This study was done to address the topic of Ancient Near Eastern religion in terms of its basic assumptions, assessment of that religion in the Hebrew Scriptures, and the critical points of difference between that religion and the biblical text. The discussion is only an introduction because the study is short. A more detailed study would address the covered issues more fully. The study is done in three main parts as follows:
1. Assumptions underlying Ancient Near Eastern religion.
The first thing to understand is the meaning of assumptions. They are facts about a thing which are generally taken to be true. This part covers facts about Ancient Near Eastern religion which are assumed to be true. However it is important to understand that assuming that a thing is true becomes dangerous if it is proved to be wrong based on the light of real truth, especially the biblical truth.
Another important thing for one to understand is the meaning of religion. “Religion refers to a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” (Definitions.com, 2013). This means this part addresses facts about beliefs and practices of the Ancient Near Eastern people.
Finally, before addressing these facts about beliefs and practices of Ancient Near Eastern people, one needs to understand what “Ancient Near East” refers to. About.com (2013) lists some geographical areas which make up the Ancient Near East. They include; Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, Judea, Persia, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Anatolia. This part discusses facts about the religion of these nations.
Wikipedia (2013) has addressed the issue to do with the religion of the Ancient Near Eastern people well. Facts about this religion are summarized hereinafter as found in the aforementioned webpage. First, the religion of the Ancient Near East is shown to be polytheistic. Polytheism involves the worship of many gods. The Ancient Near Eastern people served many gods which were oftenly represented by things like images, stones, and many other similar things. Some humans were worshiped as gods also. In other cases, some humans represented gods. These gods were known to perform different things, oftenly using people and animals. These gods could oftenly possess people and animals to the extend of controlling their bodies and minds. These gods were known to use the mouths of possessed people to speak. They, oftenly gave the possessed humans and animals unusual physical strength which was destructive. These animals and people in many cases destroyed themselves due to this uncontrollable unusual energy.
Wikipedia (2013) explains many practices of that religion. Whenever it was perceived that the gods were angry, purification and cleansing rites were performed. Because the Ancient Near Eastern people feared their gods, they oftenly offered sacrifices to their gods in many occasions for many reasons. These sacrifices included all types of things and sometimes they included human sacrifice. As mentioned before, the religion was basically polytheistic though Egypt and Greece were henotheistic societies. Theocracy, a state sponsored religion, was part of the practices of these people. Sacred prostitution was a major practice by these people. Different types of magic and divinations were also part of this religion.
In accordance with Wikipedia (2013), typically the Ancient Near Eastern religion centered around theocracies with dominating regional cult of the god of a city-state. This means that different cities or states in many cases had different gods which may have required altars constructed in their honor.
Finally, Wikipedia (2013) gives several types of divinations practiced in the Ancient Near Eastern religion. These divinations included; apantomancy which involved seeing animals, cleromancy which involved drawing lots, nephomancy which comprised cloud watching, ornithomancy which included watching birds in flight, capnomancy which was done through smoke, and finally oneiromancy which involved the use of dreams.
At this point, this part comes to a conclusion and leads the reader to the second part of the study.
2. The assessment of Ancient Near Eastern religion found in the Hebrew Scriptures.
After discussing the basic facts and practices of the Ancient Near Eastern religion, it is imperative to do an assessment of that religion found in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Hebrew Scriptures refer to the Old Testament because it was generally written in the Hebrew language.
Biblestudytools (1996) claims that people in lands surrounding Israel had deities which continually tempted the Israelites to turn from God. These deities are discussed hereinafter. It is important for the reader to note that in the Old Testament God continually used his prophets to denounce these deities and religious practices of the Ancient Near Eastern people who served them.
The Bible states in judges 2v. 13 that God’s people forsook him and worshiped Baal and Ashtoreths. (NIV). Asherah and her husband Baal were a great temptation against Israel. Evidence from Ugaritic mythologies and other texts suggest that Asherah refers to both Canaanite goddess and cultic objects facilitating worship. 1 Kings 18v. 1 to 1 Kings 19v, 18 explains the conflict between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. (NIV).
Also, 1 Sam. 31vv. 6-10 gives an assessment of the worship of Ashtoreth. Ashtoreth was popular among Phoenicians and other North Western Semitic peoples. Her worship involved worship of fertility.
Another god mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures is Baal-Zebub. 2 Kings 1vv. 2-16 states that the god of Ekron was called Baal-Zebub. (NIV). Those Scriptures show the conflict between the power of God on Elijah and servants of a worshiper of Baal-Zebub. The fire of God destroyed many soldiers who attempted to arrest Elijah.
Biblestudytools (1996) continues to give an assessment of the Ancient Near Eastern religion in the Hebrew Scriptures. Num. 21v. 29 makes reference to Chemosh. (NIV). Chemosh was the primary god of Moabites and Ammonates. Elsewhere in Judges 16vv. 23-24, the Bible writes about dagon, the god of the Philistines. (NIV). The Philistines are shown to be offering a great sacrifice to Dagon whom they believed had captured Samson for them. Samson had been a great threat to them. His capture was a relief from his threats.
Another deity revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures is Hadad. This involved the deification of natural forces and war. Hadad relates to the Assyrians. The name Hadad appeards in Edomite genealogy. Hada was used in reference to a human to show he was a patron of a deity.
