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Fertility Cults of Canaan
Fertility Cults of CanaanOnly recently have scholars begun to unravel the complex religious rituals of Israel's Canaanite neighbors. Much of our knowledge of the origins and character of these fertility cults remains tentative and widely debated. ...
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Innocent Blood
The Greatest CityLocated at the most critical mountain pass on the Via Maris, Megiddo was the greatest city in the ancient world.In ancient times, Megiddo towered above the Plain of Jezreel. It was located along the Via Maris, the primary trade ro...
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The Wages of Sin
A Great CityLachich guarded the southern approach to Jerusalem. It's impressive ruiins remind us that thousands of people once called this strategic city their home.Once one of Israel's largest cities, Lachish covers an impressive eighteen acres. ...
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Who is God?
Mount Carmel, God's VineyardMount Carmel stood in the fertile and strategic Jezreel Valley. For God's people, it became a symbol of God's blessing on their land.' Mount Carmel, which literally means "God's vineyard," is a mountain range...
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Gods of Canaan
Who Was Baal? Baal was the primary god of the Canaanite fertility cults. He was often depicted as a man with the head and horns of a bull, who carried a lightening bolt symbolizing destruction and fertility.Baal supposedly won his dominance by def...
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High Places
God allowed his people to employ cultural practices and ideas if they had no pagan content and were used only in God's service. Because the people of the ancient Near East honored their gods by worshiping them on high places, God allowed his peopl...
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Pagan Gods and Beliefs
Pagan GodsSurrounded by pagan neighbors, God's people often encountered people who worshiped other gods. Baal, Asherah, and other fertility gods played a significant role during Old Testament times.By Jesus' day, the baals were replaced by Greek a...
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Asherah Definition
Canaanite goddess of fertility. She is portrayed as a nude female, sometimes pregnant, with exaggerated breasts that she holds out as symbols of her fertility. The Bible indicates that she was worshiped near trees and poles, called Asherah poles.
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Ashtoreth Definition
Canaanite goddess of fertility and love. She is thought to be the daughter of the fertility goddess Asherah.
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