Popular Religion in Canaan and the Levant (Bronze Age Canaanite Religion) | Supplemental Podcast #5
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2020
- I thought it'd be a good idea to take some time and discuss the basic religious beliefs and practices that were prevalent in ancient Canaan and the Levant during the Bronze Age. In this program, you'll learn about the basics of how Canaanite religion developed as well as how it impacted the lives of the people who practiced this form of worship.
Related Videos:
Canaan and Canaanite Playlist:
• Canaan / Phoenicia
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#canaan #canaanites #ancienthistory
There are currently two localities in Lebanon with names that owe their names to the "Canaanite god Baal". as are the city of Baalbek and Baaloul. the first famous for its temple, originally built to worship Baal and later rebuilt by various civilizations such as the Hellenists, Greeks, etc.
you'd be surprised who are the canaanites now in the modern world. scary
@@joyce7550 Yeah the Lebanese and the rest of the Levant, what’s scary about that???
those who continued to worship Baal are ruling the world posing as fake Jews. wykyk.@@markriver1221
@@joyce7550not the Israeli European settler colonialists.
@@fantasticshokh but the Jewish is Canaanite
It's so sad, although simultaneously incredible, that finding content of this depth is easy on TH-cam but very difficult on mainstream media channels.
Great work!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO VIDEOS ON ANCIENT PREISLAMIC ARABIA RELIGION AND KINGDOMS AND GODS.
Exotic - Truth - Seeker - Artist brilliant idea 👍
@@CarlReijer-lk2nt you bet
I mean.
Most of the Arabian gods were pretty much identical to the gods of Canaan and the Middle East.
The goddesses Manat, All'at and All'uzza, were very symilar to the 3 main goddesses of canaan, Astrarte, Anat and Asherah.
The Djinns were already a thing.
Minor gods and spirits that could do harm.
The culture was different tho.
For example, women could marry many men.
@@hermescarraro3393 indeed there are similar to UTSA from the southern Canaan in Northern Arabian areas take Billy like the cities of Petra or tabuk or even eilat and even Gaza and Amani had arabs very far north.
Infact arabs some are canaanite descent. Unlike most jews/hebrews
Oh shit I'd love to see this. I also want to see more about the Syriac origins of the Quran though that is out of scope for Cy.
I’m always so glad I found channels like this that talk so much about such ancient history. Don’t find stuff like this on the history channel.
Welcome aboard and thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come for sure, stay safe!
History with Cy Great to hear. I’ve been watching a lot of your video these last few weeks. You’ve got some real great content.
That's because the History Channel has turned into a bunch of lying liberals
@@thedoo777 Anti-intellectualism is a right wing hillbilly thing.
@@thedoo777 Or I could just say American anti-intellectualism is a right wing thing. That's straightforward enough.
Thank you! I asked for this topic a while ago and I'm glad to say the wait was worth it
No problem many friend, haha you were probably one of the people I referred as really wanted to know more about this topic. Thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it. More to come, stay safe!
wow there is so much detailed info in this, happy I'm watching and happy that u are making these videos!
Thanks, glad you like it and thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! More to come, stay tuned!
This is the part of history that is beyond interesting and entertaining.
Much love ❤ keep em coming.
Thank you, will do! Stay safe!
Your channel is amazing, please keep making videos!
Interesting overview of the historic religions, thanks for posting!
Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it! Stay safe!
Been learning a ton on pre-hebrew religions, and your videos have been amazing sources of further dives.
Highly appreciated.
Would be more interesting with pictures.
Do you have any information on how, when, and why they started cutting off baby pens? Or the same details about when the Hebrews picked it up?
@@gregorymalchuk272 It originates with the Ægyptians.
Reduces risk of HPV in Straight Men.
Also, not even remotely isolated to the Hebrews. Islam is #1, Catholicism is #2.
Direct connection between % of Cut vs Uncut and Prosperity of Culture being measured.
That said, your English is atrocious.
Fantastic podcast, well done Cy!
Thanks my friend, appreciate it! More to come, stay tuned!
Really good job with presenting this topic in a balanced way. I learned a lot esp. about how the ruler may have applied the rites and how the people lived their daily life. Good vid.
Another fascinating video on a little known history. From the religious patterns and practices of ancient Canaan, I could say I see the broad outlines of what was to come. However, I don't want to get into a flame war with anyone.
I love your videos. So detailed, so eye opening and so objective. Keep up the good job.
Thanks my friend, appreciate the kind words... more to come, stay safe!
Loved this! Thanks so much for the excellent content on a fascinating topic
Thanks, really glad you enjoyed it! Thanks also for stopping by and stay safe!
Highly informative. Thanks
Dig the video, thanks for creating/sharing!
You just keep me coming back. I sit through ads on maybe 3 channels I subscribe to, and yours is one of them. If I had money to throw at you, I'd join your patreon.
I can't wait for the next installment on the Phoenician religion. Thanks for being a soothing voice of education, sound information and joy in our shared humanity.
Hey thanks so much, glad you enjoy these enough to keep coming back and sit through the ads... haha I got a few complaints on another video that Google was putting too many ads in it...who knows how their algorithm operates...
Yeah, I'll try to get the Phoenician one out in the next month or two. As always, thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it...stay safe!
