PTM E-UPDATE -- FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Bronze figurine of one of the many Canaanite deities referred to as Baal, circa 15th century B.C. The right hand probably once held a spear.

Is the God of the Bible a myth borrowed from the Canaanites?

Q. I have been looking into the information on the Ugaritic cuneiform tablets found at Ras Shamra in 1929. Apparently Israel borrowed pagan myths and Canaanite practices which the prophets vehemently spoke out against. Some of the names for God that the Israelites used were used also by the Canaanites, such as El Shaddai, El Elyon, etc. Even the name Yahweh is used on a tablet representing a son of El -- the Canaanite "father of the gods." I am confident that you are aware of some of this. I have to admit that this troubles me somewhat. Some may come to the conclusion that Israel adopted these myths and that the God of the Bible is a myth borrowed from the Canaanites. I do not. Still, it is a little troubling.

What is your viewpoint on this matter?

A. There is no doubt that many of the customs of the Hebrews, including root forms of words and language, were similar to that of their neighbors. In some cases their customs may have been used before. This fact is not a news flash.

Nowhere does the Bible claim that every practice and worship form that God instructed the Hebrews to follow was innovative, new, never before used or in any way implemented by other cultures. Some energetic, sincere but misguided preachers may have claimed otherwise. If God gave instructions about worship that included forms already in use, such a fact would not detract from the unique and one and only way in which the one true God was revealing himself to the Hebrews.

As readers of detective novels know, there are many perspectives that are used in looking at evidence. The old story about the five blind men who were each feeling a different part of the elephant’s body is instructive. They each gave a different report. Liberal scholars use the findings you cite to discredit any unique claims of the Bible -- either for Jews or for Christians. However, these findings do not discredit what the Bible actually says and claims.

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