Jewish God Yahweh Originated in Canaanite Vulcan, Says New Theory

JewishGodYahweh OriginatedinCanaanite Vulcan,SaysNewTheory

ThecultofYHWHasgodofmetallurgyoriginatedamongsemi-nomadiccoppersmelters betweentheBronzeandIronAge,suggestsbiblicalscholar:Andhewasnotworshippedonlyby Jews

Archaeologistsuncover remainsofanEdomite copperproductionfacilityon theso-calledSlaves'Hillin Timna.Thedarkstonesthat covermostofthesiteare slagleftoverfromthe smeltingprocessCredit:Ariel David

TIMNA–Around3,200yearsago,thegreatempiresaroundthe MediterraneanandtheMiddleEastsuddenlyimploded The EgyptiansretreatedfromCanaanandthecopperminesofTimnain theNegev,skulkingbacktothebanksoftheNile Andinthearid wastesofsouthernCanaan,anewpowerarose

TheTimnaminesweretakenoverbysemi-nomadictribes,which setupaminingoperationthatdwarfedthepreviousEgyptian industry

Thisnewdesertkingdomwouldleaveitsmarkonthemainbuilding atTimna:theEgyptiantempleofHathor,protectorofminers The newmasterssmashedtheegyoftheEgyptiandeity–leavingthe fragmentstobefoundbyarchaeologistsmorethan3,000years later–andsetupovertheruinsofthetempleatentsanctuary, judgingbytheremainsofheavyredandyellowfabricfoundinthe 1970s

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Theretheyworshippedanewgod,onethathadnoapparentname orface

Thatminers'godwasnoneotherthanthedeityknownbythefour HebrewlettersYHWH,whowouldbecometheGodoftheJewsand,

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WoolentextilefromTimnadecoratedwithstripes ofredproducedfromdyers’madderandblue madefromaplant-basedindigothatprobably derivedfromwoad.

Credit:ClaraAmit,courtesyoftheIsraelAntiquities Authority

byextension,ofChristiansandMuslims,claimsNissimAmzallag,a biblicalstudiesresearcheratBen-GurionUniversity

AccordingtoAmzallag,longbeforebecomingthedeityofthe Israelites,YahwehwasagodofmetallurgyintheancientCanaanite pantheon,worshippedbysmeltersandmetalworkersthroughout theLevant,notjustbytheHebrews Histheoryisnotexactlywidely accepted,buthasrecentlybeengainingtraction Roughlyfromthe19thcentury,biblicalscholarsbeganlookingat scripturelessasrecordsofdivinerevelationsandmoreashistorical andliterarydocuments Thishasled,forexample,totheso-called “DocumentaryHypothesis,”whichconsiderstheTorah,therst vebooksoftheBible,tobeacompilationfrommultiplesources, eachproducedbydierentauthorswiththeirownbeliefsand agendas

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Butmysteriesremain:wheredidtheYHWHcultoriginate?Who weretherstpeopletoworshiphim?Andhowdidheendupbeing thesoledeityofagroupcalledIsrael,who,astheirverynamesays (inHebrew),didn’tevenstartoutasaYahwisticpeople,butas followersofEl,themaingodoftheCanaanitepantheon?

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ToughfabricfoundatTimna,thatmayhavecome fromatent

Credit:ClaraAmit,courtesyoftheIsraelAntiquities Authority

Fireandbrimstone

MostscholarsalreadybelievethatthecultofYahwehrstemerged somewhereinthesouthernLevant,partlybasedonEgyptiantexts fromthelatesecondmillenniumBCE Thesedocumentsdescribe groupsofCanaanitenomadscollectivelyknownasShasu,including onetribenamedShasuYhw(h)–perhapstherstrecordedYahweh worshippersinhistory

TheBibleitselfmaycontainamemoryofthissouthernoriginof Yahweh,asittellsusexplicitlythatGod“camefromTeman” (Habbakuk3:3)orthathe“wentoutofSeir”and“marchedoutof Edom”(Judges5:4-5)–alltoponymsassociatedwiththearea rangingfromSinaitotheNegevandnorthernArabia

Microscopicmagnification(x60)ofwoolentextile fromTimnadyedinredandbluestripes(photo takenwithDino-Litemicroscope).

