Additional Notes on Ancestor Worship / ʿḳvṿt nṿsfym lfṿlḥn ʾvṿt
Additional Notes on Ancestor Worship / עקבות נוספים לפולחן אבות
In the prevailing opinion there is little indication of ancestor worship or worship of the dead in Scripture. This paper will present passages in which worship of the dead is explicit or implicit. In Samuel I, 28 : 13, Isaiah 9 : 19, Genesis 31, 42—53, the name Elohim, in the opinion of many, points...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | Hebrew |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[publisher not identified]
1975
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| In: |
Bet miḳra
Year: 1975, Volume: 21, Issue: 1, Pages: 101-117 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In the prevailing opinion there is little indication of ancestor worship or worship of the dead in Scripture. This paper will present passages in which worship of the dead is explicit or implicit. In Samuel I, 28 : 13, Isaiah 9 : 19, Genesis 31, 42—53, the name Elohim, in the opinion of many, points to spirits of ancestors or the dead. Tur-Sinai insists that Elohim in the verse: "For he that is hanged is a reproach to Elohim (Deuteronomy: 21, 22—23) is to be interpreted as Spirit of the dead. In the opinion of the author the meaning of Elohim, as spirit of the dead, is to be found in many more passages of Scripture. In the two following verses: "Elohim, you shall not revile, nor curse a ruler of thy people" (Exodus 22 :27), and "Any man who curseth Elohav.." (Lev. 24 : 16), the law forbids the cursing of dead ancestry, (similar to the custom prevailing among Arabs), and does not refer to cursing of God. Similarily, the sacrifices to gods in : "He that sacrifices unto gods, save unto the Lord only, shall be utterly destroyed" (Ex. 22 : 19) and in passages of Genesis 31 : 54, 46 : 1, Deuteronomy 26 : 14, and Psalms 106 : 28 refer to sacrifices offered to the spirits of dead ancestry. Also in the seven passages of Lev. chs 19 and 25 the expressions: "And you shall fear God" is to be understood: "and you shall fear the spirits of your dead ancestors". J. Ratosh in his Beth Mikra (47) yointed out that the meaning of Avarim is: "Ancestors passed away" and the name Iye Ha-avarim" refers to dolmens in Trans-Jordan which, according to many scholars, served as a burial place and a place for worship of the dead. This discovery illumines the connection that existed between the two camps of Jewish wanderings in the desert. "And they journeyed from Avot and camped in Iye Ha-Avarim (Nu. 32 : 43—44, 21 : 10—11). Both places were concentrations of dolmens serving as shrines for ancestor worship. This also explains the references to Baal Peor, mentioned in Psalms 106 : 28, in Hosea 10 : 11 and in Nu. 25, in which place fertility rites as well as sacrifices to the dead spirits took place. Ugaritic literature assists in a better understanding of matters and passages in Scripture. God of Death and Mot are names for Yidad-El-Azar. Azar itself is a component of many theophoric names in and out of Scripture, such as El-Azar, Azarel, Azaryahu etc. Azaryahu is frequently changed into Uzziel, Aza, Azamot etc. All theophoric names having as their component part Azh or Az, have reference to the god of death, placing the bearer under the protection of this god, or protecting him against this god. From here one can infer that Azazel is also tied to the god of death. On Yom Kippur one he-goat was sacrificed to the God of Life, — namely to the Lord — and one was sent, loaded with the sins of the people, into the desert, to Azazel, god of death. Expansion of documentation concerning worship of the dead in Scripture is bound to contribute to a better understanding of the concept: "God of the Fathers", and may perhaps even change the accepted interpretation of this concept. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Bet miḳra
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