@Darisiabgal7573

1 month ago

Let’s take a look at this biblical passage.
First what is Mt. Carmel? It’s an outcrop of land on the Eastern Mediterranean.
When is the time period? 9th century BCE.
Who controlled this region of the Mediterranean at this time?
Phonecian city states, most of the cities south of Tyre were in a trade hegemony with Tyre.

“In the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax it is mentioned the Sykaminon (Συκάμινον) as a city of the Tyrians, and also that there was a river of the same name. Stephanus of Byzantium called it Sykaminon (Συκαμίνων) and called it a city of the Phoenicians.”
“It is agreed among scholars that the site, Tell es-Samak, has no identification so far during the Biblical periods. Latest historical and archaeological research points towards the identification of the site during Hellenistic-Byzantine periods as Porphyreon (south)”

Acre-“During the supposed Conquest of Israel by the Hebrew leader Joshua), Acre was allotted to the tribe of Asher, who however failed to take it. Acre continued as a Phoenician city and was referenced as a Phoenician city by the Assyrians.”

Dor- “After the Late Bronze Age collapse, the town appears to have been settled by a migrant group called the Tjekker.””In the Hebrew Bible, Dor is depicted as an ancient royal city of the Canaanites, (Joshua 12:23) whose ruler was an ally of Jabin king of Hazor against Joshua, (Joshua 11:1,2). It appears to have been within the territory of the tribe of Manasseh, though they never managed to conquer it (Joshua 17:11; Judges 1:27)”

The claim that Carmel was part of isra’elite confederation is dubious. First judges recognizes the people along the northern coast as Canaanite. Second the phonecians essentially where a system of trade hegemonies and the ability to reach far markets strongly depended on how powerful the trade family one’s family was associated with. There a few sites in the bay above Carmel, these sites appear to link with Phonecia.

The forth problem is 450 priests of Ba’al, seriously? And Elijah killed them all? Is this along the lines of a bag of 200 foreskins for a bride.

The fifth problem is who is the high god (Lord) of Isra’el in the 9th century?
Where we see names ending with “Iah” we often see the kings chasing them down. The first names that have theophorics we recognize and are historic are Jehu, the Assyrians attach the Theophoric “Ia” at the beginning…..essentially “Ea” in Canaanite and these are decades after Ahab. In fact we don’t see the name YHWH attested until the end of the 9th century.

And so the prelude to this story is that Ahab, through marrying Jezebel brought Ba’al [Hadad] and Asherah into the kingdom. This cannot be true. Asherah practice was already in the land, as we will recall Deborah sat under a palm tree outside of Bethel (Luz). This motif is both mystical and paints her as a Melchizedek of Luz (literally the nick name of Asherah). Luz sits literally a few miles north of Jerusalem. The campaign against Asherah ramps under king Yosiah about the time Kings is written.

Was Ba’al in the land. Anyone, and I mean anyone who wanted to trade up the coast of Phonecia was familiar with and probably practiced to Ba’al as Ba’al was the favored high go of the phonecians in the Iron Age. Since Isra’el is not mentioned in the Bible as a highly influential overseas trader the assumption here is they were promoters of inland trade and the phonecians were both part of the supply line and competitors. Moreover between Acre (Phonecia) and Damas (Aram) is the Northern claim of Israel (which Ahab lost to the Assyrians), and these present Ba’al as the high god.

So it appears that a Fictitous Eliyahu who comes from Judea, right past Luz, (the place where people whose names end with Yahu and call the place Luz and Beth ‘El making sacrifices to the YHWH golden calf) and in the places along the coast of a different people to insult their gods and kill 450 priests to send a message to Ahab and Jezebel in a far off valley.

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