Ancient Semitic religion spans the polytheistic religions of the Semitic speaking peoples of the Ancient Near East. Its origins are interwtined with earlier (Sumerian) Mesopotamian mythology. 14th century BC diplomatic letter in Akkadian, found in Tell Amarna. ... Overview map of the Ancient Near East The term Ancient Near East or Ancient Orient encompasses the early civilizations predating Classical Antiquity in the region roughly corresponding to that described by the modern term Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Turkey), during the time roughly spanning the Bronze Age from the rise... Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. ...

Semitic gods refers to the gods or deities of peoples generally classified as speaking a Semitic language. As Semitic itself is a rough, categorical term, the definitive bounds of the term "Semitic gods" are likewise only approximate. Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This list of deities aims at giving information about deities in the different religions, cultures and mythologies of the world. ... The Semitic languages are the northeastern subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic languages, and the only family of this group spoken in Asia. ... In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic (from the Biblical Shem, Hebrew: שם, translated as name, Arabic: سام) was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages. ...

A topic of particular interest is the transition of Semitic polytheism into our contemporary understanding of monotheism by way of the god El, a name of the god of Judaism and cognate to Islam's Allah. Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple gods or deities. ... For the Celtic Frost album, see Monotheist (album) In theology, monotheism (from Greek one and god) is the belief in the existence of one deity or God, or in the oneness of God. ... Ēl (אל) is a Northwest Semitic word and name translated into English as either god or God or left untranslated as El, depending on the context. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ...

Scholars have speculated that the "transition" from polytheism to monotheism was likely a form of theological supremacy — by which the theology of a supreme deity, the "One God," naturally grew from the supremacy of a particular culture to which that "One God" was favorable toward. (See covenant.) Thus, as the culture and people expanded, their monotheistic beliefs and specific God was carried with them. Supremacism is the belief that self-determination and freedom of association are principles less important than the virtues obtained by ones race, religion, belief system or culture ruling over others. ... A covenant, in its most general sense, is a solemn promise to do or not do something specified. ...

Proto-Semitic pantheon

This is a partial list of possible Proto-Semitic deities.

(akk. Akkadian-Babylonian; ug. Ugaritic; phoin. Phoinician; hebr. Hebrew; Arab. Arabic; OSA. Old South Arabian; eth. Ethiopic) Entrance to the Palace of Ugarit Ugarit (modern site Ras Shamra رأس شمرة; meaning top/head/cape of the wild fennel in Arabic) was an ancient cosmopolitan port city, sited on the Mediterranean coast of northern Syria a few kilometers north of the modern city of Latakia. ... Phoenicia (or Phenicia ,[1] from Biblical Phenice [1]) was an ancient civilization centered in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coast of modern day Lebanon and Syria. ... Old South Arabian is a geographic term for four closely related languages spoken in the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. ... The Kingdom of Aksum (or Axum, Geez አክሱም), was an important trading nation in northeastern Africa, growing from the proto-Aksumite period ca. ...

• *ʔIlu "god" (Supreme God: akk. Ilu, ug. il, phoin. ʔl / Ēlos, hebr. Ēl / Elohim, OSA. ʔl ). The Arabic Name Allāh is al-ʔilah "The God".
• *ʔAṯiratu (Ilu's wife: ug. aṯrt, hebr. Ašērāh OSA. ʔṯrt ). The meaning of the name is unknown.
  • She is also called *ʔIlatu "goddess" (akk. Ilat, phoin. ʔlt, Arab. Allāt ).
• *ʕAṯtaru (God of Fertility: ug. ʕṯtr, OSA ʕṯtr, eth. ʕAstar - sky god) and
  • ʕAṯtartu (Goddess of Fertility: akk. Ištar, ug. ʕṯtrt, phoin. ʕštrt / Astarte hebr. ʕAštoreṯ ). The meaning of the name is unknown and not related to ʔAṯiratu!
• *Haddu / *Hadadu (Storm God: akk. Adad, ug. hd, phoin. Adodos ). The meaning of the name is probably “thunderer”.
  • This god is also known as *Baʕlu "man, husband, lord" (akk. Bel, ug. bʕl, phoin. bʕl / Belos, hbr. Baʕal ).
• *Śamšu "sun" (Sun goddess: ug. špš, OSA: šmš, but akk. Šamaš is a male god).
• *Wariḫu "moon" (Moon god: ug. yrḫ, hebr. Yārēaḥ, OSA. wrḫ ).