Credit:DrNaamaSukenik,IsraelAntiquitiesAuthority

ArchaeologistsuncoverremainsofanEdomite copperproductionfacilityontheso-calledSlaves' HillinTimna.Thedarkstonesthatcovermostof thesiteareslagleftoverfromthesmelting process

Credit:ArielDavid

“EverybodyrecognizesthesesouthernoriginsofYahweh,butmost scholarsstopthere,”Amzallagsays “Thisformsthebasisofmy theoryaswell,butItakeitastepforward”

Readingbetweenthelines,theBiblecontainscluespointingtoan originalidentityforYahwehasametallurgicaldeity,hesays

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IntheBible,Yahweh’sappearanceisusuallyaccompaniedby volcanic-likephenomena WhenhedescendsuponMt Sinaito revealtheTorahtotheJews,themountaineruptsinre,spewing lavaandbillowingcloudsaccompaniedbyearthquakesand thunderstorms(Exodus19:16-19)

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Inantiquity,metallurgicaldeitiesliketheGreekHephaestusorhis eponymousRomanequivalent,Vulcan,wereassociatedwith volcanicdescriptions-whichcloselymirrorthesmoke,re,black slagandmoltenredmetalproducedinthesmeltingprocess, Amzallagsays

PoeticmetaphorsthroughouttheBibledescribeYahwehasaery deitywhomakesthemountainssmoke(Psalms144:5)andmelts themdown(Isaiah63:19b),justlikesmeltersmeltdownoreto obtaincopperandothermetals,theresearchernotes Infact,in Psalm18:18Yahwehisdepictedasanthropomorphizedfurnace: “smokerosefromhisnostrils;consumingrecamefromhis mouth,burningcoalsblazedoutofit”

Toancientpeople,theprocessofmeltingdownrockstoextract metalwouldhave“appearedcompletelypreternaturalandrequired adivineexplanation,”AmzallagtoldHaaretz

Yahweh’smetallurgicalattributeswerealsoondisplayinthepillar ofreandsmokebywhichheguidestheHebrewsinthedesert (Exodus13:21)andthecloudthataccompanieshisvisitstotheTent ofMeeting(Exodus33:9-10),asimplerversionoftheTabernaclein whichMosesspeaksfacetofacewithGod

Thedescriptionofthistentbearsremarkablesimilaritiestothe sanctuaryinTimna,furthersuggestingthat3,000yearsago,this placemayhavebeendedicatedtotheworshipofYahweh,Amzallag maintains

Yahweh,godoftheEdomites?

Butwaitaminute-theBibleandmostarchaeologistsagreethat afterthecollapseoftheEgyptianempireinthe12thcenturyBCE, TimnawastakenoverbytheEdomites,nottheIsraelites https://wwwhaaretzcom/archaeology/premium-davidian-eratextiles-found-at-timna-15408868

WhiletheBiblegoestogreatlengthstodescribeIsrael’sneighbors –suchastheEdomites,theMidianitesandtheMoabites–as dastardlypagans,thetextalsobetraysthatYahwehwas worshippedbythesenationstoo,possiblyevenbeforetheIsraelites didso,Amzallagnotes Genesis36,forexample,makesitclearthat theEdomitesaredescendantsofEsau,Jacob’sbrother,andlists Edomitemonarchswhoruled“beforeanyIsraelitekingreigned”

(Genesis36:31)

TheexplosiverevelationonMt.Sinaiimaginedin anearly20thcenturyillustration

Credit:theProvidenceLithographCompan

TheAmmonitesandMoabitesarelistedasdescendantsofLot (Genesis19:37-38),thenephewofAbrahamandpiousYahwehbelieverwhoescapedthedestructionofSodomandGomorrah.