Keep up the good work Cy
Thanks my friend, appreciate the feedback...stay safe!
This was eye opening. Thank you.
My pleasure, thank you for stopping by, appreciate it!
Wow this is cool as hell thanks I've been getting really interested in this topic
Thanks so much for stopping by and the feedback, really glad you're into this stuff. More to come, stay tuned!
Never had seen this Chanel I’m glad to find it now
G'day mate. Love your work Cy. My husband and I have watched your videos for a while now, and will continue to watch them for as long as you keep bringing them out. From two fans from Down Under.
Hello, great to hear from you! Thanks so much for the kind words, especially from two Aussies! I love Australia and Australians, you all rock! Such a wonderful country and I hope to do something on its history later on, maybe in 2022. Thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it... stay safe!
One interesting thing to note is the Biblical site of Shilo. This was where the Israelites found holy before Jerusalem, in the Iron Age I. During the Bronze Age, Shilo was still considered a holy site for the Canaanites.
Considering they have found the Holy Temple In Shiloh it is fascinating.
Analysis of the bones found in the tophet indicate the ages of children from 2-months to 2 years and found no evidence of disease or natural cause of death. They were also placed in urns with other common sacrificial animals. They very likely sacrificed their own children.
no written texts corroborating it?
Only one in four children lived beyond the age of two in this era. There’s no way they would choose to sacrifice their children. Mothers often died in childbirth too. It makes far more sense that these deceased children were taken to the temple of a fertility goddess, for their safe keeping, and to ask the goddess to grant successful future offspring.
The hebrew bible coroborates it @@cliffpinchon2832
Very nice as always
Thanks so much, appreciate it...stay safe!
I just find this channel and I'm absolutely fascinated by it, your topic selection always shed light on the less covered topics, such as that Dilmun and Mesopotamia-IVC trade.
Thanks, glad you're here. More to come on Mesopotamia for sure... actually the next video deals with Babylonia. Thanks again for stopping by and stay safe!
Outstanding video bro.
Thanks my friend, glad that you enjoyed it...hope all is well on your end!
El, "the good, the compassionate", "the creator of all creatures", was the ruler of the Canaanite gods.
He lived in a tent on a mountain from whose base all the fresh waters of the world came (symilar to the description of the Garden of Eden and the 2 rivers), with the goddess Asherah as his consort.
This pair constituted the highest level of the Canaanite pantheon.
The second level consisted of their children, the "seventy sons of Atirat" (a variant of the name Asherah).
Among them was Hadad, who had his home on Mount Zaphon.
Over time Hadad became the dominant Canaanite deity, so that El became the executive power and Hadad the military power in the cosmos.
Hadad's sphere of power was the storm with its life-giving rains, so he was also a god of fertility, though not quite "THE" god of fertility.
Under the seventy great gods of the second level, there was a third level composed of relatively minor artisan deities and divine traders, with a fourth and final level of divine messengers and the like (probable origin of angels, messengers between man and God).
El and his sons constituted the Assembly of the gods, and each member had a human nation under his care.
A textual variant of Deuteronomy 32: 8-9 is often interpreted to describe El dividing the nations of the world among his sons, with Yahweh receiving Israel:
"When the Most High ('elyôn) gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided humanity, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of divine beings.
The part of the Lord (Yahweh) is his people, Jacob, and the inheritance assigned to him. "
Nice, love the new avatar! Hope all is well in Italy ... working on Part II of the Achaemenid video but it's taking way longer than anticipated. Hopefully will be out this week. Stay safe out there!
@@HistorywithCy
Take your time man👍
I am sure it will come out great!
Oh!
Thank you for the compliment!
It took quite a while to draw it.
I am glad people seem to like it.😂
The Most High and Yahweh is the same, Most High is a title for Yahweh. Yahweh is the primordial (the ONLY primordial being too) creator.
"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." Isaiah 43:10
The israelites only worshipped the supreme creator, who is Yahweh, and The Most High is one of his titles/names.
"God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.h This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
15God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation." Exodus 3:14-15
This is the verse where the name YHWH is mentioned. YHWH is The LORD, same as in Isaiah. There was no God before him, so he is The Most High/Most High is a title ofr YHWH. and the Israelite faith did not permit worship of any other idols/beings except the LORD.
@@HistorywithCy el is similar like Shiva.El lived mountain with his wife asherah.similarly Shiva lived mountain kailash Himalaya with his wife Parvati (Aadishakti).
Interesting stuff.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!
Great show.
All these ancient religions has some kind of sacrifice system. Usually it was all symbolic, and involved animals. But we are told that sometimes actual human sacrifices took place. (Example: the bible says king mesha of moab sacrificed his own son to the god kemosh). the mesha stele actually says that king mesha of moab called himself the son of the god Kemosh. He built a place of worship for Kemosh... because the god saved him from other kings. (In particular he mentions the king of israel).
Interestingly, he associates the god with the nation of Moab itself. (This tells us that the gods could also be seen like we see national flags and figure heads of nations today. (And we know that many canaanite kings actually called themselves Baal (like some of the kings of tyre). We are told everywhere about the reality of human sacrifices. Sources though are mainly of later dates of the greeks or romans era. Mythology, (which is basically stories about great religious figures of long ago), is also full of such things. Example: agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to Artemis; Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son isaac; zeus and his brothers and sisters where said to have been eaten by their father; etc.
