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Old 01-17-2010, 10:56 AM   #1
vid
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Default Yah in Ras Shamra (Ugarit) texts?

I've been reading some conflicting info on this topic. Does or doesn't some of Ras Shamra text mention god Yah?
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Old 01-17-2010, 06:35 PM   #2
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I've been reading some conflicting info on this topic. Does or doesn't some of Ras Shamra text mention god Yah?
The SBL's Ugaritic Narrative Poetry (or via: amazon.co.uk) (Simon Parker) which is a pretty exhaustive collection has no mention of Yah. Couldn't find a connection in Mark Smith's works ("Early History of God (or via: amazon.co.uk)" and "The Origins of Biblical Monotheism (or via: amazon.co.uk)"). So, I'd say not.


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Old 01-18-2010, 05:56 AM   #3
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I've been reading some conflicting info on this topic. Does or doesn't some of Ras Shamra text mention god Yah?
From the same ABD article that I cite here:

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The formative -yw in some personal names from Ugarit (ca.14th century B.C.) is not a divine element and has no connection with the name Yahweh.
Also, biblical texts like Judges 5:4-5, Deuteronomy 33:2 and Habakkuk 3:3 suggest that Yahweh originated in a region south of Israel:

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Judges 5:4-5
4 "Yahweh, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled,
and the heavens poured,
the clouds indeed poured water.
5 The mountains quaked before Yahweh, the One of Sinai,
before Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:2
2He said:
Yahweh came from Sinai,
and dawned from Seir upon us;
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
With him were myriads of holy ones;
at his right, a host of his own.

Habakkuk 3:3
3 God came from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.
His glory covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
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Old 01-18-2010, 02:37 PM   #4
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From the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (or via: amazon.co.uk) (p. 911):
Yahweh was not known at Ugarit... the singular name Yw (vocalisation unknown) in a damaged passage of the Baal Cycle (KTU 1.1 iv:14) cannot convincingly be interpreted as an abbreviation for 'Yahweh'.
Following Mark Smith's translation of the Baal Cycle in Ugaritic Narrative Poetry, p. 89, the passage in question says:
"The name of my son (is?) Yw, O Elat [...]"
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Old 01-18-2010, 03:19 PM   #5
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From the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (p. 911):
Yahweh was not known at Ugarit... the singular name Yw (vocalisation unknown) in a damaged passage of the Baal Cycle (KTU 1.1 iv:14) cannot convincingly be interpreted as an abbreviation for 'Yahweh'.
Following Mark Smith's translation of the Baal Cycle in Ugaritic Narrative Poetry, p. 89, the passage in question says:
"The name of my son (is?) Yw, O Elat [...]"
Now that this latter has been pointed out, let's put it into context:
And the Benificent El the Beni[gn] speaks: [...]
"The name of my son (is?) Yw, O Elat [...]"
It appears to be El's son, and thus a deity, who is named Yw.

I think it was worthy enough for a footnote from Smith. ETA: especially when the Samarian form of the divine name is Yw as seen in the inscriptions left in the Israelite waystation at Kuntillet Ajrud.


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