Ugarit Excavated ruins at Ras Shamra Ugarit (/ˌuːɡəˈriːt, ˌjuː-/; Ugaritic: 𐎜𐎂𐎗𐎚, ʼUgrt; Arabic: أوغاريت) was an ancient port city, the ruins of which are located at what is now called Ras Shamra (sometimes written "Ras Shamrah"; Arabic: رأس شمرة, literally "Cape Fennel"),[1] a headland in northern Syria. Ugarit had close connections to the Hittite Empire, sent tribute to Egypt at times, and maintained trade and diplomatic connections with Cyprus (then called Alashiya), documented in the archives recovered from the site and corroborated by Mycenaean and Cypriot pottery found there. History[edit] Ras Shamra lies on the Mediterranean coast, some 11 kilometres (7 mi) north of Latakia, near modern Burj al-Qasab. Though the site is thought to have been inhabited earlier, Neolithic Ugarit was already important enough to be fortified with a wall early on, perhaps by 6000 BC. The first written evidence mentioning the city comes from the nearby city of Ebla, ca. 1800 BC. Destruction[edit]
Ugarit and the Bible ASSIGNMENT: Read Coogan and Gordon; then read the following lectures. 1. Introduction. The ancient Canaanite city-state of Ugarit is of utmost importance for those who study the Old Testament. Why should people interested in the Old Testament want to know about this city and its inhabitants? In short, when one has well in hand the literature and theology of Ugarit, one is well on the way to being able to comprehend some of the most important ideas contained in the Old Testament. 2. In 1928 a group of French archaeologists journeyed with 7 camels, one donkey, and some burden bearers towards the tel known as Ras Shamra. After the discovery of the cemetery they found a city and a royal palace about 1000 meters from the sea on a tel 18 meters high. The greatest discovery made at the site was a collection of tablets carved with (a then) unknown cuneiform script. Ugarit experienced a very long history. In the period 1200 - 1180 the city steeply declined and then mysteriously came to an end. 3.
Into the Land of Canaan (other possible Biblical sources) - DefinitelyNotFirewater In my previous post on Panbabylonism, I spoke of evidence that suggests that much of the Hebrew Bible, and the stories and ideas therein, were preceded in time by similar stories in Mesopotamia. By evidence, I mean actual physical evidence, in the form of writing on tablets and cylinders and pottery shards that is older than any version of the Tanakh extant. I suggested the possibility of the Bible stories being copied from earlier sources. I'm no religious studies scholar, and I would like for this statement to qualify anything I might write after this. The casual reader may consider me to be wishy-washy, a flip-flopper, or a waffler (I'm pretty sure these words all mean the same thing). I once wrote an entire post saying that I would never qualify my statements again. Okay, I apologize for that. There are enough independent sources who have verified that the Tanakh is not, in fact, a giant cookbook. Ugaritic as a language appeared to have close linguistic ties to Biblical Hebrew.
Islam Islam (/ˈɪslɑːm/;[note 1] Arabic: الإسلام, al-ʾIslām IPA: [ælʔɪsˈlæːm] ( )[note 2]) is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an, an Islamic holy book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Allāh), and for the vast majority of adherents, also by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of hadith) of Muhammad (c. 570–8 June 632 CE), considered by most of them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim. Most Muslims are of two denominations: Sunni (75–90%)[8] or Shia (10–20%).[9] About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia,[10] the largest Muslim-majority country, 25% in South Asia,[10] 20% in the Middle East,[11] and 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa.[12] Sizable minorities are also found in Europe, China, Russia, and the Americas. Etymology and meaning Articles of faith God Main articles: God in Islam and Allah Islam's most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called tawḥīd (Arabic: توحيد). Angels
Christianity Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Emperor Constantine the Great decriminalized Christianity in the Roman Empire by the Edict of Milan (313), later convening the Council of Nicaea (325) where Early Christianity was consolidated into what would become the State church of the Roman Empire (380). The early history of Christianity's united church before major schisms is sometimes referred to as the "Great Church" (though divergent sects existed at the same time, including Gnostics, Marcionites, and Jewish Christians). The Church of the East split after the Council of Ephesus (431) and Oriental Orthodoxy split after the Council of Chalcedon (451) over differences in Christology,[6] while the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church separated in the East–West Schism (1054), mostly over the authority of the bishop of Rome. Etymology Beliefs Creeds Concise doctrinal statements or confessions of religious beliefs are known as creeds. Jesus
Ancient Judaism (book) Ancient Judaism, also known as Ancient Palestine: Society and Religion (German: Das antike Judentum), is a book written by Max Weber, a German economist and sociologist, in early the 20th century. The original edition was in German - the essays on Ancient Judaism appeared originally in the 1917–1919 issues of the Archiv fur Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialforschung. Marianne Weber, his wife, published the essays as Part Three of his Gesammelte Aufsatze zur Religionssoziologie' in 1920–1921. An English translation was made in 1952 and several editions were released since then. It was his fourth and last major work on the sociology of religion, after The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism and The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism. Weber wrote that Weber noted that some aspects of Christianity sought to conquer and change the world, instead of withdrawing from its imperfections.
Judaism Judaism (from the Latin Iudaismus, derived from the Greek Ἰουδαϊσμός, and ultimately from the Hebrew יהודה, Yehudah, "Judah";[1][2] in Hebrew: יהדות, Yahadut, the distinctive characteristics of the Judean ethnos)[3] is the religion, philosophy and way of life of the Jewish people.[4] Judaism is a monotheistic religion, with the Torah as its foundational text (part of the larger text known as the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible), and supplemental oral tradition represented by later texts such as the Mishnah and the Talmud. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God established with the Children of Israel.[5] Judaism includes a wide corpus of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3,000 years. Defining character and principles of faith Defining character Glass platter inscribed with the Hebrew word zokhreinu - remember us Core tenets 13 Principles of Faith:
Abrahamic religions Abrahamic religions (also Semitic religions) are the monotheistic faiths of West Asian origin, emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham[1] or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him.[2][3][4] They are one of the major divisions in comparative religion, along with Indian religions[5] (Dharmic) and East Asian religions[5] (Taoist). As of the early twenty-first century[update], it was estimated that 54% of the world's population (3.8 billion people) considered themselves adherents of the Abrahamic religions, about 30% of other religions, and 16% of no organized religion.[6][7] The Abrahamic religions originated in Western Asia.[8] The largest Abrahamic religions in chronological order of founding are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the Bahá'í Faith is sometimes listed as well.[9] There are other obscure religions that are also Abrahamic but rarely considered. Etymology[edit] Major religious groups as a percentage of world population. Origins and history[edit]
Ancient Semitic religion Ancient Semitic religion encompasses the polytheistic religions of the Semitic speaking peoples of the ancient Near East and Northeast Africa. Its origins are intertwined with Mesopotamian mythology. As Semitic itself is a rough, categorical term (when referring to cultures, not languages), the definitive bounds of the term "ancient Semitic religion" are only approximate. Proto-Semitic pantheon[edit] Abbreviations: Ac. Akkadian-Babylonian; Ug. Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia[edit] When the five planets were identified, they were associated with the sun and moon and connected with the chief gods of the Hammurabi pantheon. Ashur, the patron deity of the eponymous capital from the Late Bronze Age was in constant rivalry with the patron deity of Babylon, Marduk. The major Assyrian-Babylonian and Akkadian gods are as follows; Assyro-Babylonian demons and heroes: Canaan[edit] Abrahamic religions[edit] El Elyon also appears in Balaam's story in Numbers and in Moses song in Deuteronomy 32.8.