The gods where: flags of nations; manifested in the nations king...making the king god in the flesh; the gods religions could also involve prostitution; mystery secret teachings and rites; festivles and reenacting dramas of their tales (similar to todays easter or christmas reenactments of birth and death of christ). ...And most religions involve heavy uses of imagery and art which features the gods.
Human sacrifice is good.
Hey Cy, will you ever do a video on egypt after the new kingdom? Seems like few people ever talk about what was going on in Egypt after rameses III. You’d think nothing happened in Egypt between him fighting the sea peoples and cleopatra screwing Julius Caesar.
Yes! Sorry for the late response, been crazy busy over here. I'd like to actually cover all of ancient Egyptian history, including post-New Kingdom. I think the reason many don't cover them is not because they weren't important, but because several of those dynasties were of foreign origin (Libyan, Nubian), and so subconsciously I think people disassociate them from Egyptian history, don't know why that is. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll do my best to do more on Egypt in the near future. Stay safe!
History with Cy No worries Cy, you’re a busy fella. And I never understood that mentality, they may not have been on the level of Ramses, Narmer, or Thutmose III but some were interesting.
Hey Cy! First of all, I'd like to thank you a lot for your work, I find ancient middle eastern history to be one of the most interesting periods to study, and your videos sure do a good job of summarizing and condensing information for our hungry minds!
Anyway, you mentioned Astarte as a sea goddess. I was wondering where you got that information from, wasn't she a sexual warlike goddess like the sumerian/akkadian Innana/Ishtar? I know that levantine mythology as a lot of different and conflicting sources, sometimes giving the same gods almost completely different attributes based on location and time period, so I'm sure you're aware of some source that I don't know about!
Also, are you maybe considering on doing a video on specific levantine myths and epics like the Baal cycle? I'd love to see that, I really find them to be some of the most interesting stories ever told...
And just for a final question, could you maybe clarify what the position of Yahweh was to the general ancient canaanite peoples? Was he only worshipped by the israelites or was he also a member of the more generalized regional pantheon? I know that at some point in history Asherah was considered to be his consort, so I was wondering if that is because he was already a part of the regional cult or if Asherah was adopted by the israelites.
Hi, thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it! Yes, like you pointed, sometimes these deities had different attributes that were focused on depending on the people involved. She was very much like Ishtar and worshiped by many, but she was also popular on the Levantine coast and would also be one of main goddesses worshiped by Phoenician sailors, which is probably how she became associated with the sea in some circles.
With regard to the Baal Cycle, I may touch up on that in a video on literature...haven't decided yet. With regard to Yahweh, yes, this was a deity worshiped or at least recognized by Canaanites in general, but to my knowledge only the Israelites came to worshiping him exclusively. With regard to Asherah's relationship to Yahweh, that I don't know. I'll admit though that I have much to study when it comes to Canaanite mythology...it's a topic that I'll probably revisit in the near future.
Thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it. Stay safe!
@@HistorywithCy Thank you so much for answering! I'll patiently await your next video as usual, and would love to see that video on ancient literature!
Stay safe and best regards.
There is no relation between Yahweh and asherah. Yahweh is one and only, the uncreated eternal creator.
"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." - Isaiah 43:10
The Israelites took over the Canaanite beliefs and repurposed them to create Judaism. Yahweh was originally their patron deity of copper metalworking, then they ‘promoted’ him to god of volcanoes, and then to the creator god. His imagery was exactly that of El - the old man with a white beard riding the clouds on a chariot. They took Asherah to be Yahweh’s wife because the cult of Asherah was so important to the people (it was a matrifocal society rather than patriarchal). Then they ditched her and demonised the whole Canaanite religion as they shifted to monotheism, and made Yahweh aniconic. Both El and Ba’al were symbolised by bulls (and it was the Age of Taurus), so the early jews insulted the Canaanites by burning bulls to ‘prove’ their god was real, and depicted the devil as having bull’s horns in their demonisation of the Canaanite pantheon.
Hey brother great videos there was a video I remember I watched from you where you once shared how these ancient nations had temples AND tabernacles or tents like portable tents do you know which exact video that was that you made?
Keep up the good work
Thank you, appreciate the feedback...stay safe!
Very interesting. The last sentence makes me wonder even more to see if you are able to differentiate consistently between Canaanite and Phoenician culture ;)
It’s the same peoples, similar culture depending on geographic region. As mentioned in the video there’s still those regional differences between the modern day people but not as different ethnically as stated here. The name Phoenician was a Greek exonym for a slither of the region within Canaan, now Lebanon.
귀중한 영상 고맙습니다!!
Miau
This is an amazing video, better than any other on youtube about this topic, the least biased aswell! tysm!!
Great video as always Cy! Do you have any translation or background of Israel’s deity Yahweh?
Just be careful we don't actually know the name of the יהוה and even if we did us Jews wouldn't be allowed to say it so to call him yahweh is abit of an assumption by Europeans
Every video brings new information to me, how much grinding do you do to make these videos?
Good to hear, glad you learning something! Haha I don't really keep track of the hours, but there have be a lot of really late nights involved. Working from home though does help...
Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it. More to come, stay safe!