Ä’l (אל) is a Northwest Semitic word and name translated into English as either god or God or left untranslated as El, depending on the context. ... This article is about the Hebrew word. ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ... It has been suggested that Asherah pole be merged into this article or section. ... Mentioned in the Quran (Sura 53:20), Allāt (a contraction of pre-Arabic *al-ilāhat the Goddess) was a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca. ... For other uses, see Ishtar (disambiguation). ... Astarte on a car with four branches protruding from roof. ... ‘Ashtart, commonly known as Astarte (also Hebrew or Phoenician עשתרת, Ugaritic ‘ttrt (also ‘Attart or ‘Athtart), Akkadian dAs_tar_tú (also Astartu), Greek Αστάρτη (Astártê)), was a major northwest_Semitic goddess, cognate in name, origin, and functions with... This article is about the Sumerian god Adad also known as Ishkur. ... Haddad - בעל הדד - حداد (in Ugaritic Haddu) was a very important northwest Semitic storm god and rain god, cognate in name and origin with the Akkadian god Adad. ... Bel, signifying lord or master, is a title rather than a genuine name, applied to various gods in Babylonian relgion. ... For other uses, see Baal (disambiguation). ... Shamash or Sama, was the common Akkadian name of the sun-god in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu. ...

Babylonia and Assyria

Main article: Assyro-Babylonian religion

Further information: Babylonian mythology, Enûma Eliš, Marduk, Gilgamesh epic, and Ashur (god)

When the five planets were identified, they were associated with the sun and moon and connected with the chief gods of the Hammurabi pantheon. A bilingual list in the British Museum arranges the sevenfold planetary group in the following order: Assyrian demon Pazuzu. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mesopotamian mythology. ... The is the Babylonian or Mesopotamian creation epic. ... Marduk (Sumerian spelling in Akkadian: AMAR.UTU solar calf; Biblical: Merodach) was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon permanently became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi (18th century... The Deluge tablet of the Gilgamesh epic in Akkadian The Epic of Gilgamesh is from Babylonia, dating from long after the time that king Gilgamesh was supposed to have ruled. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

• The moon, Sin.
• The sun, Shamash.
• Jupiter, Merodach.
• Venus, Ishtar.
• Saturn, Ninip (Nirig).
• Mercury, Nebo.
• Mars, Nergal.^[1]

The pre-Christian religion of the Assyrian Empire (sometimes called Ashurism) centered around the god Assur, patron deity of the city of Assur, besides Ishtar patroness of Niniveh. The Assyrians adopted Christianity in the course of the 1st to 3rd century AD,^[2] the last recorded worship of Ashur dating to AD 256.^[3][4] This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Shamash or Sama, was the common Akkadian name of the sun-god in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu. ... For the hypothetical planet Marduk, see Marduk (planet). ... For other uses, see Ishtar (disambiguation). ... “Classical planets” redirects here. ... Nebo may refer to: Nebo, a Babylonian god Nebo, a Biblical character recorded as having 52 sons Nabau, a Biblical town Mount Nebo Nebo, Kentucky in the United States Nebo, Illinois in the United States Nebo, Queensland in Australia Nebo, Gwynedd in Wales External links NeboWeb Interactive Agency Category: ... The name Nergal (or Nirgal, Nirgali) refers to a deity in Babylonia with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. ... This article concerns the ancient Mesopotamian kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Assur (Assyrian: ܐܫܘܪ) also spelled Ashur, from Assyrian AÅ¡Å¡ur, was the capital of ancient Assyria. ... For other uses, see Ishtar (disambiguation). ... This article is about the ancient Middle Eastern city of Nineveh. ... Languages Aramaic Religions Christianity Related ethnic groups other Semitic peoples The Assyrians (also called Syriacs or Aramaeans[11]) are an ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria, but many of whom have migrated to the Caucasus, North America and Western Europe during the... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Events Births Arius, founder of Arianism Deaths Invasions Goths invade Asia Minor. ...

