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The God of Mount Carmel: Contending Views About the Deity Associated with the Biblical Mount Carmel

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The God of Mount Carmel: Contending Views About the Deity Associated with the Biblical Mount Carmel The God of Mount Carmel: Contending views about the deity associated with the Biblical Mount Carmel By Samson N’Taadjèl KAGMATCHÉ A dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology at the South African Theological Seminary 24 February, 2016 Supervisor: Dr William R Domeris 1 DECLARATION I hereby declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own original work and has not previously in its entirety or in part been submitted to any academic institution for degree purposes. ___________________________ Samson N’Taadjèl KAGMATCHÉ 24-02-2016 2 ACKOWLEDGEMENTS Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Professor Dr William Domeris for the continuous support for my Ph.D. study and research, for his patience and motivation. His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing this thesis. I cannot imagine having had a better supervisor and mentor for my Ph.D. study. Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank Dr Janvier Rugira for his encouragement and for everything. Many thanks to Mrs Leschenne Rebuli and the rest of the committee of South African Theological Seminary. My sincere thanks also go to my son Mikhaël Woumbor-Lidjome KAGMATCHÉ for the important role you played in saving my Ph.D. manuscript. May our Lord Jesus Bless you. I would like to express my special and thanks to my principal reader Ms. Jennifer De Bruyn for suggestions, corrections, and comments. I thank my friend Dr Ionut Aurélian Marinescu of the University of Strasbourg (France) for his help and encouragement during my Ph.D. study. My thanks also go to my friend Daniel Joaquim, professor at United Seminary of Ricatla, Maputo, Mozambique. I would like to express my thanks to my professor of Old Testament of University of Strasbourg Dr Régine Hunziker-Rodewald. My thanks go to my professors of Akkadian, and Near Easten History and Civilizations, Dr Alice Mouton and Dr Daniel Bodi, of University of Strasbourg, France. Special thanks to my family. Words cannot express how grateful I am to my father, brothers Woumborati, Josué N’Mani, Jacob, and my younger sister Esther (KAGMATCHÉ) for all of your sacrifices, encouragement and prayers that you’ve made on my behalf. 3 Special thanks also go to my friend Étienne Mponabor Djalodo and Benjamin Cerutti for supporting me. I would like to express my thanks to my friends’ pastors: Napoli Damigou, Nanlièbe Gédéon Kolani, Odah Gaston Fatotcha, Émile Namessi Nakordja Kombaté and Émmanuel N’Kiboiré. Your prayers supported me during the writing, and encouraged me to strive towards my goal. Finally, I would like to express my thanks to our and Saviour Lord Jesus for everything. Almighty God, you were always my support in the HARD moments of my life when there was no one to answer my queries and my distress. Thank you very much Lord Jesus. Ngiyabonga Kakhulu Jesu. Samson N’Taadjèl KAGMATCHÉ 24-02-2016 4 ABSTRACT Baal is the second deity mentioned after YHWH in the Old Testament. This Semitic god has often been in conflict with YHWH in the Old Testament. Most of the time, the Hebrew Bible mentioned only Baal. Therefore, there are many kinds of Baal (Baal Hadad, Baal Melqart, Baal Shamin). In the contest on the Biblical Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, YHWH and Baal were invited to prove their power, and send fire which was to come to devour (holacaust) the pieces of bull placed on the altar. The loser in this contest would be the impostor deity. Which Baal among three (Baal Hadad, Baal Melqart, Baal Shamin) was the competitor of YHWH on Mount Carmel? There are many hypotheses from different fields of study (Archaeologists, Historians of Religious Studies, and Specialists of Biblical Studies, (Old Testament). Our motivation in this research is to establish exactly which Baal was in conflict with YHWH on Mount Carmel. We undertake this work using the HB and the LXX (biblical data) to understand the text of 1Kings 18 and know the Baal invoked in this text. The extra-biblical data studies are: (iconographies, epigraphs, Akkadian, and Ugarit sources) and the research on the nature and functions of the deities (Baal Hadad, Baal Melqart, and Baal Shamin) associated with the Biblical Mount Carmel. All these deities in this research have points in common. They were agrarian deities. They were deities of the aMTosphere bringing rain and fertility. These gods were worshipped by their devotees in the old Syro-Palestinian and Ancient Near Eastern societies, according to their role and functions. However, all assumptions and arguments regarding them in this research have their strengths and weaknesses. Let us summarize that finally some evidence of Baal Melqart and some details in 1Kings 18 make a case for the Master of Tyre (Baal Melqart). 5 CONTENTS ACKOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ 3 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... 5 Abbreviations .....................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1: METHODOLOGY ...........................................................................................11 1.1. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY...........................................................................11 1.2. BACKGROUND STUDY .......................................................................................12 1.3. RESEARCH PROBLEM .......................................................................................15 1.4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................15 1.5. PURPOSE ............................................................................................................16 1.6. DELIMITATIONS ..................................................................................................16 1.7. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY...........................................................................17 1.8. OVERVIEW ..........................................................................................................19 CHAPTER 2: MOUNT CARMEL ..........................................................................................20 2.1. Mount lm,Þr>K; and the etymology of its name .........................................................20 2.2. The Carmel of Judah ............................................................................................21 2.3. Mount Carmel of the territory of Israel ...................................................................22 2.4. Mount Carmel: political control ..............................................................................24 2.5. Mount Carmel: Elijah’s place of choice for confrontation .......................................27 2.6. Mount Carmel, a mountain god or a deified mountain? .........................................27 2.7. The high places: tAmïB' ...........................................................................................29 CHAPTER 3: BAAL SHAMEM/BAALSHAMIN ....................................................................31 3.1. Baal Shamin: A god with different spellings ..........................................................31 3.2. Origin of Baal Shamem/ Baal Shamin ...................................................................32 3.2.1. Complex origins .......................................................................................32 3.2.2. The temple of Baal Shamin at Palmyra ....................................................33 3.2.3. Brief description of the temple ..................................................................33 3.3. Epigraphic study of Baal Shamin ..........................................................................34 3.3.1. The Baal Shamin in the inscriptions of the temple of Palmyra ..................34 6 3.3.2. The epigraphic inscriptions of Baal Shamin ..............................................36 3.3.2.a. Egypt ............................................................................................37 3.3.2.b. Gönze ..........................................................................................37 3.3.3. Aramaic inscriptions of Hatra ....................................................................38 3.3.4. Baal Shamêm in other epigraphic inscriptions ..........................................38 3.3.4.a. Byblos ..........................................................................................39 3.3.4.b. Karatepe ......................................................................................39 3.3.4.c. Carthage ......................................................................................40 3.3.4.d. Sardinia ........................................................................................40 3.4. Iconography testimonials of Baal Shamin .............................................................40 3.4.1. Baal Shamin ‟The Master of Heaven” ......................................................41 3.4.2. Other iconography testimonials of Baal Shamin .......................................43 3.4.3. Eagle symbol of Baal Shamin ...................................................................43 3.4.4. Worship of Baal Shamin at Palmyra: worshipping a foreign God? ............49 3.5. Dedication Monuments to Baal Shamin at Palmyra ..............................................50 3.5.1. The cult of Baal Shamin ...........................................................................50
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