I recently found your channel, and I love it. Especially the stuff on more obscure ancient cultures. If you haven't already done it, might I suggest covering Magan?
Also, if you do some stuff on East Asia, I would love to hear about Shu and Ba as well as the Baiyue, maybe Buyeo as well; though of course, these are all just suggestions.
Hi, thanks so much for stopping by and sorry about the late response. YES! I want to cover Magan in a similar way to how I did a video n Dilmun, don't know though when that'll come out as I have a whole list of projects to get to, but it'll happen. East Asia at the moment is a bit out of my realm of expertise but I do want to start doing some basic history on the region, hopefully early 2021. Thanks for the suggestions, really appreciate them and stay tuned!
@@HistorywithCy No need to apologize, I'm pleasantly surprised you replied at all! Can't wait to see what else you put out!
Great topic.. our past not so different from our present after all.. i wish if we can understand all the details but its not that easy to comprehend how and why our ancestors lived and acted the way they did.. thanks for sharing the knowledge Cyrus.
Hi Husam, sorry for the late response, been hectic here but glad you liked the program. There's so many similarities with between these and the religions of ancient Babylonia and Assyria that it's mind-boggling. Like some of the inscriptions from Ugarit, if you were to replace the Canaanite deity with Marduk or Ashur, you'd have thought they came from Mesopotamia. Fascinating stuff. As always, thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it. Stay safe!
Caught that tone of voice on the sacrifice bit...
Interesting
I think there is a possibility that child sacrifice was a reality some of the caananite religions. YHWH himself a caanite god, asked for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but only stopped him by an angel before he actually did.
Yahweh was testing Abrahams faith. He replaced Isaac with a lamb for sacrifice. Yahweh hates human sacrifice
it is interesting that 3 different "enemies" said the same thing about child sacrifice and yet never made that claim of other enemies they had.
Chase Comer well the Romans got it from the Greeks who got it from the Jews. I've been to Carthage and the graveyard were they were supposed to have been sacrificed. Some archaeologists say there was some say not. I remember in school, the teacher said 3 sentences to the first pupil by the time it got down to the last it had change completely. Someone added a bit more just like ancient historians
@@kevinhayes6933 Like you said they are referencing the carthaginians in North Africa not the cities in the Levant. We know they are similar cultures that is what makes it an interesting observation. I would consider the Greek historian Herodotus as a complimentary and separate account of the Canaanites.
We have reason to believe that it was something done during famine and sieges (like other cultures) but we do know that tophets tended to be near mass graves of children who appear to have died prematurely.
Saturninus true, the Bronze Age Minoans did one, they sacrifice a youth in the ruins of a temple. They found 4 people there, a middle age man and two women as well as the youth. This is what they believed happened. The youth was outstretched on a stone his hands were tied, then thy had a bowl to collect his blood when the bowl was picked up to carry to the alter a earth quake struck bring down the building and killing all inside. They also found a bronze dagger there as well
In Greek mythology King Agamemnon was killed by his wife Klytaimnestra because he sacrified one of their girls,Iphigene, for good winds to set sail for the Troyan war.So perhaps child sacrifies were once common enough to be remembered...
Could you make an Episode on the Broch builders?
Excellent 👍
Thank you!
Hello Cy! Where do you get sources for this information? Could you provide at least some for context?
best channel on YT
Thanks so much for the kind words, really appreciate them and the support. More to come in the next few days, stay tuned!
Thank you for making this video. It has helped me a lot to understand a lot more. Since you said the different Gods had there places on earth, on a mountain or where earth sky meant.The only question I have is. Where would the place be for El in today time?
We know he supposedly lived in a tent on top of a cosmic mountain, surrounded by a fertile garden.
From this sacred mountain flow 2 rivers that are the source of all sweet water in the world.
It's pretty much identical to the garden of Eden...
@@hermescarraro3393 you mean it's the origin of the garden of Eden or the precursor to it
It's interesting, the similarities between the Canaanites and Sumerians, as El was the creator deity preceding the other deities, and also that his name was the generic word for deity, and that East on the Sumerian side of things, An was the creator deity preceding the other deities, and also that his name was the generic word for deity. Particularly since the Akkadians used "An[u]" and "El" interchangeably, if I'm not mistaken. Interesting how these similarities appear
Oh for sure, there's so much in common between them - especially between Akkadian, Canaanite and Amorite words and names, I suppose because they are all Semitic languages. Interesting stuff indeed. Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate it. Stay safe!
@@HistorywithCy Has the possibility that the Canaanite Yah is the same as the Akkadian Ea been debunked or somehow ruled out at this point? Curious because there is not much talk about what I think is the very real possibility. Especially given the possible identity of Moses (Egyptian reading) and Sargon, who have similar personal (mythic) histories. Also, I'm less sure of, but still intrigued by, the possibility that the Arabian moon god is the Akkadian/Babylonian Sin. Thoughts?
@Arnold Jeremy Thank you for your thoughtful response.
@@HistorywithCy Another thing is that it's possible that YHWH is a manifestation of the god El, since in Hebrew our word for god is Elohim.
@@zoroasterhoudiniYah was sometimes the prefix for moon (as in the Canaanite moon god Yarick), and sometimes sea (as in the Canaanite sea god Yam). I think there’s a tendency to match gods with those in other pantheons, especially if they have similar sounding names, but the evidence doesn’t substantiate that.
