MONOTHEISM AND ANGELOLOGY IN PERSIAN PERIOD YEHUD BY ABEL S. SITALI A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA FACULTY OF THEOLOGY SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR D.J. HUMAN CO-SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR E.E. MEYER June 15, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................................................viii Abbreviations ..........................................................................................................................................x Abstract .................................................................................................................................................xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................1 1.2 Research problem .............................................................................................................................7 1.3 Aims and objectives ..........................................................................................................................8 1.4 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................10 1.5 Hypothesis ........................................................................................................................................12 1.6 Chapter division ..............................................................................................................................12 1.7 Terminology and orthography .......................................................................................................16 CHAPTER 2: DIVINE COUNCIL IN UGARITIC AND PRE-EXILIC ISRAELITE RELIGION 2.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................20 2.2 Why study Ugaritic Religion ..........................................................................................................22 2.3 Reliability of the sources ................................................................................................................25 2.3.1 About the sources .............................................................................................................25 2.3.2 Ugaritic Texts ...................................................................................................................27 2.3.3 Inscriptions in Syria-Palestine ........................................................................................29 2.3.4 Text of the Hebrew Bible .................................................................................................30 2.3.5 Philo of Byblos' History ...................................................................................................31 i 2.4 Divine council in Ugaritic religion .................................................................................................33 2.4.1 The status of El .................................................................................................................33 2.4.2 Asherah in Ugaritic religion ............................................................................................37 2.4.3 Second level deities (Baal in Ugaritic religion) ..............................................................40 2.4.4 Other second level deities in Ugaritic Pantheon ............................................................43 2.4.5 Third level deities in Ugaritic Pantheon .........................................................................47 2.4.6 Fourth level divinities (messenger deities) .....................................................................47 2.5 Divine council in pre-exilic Israelite religion ................................................................................48 2.5.1 Comparisons between Ugaritic and Israelite religions .................................................48 2.5.2 Syncretism in pre-exilic Israelite religion ......................................................................50 2.5.2.1 El in the Hebrew Bible...................................................................................................50 2.5.2.2 Asherah in the Hebrew Bible .......................................................................................53 2.5.2.3 Baal in the Hebrew Bible ..............................................................................................54 in the Hebrew Bible ........................................................................................56 בְני הָאלהִים 2.5.3 2.5.4 Reality of Josianic reforms ..............................................................................................59 2.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................62 CHAPTER 3: MESSENGER DEITIES IN THE UGARITIC AND PRE-EXILIC ISRAELITE RELIGIONS 3.1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................65 3.2 Messenger gods in Ugaritic religion ..............................................................................................67 3.2.1 Titles of messenger deities in Ugaritic literature ...........................................................67 3.2.2 Roles of messenger deities in Ugaritic literature ...........................................................72 3.2.3 Order of message delivery in Ugaritic literature ...........................................................75 ii 3.2.4 Theophany of the messenger deities in Ugaritic texts ...................................................78 3.3 Messenger deities in early Israelite religion in the Israelite religion ...........................................................80 מַלְָכִים The origin of the 3.3.1 3.3.2 Names and titles of messenger deities in the Hebrew Bible ..........................................85 3.3.3 Functions of messenger deities in the Hebrew Bible .....................................................94 3.3.4 Messenger theophany in the Hebrew Bible ....................................................................98 3.4 Angelological differences between Ugaritic and Israelite religions ..........................................109 3.5 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................113 CHAPTER 4: MONOTHEISM IN POST-EXILIC YEHUD 4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................115 4.2 Statements about monotheism in Persian period Yehud ..........................................................117 4.3 Factors that led to Yahweh's monotheistic exclusivity in Yehud .............................................121 4.4 Tracking monotheistic developments in Yehud .........................................................................131 4.4.1. Rededication of the Second temple (515 B.C.E) .........................................................131 4.4.2 Monotheism and the incomparability of Yahweh (Chronicles 17:20) .......................134 4.5 Monotheism and textual redaction in Yehud .............................................................................137 4.5.1 Monotheism and textual redaction in Yehud—Chronicles ........................................139 4.5.2 Monotheism and textual redaction in Yehud—Hosea ................................................144 4.6. The marriage metaphor in Hosea 2 ............................................................................................152 4.6.1 The origin of the marriage metaphor ...........................................................................154 4.6.2 The 'baals' and 'lovers' in the marriage metaphor .....................................................159 4.6.3 The marriage metaphor and monotheism in Yehud....................................................162 4.7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................168 iii CHAPTER 5: FROM GODS TO ANGELS: CANONICAL PICTURE 5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................170 5.2 Resheph in the Ancient Near East ...............................................................................................172 5.2.1 Resheph at Ebla ..............................................................................................................172 5.2.2 Resheph in Egyptian mythology ...................................................................................172 5.2.3 Resheph in Ugaritic mythology .....................................................................................175 5.2.4 Synthesis ..........................................................................................................................177 5.3 Resheph in early Israelite religion ...............................................................................................178 5.3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................178