Syria-Palestine

Knowledge of the religion of ancient Syria has increased significantly in recent years thanks to key archaeological discoveries. Particularly important have been those from Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit), which may offer the best window available for an understanding of Canaanite religious beliefs and practices. Excavations have revealed structures of religious significance, such as temples, sanctuaries, and tombs, as well as numerous texts. Of special interest are those mythological texts which tell the exploits of Baal, El, and the other great gods. There are also legends, sacrifice lists, pantheon lists, and prescriptions for various rituals. Some of these, notably the legends of Keret, and of Danel and his son Aqhat, provide evidence for beliefs about the religious status and significance of the king. This material enables a more considered understanding of ideas and practices that may have impacted upon Israelite religion.

Agama Monarki Israel

Studi ilah-ilah Kanaan dalam hubungannya dengan Yahweh menjadi semakin terbuka dengan ditemukannya teks-teks kuno – khususnya dari kota kuno Ugarit pada tahun 1929 – yang juga disebut Ras Shamra – berlokasi di Siria modern.Yahweh masih terus menjadi Allah Israel, El kehilangan nama, pamor dan kekuatannya. Banyak epitet El diadopsi oleh Yahweh. Kedua Allah ini pada akhirnya dapat ditetapkan sebagai dua ilah berbeda, berfusi dan pada akhirnya hanya Yahweh yang muncul dengan tetap membawa epitet El dalam dirinya.

Letters, Paragraphs, and Prophets

In more advanced elementary education, scribes learned to write typical formulaic documents, such as letters. After making lists and receipts, writing letters was the most common type of ancient scribal activity. These model documents are known in the cuneiform school tradition, which served as a model in the development of the early alphabetic school tradition. The earliest alphabetic examples of model letters were excavated in Ras Shamra, that is, ancient Ugarit. They illustrate both aspects of borrowing from the cuneiform tradition as well as creative adaptation. Letter writing followed a formal template, but this template was made to be adapted. One of the most important adaptations of this scribal learning was in the prophetic messenger formula of biblical prophecy. The genre was also adapted for biblical storytelling. And, some of the technical and formal aspects, such as the use of “and now” as a new paragraph marker, were adapted and applied by scribes more generally to the writing of literature.