17:00 Archaeological and biological DNA evidence now shows the urns contained healthy 2-3 month old infants, and they were burned on the same pyre with the animal sacrifices. Still, thanks for not skating past the issue., as many have sought to do.
@Xiuh Search this in TH-cam "The Bloodcurdling Sacrifices Of Phoenicians | Blood On The Altar | Timeline" If the scientists are still alive, I am sure the research was peer reviewed. I would be interested to know if you consider their work as sources.
Seems like the theme of sacrifice or sacrificing something was common in the ancient religions. Any thoughts as to the origins of this...
Can you please do q&a, i am really interested in your academic background.
Yeah I've been meaning to put the Q&A video out... thanks for the reminder! Also, thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it...stay safe!
A "covenant" between a patron god and their followers? That sounds familiar but I can't recall where I heard it before....
The god is a shepherd and the people are the flock? Sounds familiar too but I can't put my finger on that either...
That's easy its the err err oh god i can't remember now dammit.
I wanna say it’s Boble/ Bopel? Something close to that
Dang it's on the tip of my tongue
Thank you
My pleasure, thank you and stay safe!
So interesting, especially the part about the nature of covenants with a deity, which explains the context within which the Bible was written. Evidently, it was common practice back then to make a covenant with a particular deity. Also the residences of each god: the God of the Hebrew Bible resided on Mount Zion and was specifically the God of Jerusalem, just as other cities had their own titular deities. I visited the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem back in 2017, and gained many insights into ancient religious thinking from studying the objects and their archaeological descriptions.
Hi, sorry for the late response, been crazy busy here. I've always wanted to visit that museum... I had planned a trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt this October until the pandemic derailed it. Hopefully soon though. As always, thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it. Stay safe!
The Canaanite god of dusk, called Shalim, had a kingdom called Uru Shalim. Uru meant foundation. Uru Shalim = Jerusalem. This predated the Israelites.
Can’t wait for the Phoenician one
The canaanites are phonecians
Hi i am ishan 8years old i watch your videos everyday. Can you post a video about gudea and ancient American and mesoamerican civilizations also khazars part 2 elam part 4 and ancient India.
Thank you
Wow, that is awesome, I'm so glad that you're into history! I wish I was at your age but my love for it came later when I was in middle school. Thank you so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it. And yes, I will be doing a lot more on Mesoamerican civilizations in the next few months and also more on Elam and India later this year. Thanks again, great to hear from you and if you have any other requests, please don't hesitate to let me know. All the best!
All I know the first american came from Eurasia around 30 thousand years ago this is history not a bible myth
I am interested by that due to my bible Reading where Canaan is quoted :)
I haven't researched it in any depth, but a month or two ago a similar (as in serious, not woo-woo) history/archeology channel spent a little time to state that Ba'al mostly meant "lord", thus the Lord of the Flies was Ba'al-zebub. Hyphen mine as is my qualifier, because if "lord of" were simply generic, kings would use it as their own title. My knowledge is fairly scanty for anything definitive, but I have an interest in how words and languages evolve over time and that "rings true" for me.
Puts a slightly different face on your presentation, to be sure, but I'm not criticizing, just adding. Keep up the good work, classrooms full of eager students are the best classrooms. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
Wrong.The moniker lord of the flies is a corruption of Ba'al Zebub and it doesn't mean lord of the flies at all only the name beelzebub does
The Israelites mocked the Canaanites by referring to Ba’al Hadad as Ba’al Zebub (lord of the flies) as they tried to demonise them and override their beliefs with early Judaism. But some translations claim it was actually Ba’al Zebul which means something like Lord on High, so there may have been different interpretations depending on the bias of the writer.
Good work, Cy. What were your references? I hope you had a chance to research Israel Finklestein and William Devers. In summary, the same pantheon of gods existed throughout much of Canaan in the 2nd and early 1st Millennium, but different regions emphasized their favorite gods from that same pantheon. For example, the Hebrew nation of Israel emphasized El as evidenced by putting his name in the name of their people. Many Canaanite peoples worshipped the sky god Baal, including Israel. When the Hebrew nation of Judah appears in the 9th century BCE, they did something novel and elevated the Bronze Age sky god Yahweh (from older culture) over all other gods in the Canaanite pantheon...and then they wrote/revised several books about it.
The sky god Yahweh appears to originate from outside the Canaanite pantheon from northern Arabia. books.google.com/books/about/The_Origins_of_Yahwism.html?id=8LtGDwAAQBAJ
Hi thanks so much for stopping by and the info. Yes, that's what I've read as well... also the name, Isra-EL. I remember when I was young being taught that it means wrestles or struggles with God. The only Finkelstein book that I have is Forgotten Kingdom - Archaeology and History of Northern Israel, which I didn't use for this program. I had read a bit of it a few years ago and really liked it. I haven't read William Devers but I've heard the name...will see if I can find some of his books. Thanks again, appreciate the comment... stay safe!
it's not novel. The Israelites worshipped only YHWH, but most went astray and started worshipping idols such as Baal. Zero evidence they worshipped Baal originally.
@@johnd1916No, they were pantheistic until the destruction of the temple. Then they became monotheistic.