Ashur, the patron deity of the eponymous capital from the Late Bronze Age was in constant rivalry with the patron deity of Babylon, Marduk. In Assyria, Ashur eventually superseded Marduk even in his role as husband of Ishtar. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Assur (Assyrian: ܐܫܘܪ) also spelled Ashur, from Assyrian Aššur, was the capital of ancient Assyria. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ... Marduk (Sumerian spelling in Akkadian: AMAR.UTU solar calf; Biblical: Merodach) was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon permanently became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi (18th century...

Canaan

Main article: Canaanite religion

Canaanite religion was the group of belief systems utilized by the people living in the ancient Levant throughout the Bronze Age and Iron Age. Canaanite religion was the group of belief systems utilized by the people living in the ancient Levant throughout the Bronze Age and Iron Age. ... The Levant The Levant (IPA: ) is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ...

Until the excavation of Canaanite Ras Shamra (the site historically known as Ugarit), and the discovery of its Bronze Age archive of clay tablet alphabetic cuneiform texts, little was known of Canaanite religion, as papyrus seems to have been the preferred writing medium, and unlike Egypt, in the humid Mediterranean climate, these have simply decayed. As a result, the highly antagonistic and selective accounts contained within the Bible were almost the only sources of information on ancient Canaanite religion. This was supplimented by a few secondary and tertiary Greek sources (Lucian of Samosata's De Syria Dea (The Syrian Goddess), fragments of the Phoenician History of Philo of Byblos, and the writings of Damascius). More recently detailed study of the Ugaritic material, other inscriptions from the Levant and also of the Ebla archive from Tel Mardikh, excavated in 1960 by a joint Italo-Syrian team, have cast more light on the early Canaanite religion. Entrance to the Palace of Ugarit Ugarit (modern site Ras Shamra رأس شمرة; meaning top/head/cape of the wild fennel in Arabic) was an ancient cosmopolitan port city, sited on the Mediterranean coast of northern Syria a few kilometers north of the modern city of Latakia. ... ABCs redirects here, for the Alien Big Cats, see British big cats. ... Look up Cuneiform in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Papyrus (disambiguation). ...  Areas with Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate is a climate that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... Lucian of Samosata (c. ... Philo of Byblos (Herennios Philon), (ca 64 - 141 CE) was an antiquarian writer of grammatical, lexical and historical works in Greek, whose name Herennius makes it appear that he was a client of the Consul suffectus Herennius Severus, through whom Philo could have achieved the status of a Roman citizen. ... Damascius, the last of the Neoplatonists, was born in Damascus about AD 480. ... Ebla is not to be confused with Elba. ...

Canaanite religion was strongly influenced by their more powerful and populous neighbours, and shows clear influence of Mesopotamian and Egyptian religious practices. Like other people of the Ancient Near East Canaanite religious beliefs were polytheistic, with families typically focusing worship on ancestral household gods and goddesses while acknowledging the existence of other deities such as Baal and El. Kings also played an important religious role and in certain ceremonies, such as the sacred marriage of the New Year Festival may have been revered as gods. For other uses, see Mesopotamia (disambiguation). ... Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... Ancestor worship, also ancestor veneration, is a religious practice based on the belief that ones ancestors possess supernatural powers. ... This list of deities aims at giving information about deities in the different religions, cultures and mythologies of the world. ... For other uses, see Baal (disambiguation). ... Ēl (אל) is a Northwest Semitic word and name translated into English as either god or God or left untranslated as El, depending on the context. ... For other uses, see Monarch (disambiguation). ... Jupiter and Juno, by Agostino Carracci Hieros Gamos (Greek ιερός γάμος, holy wedding) or Hierogamy (Greek ιερογαμία, again holy wedding) means a coupling (sometimes marriage) of a god and a man or a woman, often having a symbolic meaning and generally conducted in the spring. ... For other uses, see New Year (disambiguation). ...

