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From El to Baʿal: The Rise of Canaan’s Storm GodWhy does Baʿal become such a persistent rival to Yahweh in the Old Testament? And why does the religious world of Abraham appear so different from the Canaanite religion Israel later confronts?
This lecture traces the rise of Baʿal-Hadad from an older Syrian storm-god tradition to his prominent place in Canaanite religion. We will examine evidence from the ancient Near East, including the Execration Texts, Aleppo, Mari, and Ugarit, and consider how Baʿal increasingly came to be associated with rain, fertility, warfare, protection, and kingship.
We will then return to the biblical text and ask why Israel’s covenant rejected this development so strongly. From Abraham and Melchizedek to Deuteronomy, Gideon, and Elijah on Mount Carmel, the lecture explores the growing conflict between Baʿalism and the biblical claim that rain, harvest, victory, kingship, and the land belong to Yahweh alone.
No prior knowledge of ancient Near Eastern history or religion is required.
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Event venue
The Well Bible Church, 1190 stahlheber rd,Hamilton,OH,United States, Oxford
Tickets
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