This better reporting than what's available on CNN! And this occurred 2500 years ago! Makes one wonder..
Thanks so much for the kind words, really appreciate it... more to come, stay safe!
Child sacrifice was common at that time. The Canaanites did it and so did others. And you’re right, the priests did eat the burnt offerings. The word cannibal means priesthood of bal.
There is writings on the hebrew bible concerning Molach, a deity worshipped also by phoenicians, which required new borns to be passed unto the fire and even sacrificed, thrown onto a hollow copper statue with fire in it. The israelites prohibbited thoae practices, as constantly reminded on the hebrew bible. I do believe such things happenned. We cannot compare the values of today with those of ancient times. But one thing is for sure: if these were true, there were those who despised such rites
@@gabrieljardine bohemian Grove is molech worship...
moloch is not a god LMAOOO, it is a certain type of ritual /sacrifice/offering to An actual god LMAOO@@gabrieljardine
I look forward to your presentation about the Phoenician religions/people, since it is they who IMHO burned the Library of Alexandria to cover their tracks, which has worked thru today.
Thank you, I look forward to putting it out in the next month or so...hope that the wait will be worth it! Thanks again for stopping by, really appreciate it! Stay safe!
Thanks
My pleasure, thank you!
Hey. Will you cover the Sassanids?
Absolutely! Hopefully by the end of this year or early next...still have to cover the Achaemenids and Parthians first! Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it...stay safe!
@@HistorywithCy no problem. Keep up the good work
History time send his regards
I have to say, I rather like the lack of background music. It allows more focus on the lecture.
Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it! Yeah for the podcasts I mostly drop the music, but even in the regular programs I'll be gradually toning it down a bit. Thanks for the suggestion, really appreciate it. Stay safe!
@@HistorywithCy No problem, you too. :)
Umm, as an Arab from Jordan, I can tell actually that there's more homogeneity than people think in the greater Levant, even among different religious groups and nations,with the exception of Israel which is more European than middle eastern. Even people who don't consider themselves necessarily arab by ancestry, ex maronite Catholics, consider their culture itself as part of the general Arab culture with it's own different aspects. Even the dialects there are linguistically considered 1 group, Levantine Arabic, but are divided into different subdialects.For example my native dialect is closer to certain northern rural Palestinian and southern Syrian dialects due to the fact that before WW1 people used to move between different areas easier than now and as such there are cross border tribal ties. The European colonialism we experienced disrupted this times old phenomenon and created fake borders and entities
are you an arab christian ?
I am an Arab Maronite Catholic, who is a straight descendant of the Canaan family. If you’d like to discuss any more stuff or political views, I’d be happy to.
True. Ashkanazi Jews in Israel are North Europeans
Can you do a video on how hebrew religion was split and formed from surrounding religions?
bias detected.
@@denismwiti what do you mean? Explain explicitly please
@@denismwiti Not a bias. The early Hebrews were monolatrist, meaning they weren't monotheist, but worshiped only one of the many Gods. A video about that would be interesting. It's why the Bible mentions may of the Gods in this video. Many of the names of God are derivative of El, like Elohim. It wasn't until much later that it solidified into a monotheistic religion. I'd also love a video about the worship of the many Goddesses of the region. Or one about Scythian religion. Does that make me biased? Outside of Ishtar, the Greek/Roman, and Egyptian goddesses, we don't hear much about Ashura or Astarte. There is room for many different stories to be told by Cy.
@@angeladaley yeah, I know that a long time ago the hebrews were henotheists or monolatrits, (a ideology that you worship a God, but not deny the existence of the others), but they become monotheists after their captivity in Babylon. Am I right?
@@EduNauta95 it wasn’t "the Hebrew religion" it was a pan-Canaanite pantheon that spanned all of the city-states of the ancient Levant. With each state having its own specific sub-gods or children of god
Really good video man, as a Christian it’s really interesting to see the polytheistic religion that had so much influence on my own, or at least the precursor to it :)
If you operated with logic then you wouldn't be a Christian
@@Texasmade74 ok?
I always thought Dagon was a fish type god.
Nice video......
He was depicted with a fish tail, or emerging from grain.
I think it's because they were fertility symbols.
He was depicted with bull horns too.
Symbols of fertility and strenght
Now you have hit on something, that cross connects with Hyksos and the slaves held by Egypt, in the turquoise mines. In the mines , they inscribed this passage, El save us!!. This is usually attributed to the cries of the Israelites. And here now we also see Baal being the son of El, or the Creator God. Is it possible , although messed up, that the Canaanites worshiped the same God as the Israelites?
The Canaanite culture seems so similar as described in the Old Testament for the Hebrews. The God El also had me think if that may have been the origin of the biblical angels since all their names end with "el"; such as Gabriel, Michael, Uriel, etc.
The creator god mentioned in the genesis is El and Yahweh only appears at the burning bush (claiming he's the same as El). If only relaying in archology, it can be said that israelites were literally the "cannaanites of the country", while phoenicians were the "canaanites from the shore". The Israelite material culture evolved from canaanite material culture, only apperating as a distinct material culture by the 7th and 6th century BCE; Before that, the aesthetics, architecture and the alphabet at Israel and Judah was the same as Canaan's.