Inotherwords,thegenealogiesoftheBiblecontainthememoryof anancientconfederationofCanaanitepeoples,whomayhave consideredthemselvesalldescendantsofAbrahamandwhoall worshippedYahwehalongsideothergods,Amzallagposits

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WeshouldtrusttheBibleonthis,hesays,becauseitseditors wouldn'thavewantedtoadmitthatthecultofYahwehwasnot exclusivetoIsrael "So,iftheyreferenceit,itmustbetrue,” Amzallagconcludes

Furtherbiblicalevidenceofthisbroadenedbaseofworshipperscan befoundintheBookofExodus,whereakeyroleisplayedbyJethro, Moses’father-in-law,wholivesnearthemountainofGod (alternativelycalledHorebandSinai)

ItisJethrowhoindirectlyleadsMosestohisrstmeetingwith Yahwehattheburningbush.AnditishewhoinauguratestheTent ofMeetingwithasacriceandproclaimsthat“Yahwehisgreater thanallothergods”forhavingfreedtheHebrewslavesfromEgypt (Exodus18:7-12)

ButMoses’father-in-lawisnotanIsraelite:heisdescribed alternativelyasaMidianitepriest(Exodus3:1)andaKenite(Judges 1:16)

Now,accordingtoBible,theMidianitesweredescendantsof Midian,anothersonofAbraham,whichagainsupportstheideaof theexistenceofanextendedfamilyofYahwisticpeoples The Kenites,ontheotherhand,areatribedescendedfromCainand describedaslivingamongallthepeoplesoftheLevantand specializingincraftsandmetalworking,which,accordingto Amzallag,isfurtherevidencethatYahweh’srstincarnationwas asasmeltinggod

Notethattheso-calledMidianite-Kenitehypothesisgoesbackto the19thcentury,whenbiblicalscholarssawJethro’sstoryas evidencethatthesegroupsintroducedtheIsraelitestotheworship ofYahweh.Amzallagseemstobethersttostressthe metallurgicalsideofthishypothesisandlinkYahwehspecicallyto theritesandcultsofancientminersandsmelters

AviewoftheTimnavalleyintheNegevdesert

Credit:ArielDavid

CopperminingatTimnaandatotherremotesiteslikeFaynan, todayinsouthernJordan,wascentraltotheregion’seconomy, employingnotjustminersandsmelters,butblacksmiths,traders andotherworkersineverytownandvillageofCanaan These people,identiableasthebiblicalKenites,wouldhavebeenheldin highregardandseenasbeingclosetothedivinebecausethey possessedknowledgeaboutthesecretandmysteriousprocessof coppersmelting,Amzallagsays

Ormaybethegodofstorms

“ThereisnodoubtthatatleastfortheEdomites,andpossiblyfor theirneighbors,religionhadtogohandinhandwithwhatwas theirmostimportantactivity,”saysErezBen-Yosef,an archaeologistfromTelAvivUniversitywholeadsateamexcavating atTimna “Theydependedonthesuccessoftheseoperationsand theydenitelywouldhavefelttheyneededthehelpofagodinthe complexsmeltingprocessandinorganizingthesemining expeditionstodistant,aridareas”

Wehavenodirectproofthatthemetallurgicalgod,worshippedat theEdomitesanctuaryinTimnafromthe12thtothe10thcentury BCE,wasYahweh:thereisnoinscriptioninvokinghisname But thekinshipdescribedintheBiblebetweentheIsraelitesandthe Edomites,andthemetallurgicalattributesofYahwehintheholy text,are“compellingarguments”supportingAmzallag’stheory thatthisgodwasworshippedbymultiplepeoplesasadeity connectedtometallurgy,Ben-Yosefconcludes

Thereareskeptics

“ThetheoryisinterestingbutIdon’tthinkthereisenough evidencetosaythattherstworshippersofYahwehwere metallurgists,”saysThomasRomer,aworld-renownedexpertin theHebrewBibleandaprofessorattheCollegedeFranceandthe UniversityofLausanne Thereisstrongevidenceconnectingthe IsraelitesandtheEdomites,andmaybethelatterworshipped Yahwehaswell,saysRomer,authorof“TheInventionofGod,”a bookaboutthehistoryofYahwehandthebiblicaltext

However,RomerdisagreeswithAmzallag’sinterpretationofthe supposedvolcanicphenomenadescribedintheBible Hethinks theyaremoreindicativeofagodofstormsandfertility,similarto theCanaanitegodBaal

