Baalshamin
Deities of the ancient Near East |
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Religions of the ancient Near East |
Baalshamin (
The earliest known Phoenician reference to Baalshamin is in the Yehimilk inscription, dated to the 10th century BCE.[4]
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2015) |
This name was originally a title of
In the
"May Baal-sameme, Baal-malage, and Baal-saphon raise an evil wind against your ships, to undo their moorings, tear out their mooring pole, may a strong wave sink them in the sea, a violent tide [. . .] against you."[6]
The god Baal-malage is otherwise unexplained. Baal-saphon here and elsewhere seems to be Ba'al Hadad, whose home is on
In any case, inscriptions show that the cult of Ba'al Šamem continued in Tyre from Esarhaddon's day until towards the end of the 1st millennium BC.[citation needed]
Baalshamen is mentioned as an idol among other Aramean gods in Mesopotamia by Jacob of Serugh:
- “He (that is Satan) put Apollo as idol in Antioch and others with him, In Edessa he set Nebo and Bel together with many others, He led astray Harran by Sin, Baalshamin and Bar Nemre[Nusku] By my Lord with his Dogs[Nergal] and the goddess Taratha[Astarte] and Gadlat." [citation needed]
In
In
"... and that when droughts occurred, they stretched out their hands to heaven towards the sun; for him alone (he says) they regarded as god the lord of heaven, calling him Beelsamen, which is in the Phoenician language 'lord of heaven', and in Greek 'Zeus'."[7]
Unfortunately, it is not clear whether Baalshamin is here regarded as a sun-god and the bringer of rain, or whether he is regarded as the cause of drought.[citation needed]
Writers in Syriac refer to Baalshamin as Zeus Olympios Zeus who shines.[citation needed]
See also
- Temple of Baalshamin (not to be confused with the Temple of Bel)
- Bashamem inscription
References
- ^ Other variations which are seen less frequently in modern sources include: Baʿal Shamin, Baʿal Samin, Baʿal-Shamem, Baʿal Shamim, Baʿal Shamem, Baʿalsamem, Baal Shamin, Baal-Samin, Beelsamen, Baʿalsamin, Baal-Samen, Baal-Shamen, Baalsamin, Baalsamen, Baal-shamim, Baʿalshamin, Baal-Samim, Baal-Samem, Baalsamem, Baalsamim, Baalshamem, Beelsamin, Beel-Samen, Beelshamen, Baal-Shamayim, Baʿalsamen, Beel-Samin, Baalshamim, Baalshamen.
- ISBN 978-90-04-11589-7. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ISBN 978-3-515-08027-9. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-8028-2491-2. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
- ISBN 978-90-04-10754-0. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ISBN 978-14-00-88276-2. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- Eusebius of Caesarea, Praeparatio Evangelica1:10.
External links
- Stuart Whatling: "Arabia Syria: Palmyra"() — Some pictures of the temple of Baal-Shamin at Palmyra