The Israelites were a Cannitinte tribe it makes sense the cultures would line up
Yes
It is fascinating to note that the god Baal Hadad was present both in Canaan and Mesopotamia, and in both of these lands he had the same role, fertility and rain.
However.
His importance was very different.
While the Canaanites LOVED Hadad, the Mesopotamians viewed him as a "lesser" god, inferior to other gods like Marduk.
(who...is very similar...but whatever...)
This might mean nothing.
But just to have some fun, I like to imagine that there are some ancient political implications behind this...
The Canaanites were very culturally influenced by the mesopotamians and were conquered a few times by them.
So in a sense, placing one of the greatest Canaanite gods as inferior to their gods, makes kinda sense.
We are aware of these kind of practices in the pagan world.
🤷
My God is you God but better because he's mine! Nyah!
Babylon gang where you at?
@@hyperion3145
🥁
@Bob
He's a freaking hunk of a god.
with his many extra facial features
👂👁️👁️👂
👂👁️👁️👂
👃
👄
And these are not the only extra features he got.
if you know what I mean...
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Adad is Mesopotamian variation of Hadad. The Amorites or Amuru brought him over from Canaan to Mesopotamia and he was seen as a Adopted Deity and called him Adad without the H letter.
@@yaruqadishi8326
Yes.
That is correct.
Hadad.
Adad.
Same thing.
👋
5:30 I know a lot of God is taken from El, could this be talking about the garden of eden?
These gods show similar aspects of Hinduism, could these be the root from which Hinduism morphed into what we know today . Love to hear your thoughts on this
Didnt the Indo Europeans invade and settle in Northern India? Because if so I'd say that's likely the connection. As they definitely spread throughout the Middle East.
@@michaelhowze8198The middle eastern deities predate the indo aryan invasions.
wondering is this channel meant for school history or are there many adults who come here to understand history? just wanna know if this channel's worth it to learn or is this too simple and basic for adults?
Great video. I understand that technically the Yisrealites are Canaanites due to location but I have a question for you Cy:
Is the claim that YַHְWֶH is a Canaanite deity correct? If so what primary source data is this found in?
Many have claimed that YַHְWֶH is in the Canaanite pantheon but I have yet to find a source.
It is correct, when it comes to an Ethno Regional point of view. Hebrews worshipped many gods. Some of these gods were ''shared'' with other Cananite people, while other deities were mostly restricted to a smaller group, like the Israelites, who were also Cananites. Throughout the centuries, Judaism evolved from Polytheism, though Henotheism, and finally, after influences like Zoroastrianism, it became a pure Monotheism.
No we are sumerians took Torah on Mount Sinai
It were no canaan there
Trius
No not all of them and this jews are not only alone people who received Tora - but all of us
They became canaanites - but at first they weren't like that
Because they wanted to sin with canaanic women they choosed disobey and annoy god - thats why they became such that
@@Ermek57 Be careful not to use Mythology instead of History, when talking about Archaeology
Al Gore
You be careful
He cautiously downplayed the fact that the god of the Old Testament used to be a lesser war god in the Canaanite pantheon.
view one That's
Very interesting, but it does beg questions about the issues of religion and social identity. In particular, with cities that contained multiple temples, what was the relationship between the followers of the different temple groups - generally amicable or hostile to each others? Could people belong to more than one temple? If temples also had a judicial function, then could you have multiple parallel judicial functions performed by different temples in the same city, each looking after the judicial needs of their own group?
I'd like a lot more visuals. This was more like someone reading the encyclopedia. Lots of facts though.
Hi, thanks for stopping by. It's specifically a podcast episode, so it won't have a lot of visuals. Check out one of the normal episodes for more animated maps and artifacts. Thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it. Stay safe!
Dig up some ish on the moon god Kùs, Cy.
Isn’t Adu an early Jahweh, yes that Jahweh? There’s an Esoteria episode on this.
How many jews and palestinians practice their prime religion? Can someone tell me?
yes, who are the Southern Arabian Tribes and why did Moses flee where he did flee
Is the name Daniel named after the God EL , eg ISRAEL ( land of EL) ?
Isis, Ra and El...Israel...
@@andrewcarpenter687Folk etymology. They're not connected.
your name begins with the letters HE, does that mean you are a He/Him? xD xD
@@ethanwasme4307 Ek sal jou opfok jou Klein kond
In Hebrew, "Dagan" means grain
Oh interesting, thanks for sharing...I always love learning new words. Thanks also for stopping by, appreciate it!
Hes a Canaanite God the Jews/hebrews picked in their early times in the iron age prior to their biblical texts made up in late to post antiquity.
Also in ugaritic
This makes me think Dagan may have been closer to an Egyptian Neter than an abrahamic "God, for sure
I'm sure they practiced human sacrifice, however, whatever human sacrifices that happened most likely occurred during times when they were unsure of their existence in the future and that they've severely angered their gods. It makes sense if you're in a hopeless situation and you believe your gods have abandoned you, you're going to do whatever it takes to win their favor back.