Additionally, Isa. 27v. 1 states that God would punish Leviathan the gliding serpent. (NIV). Leviathan can be identified with Lotan, sea monster of the Ugaritic. Generally, Leviathan is a manifestation of pride and false worship. God spoke of using a powerful sword to destroy Leviathan. This god is shown to have strong scales which are hard to penetrate. It is also called a coiling serpent to show how it coils itself around a person. Hebrew Scriptures show god as always being fiercely against this god.
Also, Jer. 50v. 2 states that Marduk would be filled with terror, her images would be put to shame, and her idols would be filled with terror. (NIV). Marduk was the chief deity of the Babylonians. God is seen being against this god which the Babylonians trusted. 1 Kings 11v. 5 mentions Milcom, the detestable god of the Ammonites. (NIV). Milcom is elsewhere called Molech who was associated with Moabites.
Finaaly, Jer. 7v. 18 writes about the Queen of Heaven. (NIV). This god was worshiped by the women of Judah and Egypt. Ezek. 8v. 14 explains how Ezekiel saw women mourning for Tamuz. Tamuz was a Syrian and Phoenician god of fertility. This brings this part to an end. The next part discusses the difference between the Ancient Near Eastern religion and the Scriptures.
3. The critical points of difference between the Ancient Near Eastern religion and the biblical view.
Because the Ancient Near Eastern religion was basically polytheistic, there is a difference between it and the biblical text which is monotheistic. The main points of difference between the two can be drawn from the message of the Old Testament prophets. A synopsis of this message is discussed hereafter in accordance with Jim and Carolyn Murphy. (2007). The biblical text shows that the Hebrews believed in monotheism. Exo. 20vv. 2-5 states that the Israelites were not to have other gods besides Yahweh. (NIV). The Ancient Near Eastern religion gods are evil spirits and were denounced all over the Old Testament. God is one but exists in three separate persons, namely the Father Son, and Spirit. The Hebrew Scriptures shoe that this one God was not to be worshiped with rituals usually used by the Ancient Near Eastern people to worship their gods. Unfortunately, the Ancient Near Eastern religious practices were adopted by many Ancient false followers of Yahweh and eventually passed over to the false followers of Christ. Prayer beads, images and many other pagan things used by Roman Catholics were adopted from the Ancient Near Eastern religion and they make Roman Catholicism a Christian cult.
Jim and Carolyn Murphy (2007) have also shown that the God of the Hebrews made a conditional with his people wherein he would remain their God if they obeyed him. Exo. 19v. 5 states that if the Hebrews obeyed God, they would be his treasured possession. (NIV). The Ancient Near Eastern religion also involved covenants but the covenants were different from those in the Hebrew Scriptures because they were aimed at appeasing gods or begging for favors from them. A covenant with Yahweh was not to appease him or to beg him to give his people something. Yahweh would bless his people because he loved them and his covenant with them was to assure them he would keep his word.
Also, the Hebrew Scriptures show that a Messiah would come to save his people from their sins and the power of Satan. Isa. 53vv. 1-5 shows that the Messiah would suffer for his people. (NIV). Isa. 9v. 6 states that the Messiah would be born like a human but he would be called “Mighty God.” (NIV). This means that he would be God. Only God can save a sinner. The Ancient Near Eastern religion did not make reference to any Messiah. Many ancient people believed that they did not need any savior. Many taught that kings were gods and that people would eventually become perfect or gods through application of different humanistic methodologies.
The Hebrew Scriptures write about eschatological things in a way the Ancient Near Eastern religion does not. The book of Daniel writes about the end of the age when the Messiah would come back to the earth for his people. The Hebrew prophets have written extensively about the day of judgment when the Messiah would come to judge the world. The Ancient Near Eastern religion does not talk of any Messiah or his judgment. It oftenly talks about theologies like reincarnation and other related ones which its followers believed were of benefit to them. These theologies are not supported by the Hebrew Scriptures. Many followers of Ancient Near Eastern religion believed that the universe will always remain as it is.
Many of the practices of the Ancient Near Eastern religion were condemned by the biblical text. The Hebrew Scriptures condemn witchcraft and magic according to Ezek. 13vv. 20-23. (NIV). Other practices like human sacrifice, sacred prostitution, sexual immorality, polygamy, and many others which the Ancient Near Eastern religion allowed were denounced fiercely by the Hebrew Scriptures. Generally, the God of the Hebrews is not the same as the gods of the Ancient Near Eastern religion and his message, even if at times it resembles that of that religion, is holy and caries infinite power from an infinite God. All the attributes of Yahweh are infinite, but those of the Ancient Near Eastern religion gods are not.
In conclusion, this study has discussed the basic facts about the Ancient Near Eastern religion such as divinations, city-state cults, and practices of that religion. It has also addressed the assessment of that religion found in the Hebrew Scriptures such as worship of Asherah, Baal, and many others. Finally it has shown the difference between the Ancient Near Eastern religion and the biblical text such as monotheism as opposed to polytheism, Messiah and many others. This brings the whole study to the end.
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References
About.com. (2013). Major countries of the Ancient Near East. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from http://about.com.
Biblestudytools. (1996). Gods and Goddesses, Pagan. Retrieved February 7, 2013, from http://biblestudytools.com.
Definitions. (2013). Definitions for religion. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from http://definitions.net.
Murphy, J. & Murphy C. (2007). Prophets and Prophecy in Today’s Church. CA: Hundredfold Press.
Wikipedia. (2013). Religions of the Ancient Near East. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from http://wikipedia.com.