Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of CanaanThis masterly book is the climax of over twenty-five years of study of the impact of Canaanite religion and mythology on ancient Israel and the Old Testament. It is John Day's magnum opus in which he sets forth all his main arguments and conclusions on the subject. The work considers in detail the relationship between Yahweh and the various gods and goddesses of Canaan, including the leading gods El and Baal, the great goddesses (Asherah, Astarte and Anat), astral deities (Sun, Moon and Lucifer), and underworld deities (Mot, Resheph, Molech and the Rephaim). Day assesses both what Yahwism assimilated from these deities and what it came to reject. More generally he discusses the impact of Canaanite polytheism on ancient Israel and how monotheism was eventually achieved. |
Contents
Preface | 7 |
Abbreviations | 8 |
Chapter 1 YAHWEH AND EL | 13 |
Chapter 2 YAHWEH AND ASHERAH | 42 |
Chapter 3 YAHWEH VERSUS BAAL | 68 |
Chapter 4 YAHWEHS APPROPRIATION OF BAAL IMAGERY | 91 |
Chapter 5 YAHWEH AND THE GODDESSES ASTARTE AND ANAT AND THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN | 128 |
Chapter 6 YAHWEH AND THE ASTRAL DEITIES SUN MOON AND LUCIFER | 151 |
Chapter 7 YAHWEH AND THE UNDERWORLD DEITIES MOT RESHEPH MOLECH AND THE REPHAIM | 185 |
THE CANAANITE GODS AND GODDESSES AND THE RISE OF MONOTHEISM | 226 |
234 | |
264 | |
276 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
2nd edn Albright allusion Alten Testament Anat Ancient Israel Aramaic Asherah Asherim Ashtaroth Ashtoreth Assyrian Astarte Athirat Athtar attested Baal Baal-zebub Baal’s Babylon Bethel Bible Biblical Book of Job Cambridge Canaanite Myth Chron clearly conflict consort cult Dagon death deity Deut Deuteronomistic E.J. Brill Ebla Eissfeldt El’s elsewhere Elyon emendation epithet equated evidence Exod Ezek Ezekiel field figure find fire first goddess Asherah gods golden calves Gott Hebrew Hosea imagery influence inscription Isaiah Israelite Jerusalem Josh Josiah Judah king KTU2 Leiden London Lord meaning Melqart Molech monolatrous moon Mt Zaphon mythology noted Old Testament originally parallel passage personal names prophets Psalm Qudshu Queen of Heaven reference reflect Religion Rephaim Resheph resurrection sacrifice scholars Semitic Sheffield Sheol simply Song specifically suggested symbol temple Ugaritic texts underworld University Press verb Verlag verse W.F. Albright word worship Yahweh Yahwistic