Israel and Humanity - Religious borrowing from the Jews by pagans

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IV.

Religious borrowing from the Jews by pagans

We have said that the name Azazel may have been borrowed from paganism. Another pagan name appears, also in Israel with a perfectly orthodox meaning is that of Baal.

A text of Hosea, it was dark becomes light if one adopts this point of view. The prophet foresees the days when Israel abandoned its polytheistic errors, return to God and here is what he said: "In thee days, saith the Lord, call me: My husband ( Ischi </ i>)! you do not call me more: My master (<i> Baali )! I will take out of her mouth the names of Baal, so they shall no longer by their names "[1]. The difference in thinking between the prophet's words Ischi and Baali is not that resulting from the translation, because Baali means Also my husband and the term that would make the best sense of my master would adoni . The truth is that the God of Israel had been designated under the name of Baal at the same time they also called Adonai . What then is the prediction of Hosea and why he condemns this name? The end of the quoted passage tells us: "I will take out of his mouth the names of Baal, so they shall no longer by their names." It clearly follows from this that the true worship of God under the name of Baal created the danger of falling into the worship of Baal in Palestine and Phoenicia, and is therefore to avoid the temptation of idolatry that the invocation of the name is prohibited. For those surprised that our explanation we will say that the name of Ahura-Mazda, the god of good Zend Avesta, has likewise been given by God to the Jews of Israel. It is stated in Tosaphoth [2] about the mother of Shapur, king of Persia, Iphra Ohoura: "We interpret this word as grace that comes from true God (hammakom) because, they say, Ahura, is the name of the Shekina.

The names of pagan gods were therefore often belonged to the God of Israel. Paganism has sometimes borrowed from the Jews just as it happened to them to take them to the Gentiles. There is no surprise therefore, still less to offend, [3] it is sometimes made mention of these names with respect. Thus becomes the intelligible following passage of Moses: "You observe everything I have told you, and you do not pronounce the name of other gods than is heard out of your mouth" [4]

This passage provides a clear analogy with that of Hosea, who is only applying a special case, and in almost identical terms, general prohibition of Moses, which proves to be said in passing that the Pentateuch was known , observed and cited as authority at the time of the prophet Hosea. The text reflects the mosaic were made names polytheists use innocent and religious, because it is not there a new condemnation of idolatry, or the mere prohibition of pronouncing foreign names, any defense superstitious Moses which we were not accustomed. There could be no reason more acceptable than the historical basis of which we have spoken, that is to say the very legitimate use that Jews were formerly those names for the true God, but that the legislature sees the need to ban to remove any pretext to idolatry.

One of the most important prophecies is in support of our explanation. When Zechariah says "in that day, God is one and his name," [5] it is reasonable to believe that the prophet does not simply say that God had previously enjoyed under other names by the Gentiles, who now no longer recognize one, but "Israel accustomed to use to designate the true God, names that the Gentiles had profaned altering the meaning, no longer implore the Tetragrammaton received by all as the only sacred name. Perhaps these words: "His name will be a" does not mean they no longer have God in all men a single name, but only under different names the same, it will be universally adored.

We have seen above that the names of God were known to Gentiles and that they sometimes use as profane, and it was even there we have said, the beginning of polytheism. Perhaps the application that was made to the pagan gods of the names given to the God of Israel merges it with the one we made it to the angels. Anyway here is a text of Isaiah, which fully confirms [6] our explanations on the abuse of the divine names: "I am Avaya is my name and I will not give not my glory to another or my praise to idols "[7]. It is obvious that in this passage the prophet introduced in mind that there was desecration of sacred names and applied them to false gods and for that reason, he proclaims that God is incommunicable name.

The instinct of religious unity that possessed by the Israelites was the cause of idolatrous practices they introduced at various times in their own religion by imagining there to be pleasing to God because they believe it is Avaya honor when they adopted the religious forms of other peoples who worshiped under different names. We thus understand the terms in which God accuses them of sacrificing their children to Baal, that is to say to God conceived by them as baalistes doctrines: "They built the high places of Baal, to burn their children fire as a sacrifice to Baal, which I had neither ordered or prescribed, which does not come to me thinking '[8]. This is indeed condemned here is not the object of worship, but the illegal form of worship. If the Israelites by the religious practices which they engaged had intended to be worshiped under the name of Baal, another deity Avaya, the language of the prophet would be incomprehensible. The text really means: How do you think honor me by a cult that I've prescribed point and that I abhor? If the golden calf in the desert and the idol of Micah bear the sacred name of the Tetragrammaton, the cause is identical, the Jews were convinced that the worship they saw in use among the Gentiles was also pleasing to the God of Israel, for they had the intuition that all worship in various forms, was a single God.


References

  1. Hosea, II, 18-19.
  2. Batra. fol. 8.
  3. Page 215
  4. Exodus XXIII, 13.
  5. Zechariah, XIV, 9.
  6. Page 216
  7. Isaiah XLII, 8.
  8. Jeremiah, XIX, 5.