Berith (god)
Encyclopedia
Baal-berith and El-berith ("El of the Covenant") are two gods, or one god, worshiped in Shechem
, in ancient Israel
. Berith probably appears also, as brt, in Ugarit
ic texts (second millennium BCE), in connection with Ba'al, and perhaps as Beruth in Sanchuniathon
's work.
Judges
(8:33, 9:4, and 9:46) is the only Biblical book that mentions Baal-berith and El-berith. It is not clear whether they are separate forms of the gods Ba'al and El
or are actually one god. Scholars suppose that he or they may have been (a) fertility and vegetation god(s), based on Judges 9:27. Also unclear is what covenant or covenants are referred to by the name Berith. In Judges 9:28 some of the Shechemites are called "men of Hamor"; this is compared to "sons of Hamor", which in the ancient Middle East referred to people who had entered into a covenant sealed by the sacrifice of a hamor, an ass. 'Children/sons of Hamor' itself appears in Genesis 33:19 and Joshua 24:32, in both of which, as in Judges 9:28, Hamor is called the father of Shechem. Genesis 34 features a man named Hamor who ruled in the area of Shechem (Gen. 33:18) and had a son named Shechem.
Rabbinic tradition equates Baal-berith with Beelzebub
, the god of Philistine
Ekron
.
In his euhemeristic
account of the Phoenicia
n deities, Sanchuniathon says that a certain Elioun
, called also "the Most High", and a female named Beruth dwelt in the neighbourhood of Byblos
, on the coast of present-day Lebanon
. They had two children—a male called Epigeius/Autochthon/Sky and a daughter called Earth. Because of the latter pair's beauty, the sky and the earth, respectively, were named after them. According to Sanchuniathon it is from Sky and Earth that El
and various other deities are born, though ancient texts refer to El as creator of heaven and earth. A relationship with Hebrew bərīt 'covenant' or with the city of Beirut
have both been suggested for Beruth. The Hittite theogony
knows of a primal god named Alalu
who fathered Sky (and possibly Earth) and who was overthrown by his son Sky, who was in turn overthrown by his (Sky's) son Kumarbi
. A similar tradition seems to be at the basis of Sanchuniathon's account.
Shechem
Shechem was a Canaanite city mentioned in the Amarna letters, and is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as an Israelite city of the tribe of Manasseh and the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel...
, in ancient Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Berith probably appears also, as brt, in Ugarit
Ugarit
Ugarit was an ancient port city in the eastern Mediterranean at the Ras Shamra headland near Latakia, Syria. It is located near Minet el-Beida in northern Syria. It is some seven miles north of Laodicea ad Mare and approximately fifty miles east of Cyprus...
ic texts (second millennium BCE), in connection with Ba'al, and perhaps as Beruth in Sanchuniathon
Sanchuniathon
Sanchuniathon is the purported Phoenician author of three lost works originally in the Phoenician language, surviving only in partial paraphrase and summary of a Greek translation by Philo of Byblos, according to the Christian bishop Eusebius of Caesarea...
's work.
Judges
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
(8:33, 9:4, and 9:46) is the only Biblical book that mentions Baal-berith and El-berith. It is not clear whether they are separate forms of the gods Ba'al and El
El (god)
is a Northwest Semitic word meaning "deity", cognate to Akkadian and then to Hebrew : Eli and Arabic )....
or are actually one god. Scholars suppose that he or they may have been (a) fertility and vegetation god(s), based on Judges 9:27. Also unclear is what covenant or covenants are referred to by the name Berith. In Judges 9:28 some of the Shechemites are called "men of Hamor"; this is compared to "sons of Hamor", which in the ancient Middle East referred to people who had entered into a covenant sealed by the sacrifice of a hamor, an ass. 'Children/sons of Hamor' itself appears in Genesis 33:19 and Joshua 24:32, in both of which, as in Judges 9:28, Hamor is called the father of Shechem. Genesis 34 features a man named Hamor who ruled in the area of Shechem (Gen. 33:18) and had a son named Shechem.
Rabbinic tradition equates Baal-berith with Beelzebub
Beelzebub
Beelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...
, the god of Philistine
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
Ekron
Ekron
The city of Ekron , was one of the five cities of the famed Philistine pentapolis, located in southwestern Canaan. Ekron lies 35 kilometers west of Jerusalem, and 18 kilometers north of ancient Gath, on the eastern edge of Israel's coastal plain.-History:...
.
In his euhemeristic
Euhemerus
Euhemerus was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. Euhemerus' birthplace is disputed, with Messina in Sicily as the most probable location, while others champion Chios, or Tegea.-Life:...
account of the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n deities, Sanchuniathon says that a certain Elioun
Elyon
Elyon is an epithet of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible. is usually rendered as English "God Most High"....
, called also "the Most High", and a female named Beruth dwelt in the neighbourhood of Byblos
Byblos
Byblos is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal . It is a Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of present-day Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jubayl and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusades...
, on the coast of present-day Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. They had two children—a male called Epigeius/Autochthon/Sky and a daughter called Earth. Because of the latter pair's beauty, the sky and the earth, respectively, were named after them. According to Sanchuniathon it is from Sky and Earth that El
El (god)
is a Northwest Semitic word meaning "deity", cognate to Akkadian and then to Hebrew : Eli and Arabic )....
and various other deities are born, though ancient texts refer to El as creator of heaven and earth. A relationship with Hebrew bərīt 'covenant' or with the city of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
have both been suggested for Beruth. The Hittite theogony
Hittite mythology
Most of the narratives embodying Hittite mythology are lost, and the elements that would give a balanced view of Hittite religion are lacking among the tablets recovered at the Hittite capital Hattusa and other Hittite sites: "there are no canonical scriptures, no theological disquisitions or...
knows of a primal god named Alalu
Alalu
Alalu is a god in Hurrian mythology. He was identified by the Greeks as Hypsistos. He is also called Alalus.- Myth :Alalu was a primeval deity of the Hurrian mythology. After nine years of reign, Alalu was defeated by his son Anu and went down in the underworld. Anu's son Kumarbi also defeated his...
who fathered Sky (and possibly Earth) and who was overthrown by his son Sky, who was in turn overthrown by his (Sky's) son Kumarbi
Kumarbi
Kumarbi is the chief god of the Hurrians. He is the son of Anu , and father of the storm-god Teshub. He was identified by the Hurrians with Sumerian Enlil, and by the Ugaritians with El....
. A similar tradition seems to be at the basis of Sanchuniathon's account.