Cosmology

According to the pantheon, known in Ugarit as 'ilhm (=Elohim) or the children of El (cf. the Biblical "sons of God"), supposedly obtained by Philo of Byblos from Sanchuniathon of Berythus (Beirut) the creator was known as Elion (Biblical El Elyon = God most High), who was the father of the divinities, and in the Greek sources he was married to Beruth (Beirut = the city). This marriage of the divinity with the city would seem to have Biblical parallels too with the stories of the link between Melkart and Tyre; Yahweh and Jerusalem; Chemosh and Moab; Tanit and Baal Hammon in Carthage. El Elyon is mentioned as 'God Most High' occurs in Genesis 14.18–19 as the God whose priest was Melchizedek king of Salem. This article is about the Hebrew word. ... There are several theories concerning the identity of the sons of God (bnei elohim, בני האלהים, contrasted with daughters of men) identified in the book of Genesis. ... Philo of Byblos (Herennios Philon), (ca 64 - 141 CE) was an antiquarian writer of grammatical, lexical and historical works in Greek, whose name Herennius makes it appear that he was a client of the Consul suffectus Herennius Severus, through whom Philo could have achieved the status of a Roman citizen. ... Sanchuniathon or Sanchoniathon or Sanchoniatho is the purported Phoenician author of three works in Phoenician, surviving only in partial paraphrase and summary of a Greek translation by Philo of Byblos. ... For other uses, see Beirut (disambiguation). ... Melqart (less accurately Melkart, Melkarth or Melgart (greek disposed of the letter Q (Qoppa) replacing it with additional use of K (Kappa) and G (Gamma)), Akkadian Milqartu, was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city of Tyre, as Eshmun protected Sidon. ... The Triumphal Arch Tyre (Arabic , Phoenician , Hebrew Tzor, Tiberian Hebrew , Akkadian , Greek Týros) is a city in the South Governorate of Lebanon. ... For other uses, see Yahweh (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Chemosh (disambiguation). ... Moab (Hebrew: מוֹאָב, Standard Tiberian  ; Greek Μωάβ ; Arabic مؤاب, Assyrian Muaba, Maba, Maab ; Egyptian Muab) is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. ... Basic Tanit symbol Tanit was a Carthaginian lunar goddess. ... Ba‘al Hammon (more properly Ba‘al Ḥammon or possibly Ba‘al Ḥamon) was the chief god of Carthage, generally identified by the Greeks with Cronus and by the Romans with Saturn. ... Roman Carthage with former military harbor Carthage (Greek: , Latin: , from the Phoenician meaning new town; Arabic: ) refers both to an ancient city in Tunisia and to the civilization that developed within the citys sphere of influence. ... Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek — by Dieric Bouts the Elder, 1464–67 Melchizedek or Malki-tzédek (מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק / מַלְכִּי־צָדֶק, Standard Hebrew Malki-ẓédeq / Malki-ẓádeq, Tiberian Hebrew Malkî-ṣéḏeq / Malkî-ṣāḏeq), sometimes written Malchizedek, Melchisedec, Melchisedech, Melchisedek or Melkisedek, is a figure mentioned by various sects of both Christian and Judaic traditions. ...

From the union of El Elyon and his consort was born Uranus and Ge, Greek names for the "Heaven" and the "Earth". This closely parallels the opening verse of Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning Elohim gave birth to the Heaven (Shemayim) and the Earth (Eretz)", and this would appear to be based upon this early Canaanite belief. This also has parallels with the story of the Babylonian Anunaki (i.e. = "Heaven and Earth"; Shamayim and Eretz) too. For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Hebrew word. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... Shamayim (literally sky in Hebrew) or the Heavens, was an important concept in the religions and cosmology of the ancient Levant. ... The Anunaki, from Anu = Heaven/Sky, na = and, Ki = Earth, was the name given to the Sumerian, and later Babylonian pantheon. ... Shamayim (literally sky in Hebrew) or the Heavens, was an important concept in the religions and cosmology of the ancient Levant. ...

In Canaanite mythology there were twin mountains Targhizizi and Tharumagi which hold the firmament up above the earth-circling ocean, thereby bounding the earth. We learn from W. F. Albright for example that El Shaddai is a derivation of a Semitic stem that appears in the Akkadian shadû ("mountain") and shaddā`û or shaddû`a ("mountain-dweller"), one of the names of Amurru. Philo of Byblos states that Atlas was one of the Elohim, which would clearly fit into the story of El Shaddai as "God of the Mountain(s)." Harriet Lutzky has presented evidence that Shaddai was an attribute of a Semitic goddess, linking the epithet with Hebrew šad "breast" as "the one of the Breast". The idea of two mountains being associated here as the breasts of the Earth, fits into the Canaanite mythology quite well. The ideas of pairs of mountains seem to be quite common in Canaanite mythology (similar to Horeb and Sinai in the Bible).