They never did infant sacrifice that's been debunked thoroughly
I found a passage in the Kolbrin Bible that closely depicts a Followers of Horus or Heru ascension ceremony, indicating the proto-Jews were still practicing ascension without the sun-god, in fact it says to avoid him and not go into the light to get a good ascension. :) The Heru practiced that for many millennia and no doubt the priesthood knew better than to adopt a religion. In fact the end of the pre-religion time for the Heru clans was the beginning of the state religion time described in the lost book of King Og of Bashan, and which he allied th egiants in the 100,000 giants war against it and religion. So these effigies must be from the black-headed people and the Chosen Ones who were overtly fostering the Babylonian state religion and the Babylonian invasion...the Lost Book of King Og is a hoot, I wish the entire thing would be translated...
El is similar like Shiva.El lived mountain with his wife asherah.similarly Shiva lived mountain kailash Himalaya with his wife Parvati (Aadishakti).Baal is like Ganesh Shiva's son.Ganesh other naam is Baal Ganesh means child Ganesh
El has never been a generic name for god that’s propaganda El is synonymous with the term god because he’s above all just like everyone who’s best in their field of expertise is the Michael Jordan of that field of expertise.
For anyone who had doubts on the Jewish people's non-religious connection to Israel as their homeland (& archaeologically evidenced Canaanite origins), here's a few examples for you from this video..
1. Canaanite head deity El, the only deity lived on through the nation of Israel (Jews).
2. Baal - means a 'lord' in Hebrew, and in ancient Jewish literature the Canaanite deity is referenced a million times over.
3. 'Dagan' deity of land, of the cattle - in Hebrew, dagan means 'grain' (i.e. wheat, barley, oat etc.)
4. ''Anat', Hadad' and 'Ashera' - all written about in ancient Jewish literature & are popular Hebrew names given to a child. Jews also worshiped female deity Ashera for a while, until quite late through their ancient history.
4b. Side fun fact, Hadad storm deity in ancient Akkadian is rammanu, from where Jews name thunder from. Raam in Hebrew.
5. ......Hebrew itself is the only surviving indigenous Canaanite language. All others went extinct long ago.
Hebrew has sister languages that survive like Samaritan. Aramaic is a closely related language and one of the roots of modern Arabic. Modern Israeli Hebrew has more Aramaic than attested Biblical Hebrew content.
@@allangibson8494 Samaritan Israelite Hebrew is basically Torah (Jews do learn this language), but with the original written Canaanite Hebrew script pre-Aramaic influence. They have the same language as the Jews, although very different pronunciation and some words they give different meaning.
Aramaic is definitely very close to Hebrew, and yes modern Hebrew has *a lot* of Aramaic influence, but its not a language "of mostly Aramaic words". Vocabulary in Hebrew is Canaanite. Aram was the ancient nation to the north of Canaan. Also the Aramaic language largely evolved through Babylonian & Assyrian influences.
That said, yes of course Hebrew has been evolving like every other language. Hebrew has some vocabulary from ancient Greek Koine language, from Persian, ancient Akkadian and Sumerian words, some borrowed Latinate words, some Yiddish, Arabic.. there's a mix for sure, through the people's history. But its still a Canaanite language. And many of the Jewish festivals are still Canaanite culture given added "flavors".
interestingyoutubechannel Hebrew is a revived language - only a bit over 2000 words are known from ancient sources - less than the average five years old uses.
The rest are lone words from Aramaic etc beaten into Hebrew forms. Modern Hebrew didn’t evolve - it was created just like Esperanto and is still being tightly controlled.
@@allangibson8494 "it was created just like Esperanto" - where on earth did you get that idea lol.. modern Hebrew was basically ancient Hebrew with additions and removals, points on pronunciation, and a few grammar simplifications, from the likes Ben Yehuda and others.
But of course ancient Hebrew remained in the Jewish diaspora not only for liturgical purposes but often to also communicate between Jewish communities in different lands.
And I'm saying the ancient Hebrew gradually evolved too. No language ever remains the same, they always keep changing. The one big difference with modern Hebrew is that a lot of the changes happened very quickly at one time (such as with Eliezer Ben Yehuda) rather than, say, the gradual changes from the Norman conquest on spoken English.
Anyway, as you know, both ancient and modern Hebrew are Jewish. I get the feeling you're arguing is triggered from my original point that Jews are deeply connected to Israel in history, language and culture. But you haven't actually openly argued my main points..?
Nope! The Israelites STOLE Canaanite beliefs and repurposed them to formulate Judaism. But most Canaanites didn’t convert to Judaism. So the Jews don’t have exclusive rights to the land, and never have done.
Baal was not the name of any god. It was a title that was used to denote several gods. It seems in Semitic religion, it was taboo to refer to a deity by jis proper name ( except by priests during certain rites and prayer), so titles and honorifics were substituted. Baal was just one example. In fact, there is some evidence that at one point the tribe of Judah used Baal to refer to their patron deity Yahweh, though this later changed to other titles to differentiate him from the Baals worshipped by rival kingdoms.
Depends who you ask and you are correct in some instances. Yes, it also means "Lord" but this was used as a proper name by many as well. Remember, Canaanites were not homogeneous with regard to religious practices. Though Baal, Baal-Hadad or simply Hadad may have all been the same deity, an individual worshiper may have just known him as Baal, sister of Anath or Anat. Thanks.
Fun fact the name Israel literally means struggles with El
What's Yahweh's relation to El?
Traditionally he’s his son but Jews made them equal over time
Bocce?
So are the Ugaritic people considered Canaanite? Why are they never mentioned in the Hebrew Bible?