Authors: John Day, Day
ISBN-13: 9780826468307, ISBN-10: 0826468306
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group
Date Published: December 2002
Edition: (Non-applicable)
This masterly book is the climax of over twenty-five years of study of the impact of Canaanite religion and mythology on ancient Israel and the Old Testament. It is John Day's magnum opus in which he sets forth all his main arguments and conclusions on the subject. The work considers in detail the relationship between Yahweh and the various gods and goddesses of Canaan, including the leading gods El and Baal, the great goddesses (Asherah, Astarte and Anat), astral deities (Sun, Moon and Lucifer), and underworld deities (Mot, Resheph, Molech and the Rephaim). Day assesses both what Yahwism assimilated from these deities and what it came to reject. More generally he discusses the impact of Canaanite polytheism on ancient Israel and how monotheism was eventually achieved.
John Day's Yahweh And The Gods And Goddesses Of Canaan is impressive, scholarly, the product of meticulous research, and an essential, core title for any serious personal, professional, or academic reference collection or reading list on the subject of Canaanite religion and mythology on the development of Israel and the Old Testament literature. Day examines in detail the relationship between the Yahweh and the leading gods of Canaan including El, Baal, Asherah, Astarte, Anat, the astral deities (Sun, Moon, Lucifer), and the underworld deities (Mot, Resheph, Molech, the Rephaim). Of special note is Day's superb commentary on the impact of Canaanite polytheism on the development of Israelite monotheism. Very highly recommended.
Preface | 7 | |
Abbreviations | 8 | |
Ch. 1 | Yahweh and El | 13 |
Ch. 2 | Yahweh and Asherah | 42 |
Ch. 3 | Yahweh versus Baal | 68 |
Ch. 4 | Yahweh's Appropriation of Baal Imagery | 91 |
Ch. 5 | Yahweh and the Goddesses Astarte and Anat (and the Queen of Heaven) | 128 |
Ch. 6 | Yahweh and the Astral Deities (Sun, Moon and Lucifer) | 151 |
Ch. 7 | Yahweh and the Underworld Deities (Mot, Resheph, Molech and the Rephaim) | 185 |
Ch. 8 | Conclusion: The Canaanite Gods and Goddesses and the Rise of Monotheism | 226 |
Bibliography | 234 | |
Index of References | 264 | |
Index of Authors | 276 |