The appearance of "high places" or "holy places" in early Biblical tales (until the centralisation of the cult in the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem by Hezekiah and Josiah). Certainly the idea of the "Lords of the Mountain" (Ba'al Hermon and Ba'al Zephon) suggests that there are twin gods mentioned here in the north also. These twin Gods, located on the Eastern and Western extremities are probably the homes of Shachar (the Rising Sun) and Shalim (the setting sun), sons of Asherah and El, known as the "beneficent gods".

Influence on Abrahamic religions

Further information: Panbabylonism

Many of the stories of the Tanakh,^[5] and the Qur'an are believed to have been based on, influenced by, or inspired by the legendary mythological past of the Near East. The Enuma Elish in particular has been compared to the Genesis creation story. The story of Esther in particular is traced to Babylonian roots. The New Testament is also significantly indebted to the Mesopotamian myth of the reborn god (see Christ as myth).^{[citation needed]} Panbabylonism is a school of thought within Assyriology and Religious studies that considers the Hebrew Bible and Judaism as directly derived from Babylonian culture and mythology. ... Tanakh (‎) (also Tanach, IPA: or , or Tenak) is an acronym that identifies the Hebrew Bible. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: ;, literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... Enûma Elish is the creation epic of Babylonian mythology. ... This article is about the biblical text. ... Esther (1865), by John Everett Millais Esther (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ), born Hadassah, was a woman in the Hebrew Bible, the queen of Ahasuerus (commonly identified with either Xerxes I or Artaxerxes II), and heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther which is named after her. ... This article is about the Christian scriptures. ... The category life-death-rebirth deity also known as a dying-and-rising god is a convenient means of classifying the many divinities in world mythology who are born, suffer death or an eclipse or other death-like experience, pass a phase in the underworld among the dead, and are... The study of Jesus from a mythographical perspective is the examination of the narrative of Jesus, the Christ (the Anointed) of the gospels, Christian theology and folk Christianity as a central part of Christian mythology. ...

El Elyon also appears in Baalam's story in Numbers and in Moses song in Deuternomy 32.8. The Masoretic Texts suggest The Masoretic Text (MT) is the Hebrew text of the Tanakh approved for general use in Judaism. ...

When the Most High (`Elyōn) divided to the nations their inheritance, he separated the sons of man (Ādām); he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the sons of Israel

The Septuagint suggests a different reading of this. Rather than "sons of Israel" it suggests the "angelōn theou" or 'angels of God' and a few versions even have "huiōn theou" 'sons of God'. The Dead Sea Scrolls version of this suggests that there were in fact 70 sons of the Most High God sent to rule over the 70 nations of the Earth. This idea of the 70 nations of Earth, each ruled over by one of the Elohim (sons of God) is also found in Ugaritic texts. The Aslan Tash inscription suggests that each of the 70 sons of El Elyon were bound to their people by a covenant. Thus as Crossan translates it The Septuagint: A column of uncial text from 1 Esdras in the Codex Vaticanus, the basis of Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brentons Greek edition and English translation. ... The Dead Sea scrolls comprise roughly 900 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran (near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea) in the West Bank. ...

"The Eternal One (`Olam) has made a covenant oath with us,

Asherah has made (a pact) with us.

And all the sons of El,

And the great council of all the Holy Ones (Qedesh).

With oaths of Heaven and Ancient Earth."

For the Stargate character, see Qetesh (Stargate). ...

References

• Moscatti, Sabatino (1968), "The World of the Phoenicians" (Phoenix Giant)
• Ribichini, Sergio "Beliefs and Religious Life" in Maoscati Sabatino (1997), "The Phoenicians" (Rissoli)
• Donald A. Mackenzie, Myths of Babylonia and Assyria (1915).[1]
• Thophilus G. Pinches, The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, The World Wide School, Seattle (2000)[2]

Summer 2003 is the name of an EP by the heavy metal band Anthrax released in 2003 by Nuclear Blast. ...

See also

• Religions of the Ancient Near East
• DINGIR
• Mesopotamian mythology
• Arabian mythology
• Ancient Egyptian religion
• Panbabylonism
• History of Judaism
• Names of God in Judaism
• Proto-Indo-European religion
• Prehistoric religion
• Natib Qadish