from which at times they try to flee or control, as such presences summon memories of a past better forgotten or a future at best dreaded. In this paper, I discuss the roles of two mythological deities, Baal and Thoth that symbolically acquire the role of specters in Coetzee’s The Master of Petersburg and Disgrace, respectively. In Coetzee’s novels, these ancient gods, no longer assume their original mythical role, but instead evolve as premonitions of evil and death.

Der Monotheismus in Israel entwickelte sich über einen längeren Zeitraum hin. Was stand am Anfang dieser Entwicklung? Was für ein Gott war Jhwh, bevor er zu „dem einen“ Gott wurde? Die Antworten auf diese Fragen variieren, je nachdem, wie... more

Der Monotheismus in Israel entwickelte sich über einen längeren Zeitraum hin. Was stand am Anfang dieser Entwicklung? Was für ein Gott war Jhwh, bevor er zu „dem einen“ Gott wurde? Die Antworten auf diese Fragen variieren, je nachdem, wie man den Namen Jhwh etymologisch herleitet und wie man für literarisches Urgestein gehaltene Texte literar- und traditionsgeschichtlich einordnet. In der Regel werden als Quellen dabei fast ausschließlich poetische Texte herangezogen (v.a. Ri 5, Hab 3, Dtn 33; Ps 68). Szabolcs-Ferencz Kató geht dieser Frage auf eine andere Weise nach, indem er nämlich mit Hosea ein relativ altes prophetisches Buch motivgeschichtlich untersucht und darin ein archaisches Gottesprofil herausarbeitet. Dementsprechend dominieren bei Jhwh die Wettergottzüge des Baal-Hadad-Typs, was sich so interpretieren lässt, dass Jhwh ursprünglich selbst ein Wettergott dieser Art war.

The Beginning of the Syncretism Seth-Baal. Seth and the Storm according to the Classifiers of the Middle Kingdom Coffin Texts (Original Spanish).

This study presents a full edition of the Ugaritic literary text RS 16.266 (KTU 1.83), the so-called "Binding of Yamm" text discovered at Ras Shamra in 1952 and previously edited by Virolleaud (1957 PRU II no. 3) and Pitard (1998 [JNES... more

This study presents a full edition of the Ugaritic literary text RS 16.266 (KTU 1.83), the so-called "Binding of Yamm" text discovered at Ras Shamra in 1952 and previously edited by Virolleaud (1957 PRU II no. 3) and Pitard (1998 [JNES 57]), among others. The edition includes a hand copy (p. 357), transliteration (p. 317), translation (pp. 320-21), and commentary. The text is reconstructed as narrating an address of 'Ilu to Yammu (with his ally Tunnanu and by his alternative name Naharu). The text may represent a parallel to a lost narrative sequence from the first tablet of the Baal Cycle (RS 3.361 iii = CTA 1 IV).

Los fenicios y los hebreos llegaron al Mediterráneo Occidental, dieron nombre de Ebro/ebreo (ivrit) al río y de Iberia a las tierras regadas por el río. También bautizaron las islas adyacentes del Sur como Pitiusas (islas de pinos) y a... more

Los fenicios y los hebreos llegaron al Mediterráneo Occidental, dieron nombre de Ebro/ebreo (ivrit) al río y de Iberia a las tierras regadas por el río. También bautizaron las islas adyacentes del Sur como Pitiusas (islas de pinos) y a las islas del Norte como Baleares o islas de Baal.

This article deals with the identity and the features of the obscure deity found only in Judges 9 and known by the two names Ba‘al-Berith and El-Berith by means of a joint methodological approach integrating textual criticism of the... more

This article deals with the identity and the features of the obscure deity found only in Judges 9 and known by the two names Ba‘al-Berith and El-Berith by means of a joint methodological approach integrating textual criticism of the biblical sources with archaeological and epigraphic data and with the tools of comparative analysis. In retracing the past scholarship about the topic, the various hypotheses have been split into three groups according to a typological criterion and have been evaluated: this brought to light some significant factors which had been misinterpreted or overlooked, but it also helped in sketching a more detailed portrait of some aspects of the religious backdrop of Palestine in the last centuries of the II millennium BCE. At a final examination, the most likely option seems to be the identification of the god with a local manifestation of El, to which is attributed the epithet ba‘al bərît (“lord of the covenant”).

This article examines the story of Gideon, the Angel of the Lord, animistic thinking and practices, Gideon's fleece and the altar of Baal, etc, in light of ancient Canaanite cultures and make application to modern Asia today. Written with... more

This article examines the story of Gideon, the Angel of the Lord, animistic thinking and practices, Gideon's fleece and the altar of Baal, etc, in light of ancient Canaanite cultures and make application to modern Asia today. Written with a high view of Scripture, the article is intended to enrich our study of the Scripture through Asian cultures. This article has been published as a chapter in the book, "The Old Testament in Theology and Teaching: Essays in Honor of Kay Fountain, (APTS Press, 2018) and is available online at https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Theology-Teaching-Fountain/dp/9718942378/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1521682640&sr=8-1, at other ebook retailers or www.wipfandstock.com.