“Itisquitecommonforstormgodsinantiquitytomakethe mountainstremble,butisthisreallyanallusiontovolcanismoris itjustshowingthepowerofthegod?”Romersays

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An1890illustrationoftheTabernacle,withthepresenceofYahwehsignalledbyacloudofdarksmoke.Credit:HolmanBible

ReconciliationofJacobandEsau,byRubens. Thebiblicalstoryofthetwobrothersand forefathersoftheIsraelitesandEdomitesisa signofthecloselinksbetweenthetwopeoples. Credit:SchleißheimStateGallery

Irontrumpsbronze

If,andthat’sabigif,Amzallag’stheoryiscorrect,aniggling questionremains:howdidthissmeltinggod,worshippedbythe semi-nomadicpeoplesalloverthesouthernLevantbecomethe solitarynationaldeityofjustoneofthesenations,theIsraelites?

ThatmayhavehadtodowiththeriseoftheIronAge,Amzallag says Bronzeisanalloyofcopperandtin,tworelativelyrare elements Ironismucheasiertondandjustneedstobecombined withanothercommonelement,carbon,toproduceoneofthe strongestmetalsknowntoman:steel

Bythe9thcenturyBCE,copperproductionatTimnaandtherest oftheLevanthadallbutshutdownandtheprocessofsmeltinghad lostmuchofitsmystique IntheIronAge,Mediterraneanmetal workerslosttheirelitestatusandweresimplyseenasskilled craftsmenratherthanquasi-priestsormagicians

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Inparallel,theirgodseitherlosttheirimportanceinthelocal pantheonandwereforgotten,orweretransformed,acquiring dierentattributesandcharacteristics,Amzallagsays Meanwhile, theloosecoalitionofCanaanitenomadictribeswhooncesaw themselvesasdescendantsofthesamepatriarch,hadmorphed intoapatchworkofsmall,centralizedkingdoms,eachvyingforthe statusofregionalpower Conictbecameinevitable,andindeedthe BibleislledwithstoriesofwarsbetweentheIsraelitesandtheir neighbors,whoareinvariablydepictedasevil

Aseachnationattemptedtogainpoliticalandmilitarysupremacy overtheother,theIsraelitesmayhavealsotriedtoestablishtheir spiritualsuperiority,depictingthemselvesasfavoredchildrenofa powerfulgod,or,touseabiblicalturnofphrase-aChosenPeople “TogainprimacyandbecomethechosenpeopleofGod,theyhadto removethemetallurgicaloriginsofYahwismanddisconnecthim fromtheothernations,”saysAmzallag Butwhileweedingout explicitmentionsofYahweh’sroots,theeditorsoftheBiblecould notcompletelyignorethetraditionsandstoriesthatwerealready anintegralpartoftheidentityofthiscult,hesuggests

Yahweh’seryattributesorthestoriesofasharedAbrahamic originforthepeoplesoftheLevantareechoesofmoreancient beliefs,hesays,cluesthatremindusthat“oncetherewasno exclusiveconnectionbetweenGodandIsrael Initially,God belongedtoall”

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3 Jack02:4519.04.2018

7 3 Sh-thappens!

2 PeterLom13:1912.04.2018

14 4

Thanksforthisexcellentarticle!Haaretzremainsthebestinevery singlefield.Apologyformyignorance:Isthereanychanceto supportNissimAmzalla’shypothesisfromotherlocal myths/references?Imeantribesfromadjoiningregion.Whatdo wehaveleftfromEdomite/Moabitetraditionsormyths?Didall materialsimplydisappearedwiththeascentofIslamandweare leftwithonlylatecomersArabsandus,Jews?

Jack01:2313.04.2018 PeterLom

15 9

I'mconfused.Wehavealwaysbeentoldthatthe ScripturestaughtusthatG-dcreatedman.Nowweare beingtoldthatMancreatedG-d.Iguessthatmeansthat G-ddidn'tcreatethesun,theMoonandthestars(after havingcreatedlightonthepreviousday).

1 kal02:2112.04.2018

12 2

Lotsofspeculation,yetstillarefreshingreadfromallthecrazy thingsgoingonintheworldstagerightnow

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