Baal
Publié le 22/02/2012
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The most important god of the ancient
Canaanites. The BIBLE records confl icts between
the priests of Baal and prophets of the Israelite god
YHWH ("the Lord"). Texts from ancient Ugarit discovered
in the 20th century present the god in a
more positive light.
Baal is actually a general word meaning
"lord." In religious contexts, the specifi c lord in
question is usually the Canaanite god of rain, dew,
and fertile fi elds (see CANAANITE RELIGION). This
god is said to ride on the clouds. He is also called
"Prince Baal." In Semitic languages, the phrase is
Baal zebul. From it the NEW TESTAMENT derived the
term "Beelzebul" (e.g., Matthew 10.25; Mark 3.22;
Luke 11.15, 18–19). But it used the term simply
to refer to the chief demon; any reference to the
Canaanite god had been lost.
Baal was the king of the gods, a position that he
took from the god of the sea, Yamm. The Canaanites
worshipped him as present in many local sanctuaries.
As a result, some texts speak of Baals in
the plural. The Canaanites also thought that Baal
fought with the god of death, Mot. The outcome of
this struggle determined whether successive periods
of seven years would be fertile or barren.
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