ANCIENT RELIGIONS

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Woman at a window, ivory plaque, Nimrud.
This plaque is similar to the ones found in the ruins of the palace at Samaria, the ancient Israelite city built by King Omri, husband of Jezebel. Plaques were attached to furniture  and screens (Amos 6:4). 
The theme of the 'woman at the window' appears several times in the Bible, but its exact significance is lost. The mother of the slaughtered enemy general Sisera stands at a window -see BIBLE WOMEN: DEBORAH AND JAEL. She is waiting for the son who will never return. Jezebel appears at a window immediately before she is hurled down to her death (see TOP TEN BIBLE MURDERS: JEHU MURDERS JEZEBEL)

               
Minoan goddess or priestess with snakes.
As far as we can guess, snakes were a symbol of triumph over death, in that they shed their skin and appeared to die once a year, but reappeared again alive. But they also appeared prominently in a number of ancient religions, and so may have been seen by the writers of the Bible as symbols of evil. See BIBLE WOMEN: EVE for the story of Eve and the serpent.

          
Cult statue, probably of Baal. Originally he would have held a club and a spear in his hands - symbols of thunder and lightning.
The Canaanites worshipped several gods; the two most important were Asherah and Baal. Asherah was the mother of Baal and is often shown with a Tree of Life. The word 'Baal' originally meant 'husband', and he was the source of water and fertility.  Astarte, another goddess, was the consort of Baal. She was the protectress of the family. For the conflict between the priests of Baal and Elijah, see BIBLE WOMEN: JEZEBEL

     
Philistine incense burners. 
Burning incense has always been a part of religious ritual or veneration of God. The Temple in Jerusalem may have had large incense burners in the forecourt of the Temple. For an image of this forecourt, see BIBLE ARCHITECTURE: JERUSALEM

A gold pendant from Tell-el-Ajjul, 
mid-second millennium BC.
It may be an image of the Egyptian goddess Hathor

          PUBLIC WORSHIP

Beersheba, a reconstruction of the horned altar.
For more on Beersheba, see 
BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: CITIES

  
Mural of an animal sacrifice, Corinth, 540-530BC
Note the horn-shaped corners of the altar, bottom right

Archaeologists excavating at Beersheba found several large, carefully shaped stones incorporated into the town walls dating back to the late eighth century BC. When the stones were reassembled, they formed a cubical altar with four tapered projections or 'horns'.  One of the stone blocks had a snake carved onto it. The top stones were blackened, suggesting that sacrifices had been burnt there. The altar may have been dismantled at the time of King Hezekiah's religious reforms in the 8th century BC.

 There have been various theories about why the altar had projecting 'horns'. The most practical reason would be that the high corner stones provided leverage for the ropes necessary to hold down a struggling animal as it was being sacrificed.  

On the other hand, two areas would have been needed, one to slaughter the animal, the other to burn it. The same areas could not sensibly be used for both tasks, since the volume of blood from an animal with its throat cut would make any surface so wet that a fire could not burn. 

There must have been several stages in the process:

• the selection and preparation of the animal

• prayers of supplication or thanksgiving to the deity

• the killing of the animal

• the burning of pieces of the animal

• distribution of meat after the ceremony
  

At the beginning of the war in the Iliad, Achilles gives a speech that tells us why ancient people offered sacrifice:

Come, let us ask some seer, or priest, or maybe a reader of dreams - who may tell us why Phoebus Apollo is so angry: whether he sees fault in us for some vow or sacrifice neglected. Perhaps in return for the smoke of lambs and sacrificial goats, he will save us from the pestilence.

The ancient Greeks believed that each person had a responsibility to develop a well-educated mind and a healthy body. Games and sporting activities were therefore an important part of Greek culture. The city of Olympia was a center of religious worship dedicated to Zeus, and it was around the temple there that the first Olympic Games took place.
 The Games were a period of time in which all warfare was laid aside - enemies must forget their grievances and compete without rancor, even if they had recently been at war. 
It seems strange to us now, but the first Olympic Games were centered on days of religious ritual. Only after these lengthy rituals were completed could the Olympic games begin.
The Games were financially supported by rulers in Greece and in surrounding countries. Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine at the time that Jesus was born, contributed to the cost of the Olympic Games during his reign.

           PRIVATE WORSHIP

ANCIENT RELIGIONS

One of the Old Testament themes is the people's lack of fidelity to the God of Israel - the Bible often accuses them of turning to other gods. Their lack of fidelity is likened to a woman who deserts her husband (Jeremiah 3:1-10).
There are three areas in which the people fail:
 *  they practise the rituals of the fertility cults
 *  they are attracted to the idea that they can communicate with the dead
 *  they resort to witchcraft and sorcery - indeed, Jesus was accused of being a sorcerer.
These accusations seem to have been based on fact. Ordinary people often attempted to use rituals to control problems in their daily lives. They were anxious if it did not rain or if it rained too much; they were afraid of death; and they sought to control frightening aspects of daily life such as illness or accidents.
They tried many different ways to come to terms with the forces of Nature. Every country had different rituals and religious practices to keep bad luck at bay and to coax Nature into behaving in a way that would help, not harm, humanity.

They encouraged fertility in Nature and in humans by means of sacred prostitution, and by giving gifts to Nature.
The burial practices of each country enabled them to cope with the grief of losing people they loved, and with the anxiety they felt when they lost someone who was valuable to the community.
Witchcraft and sorcery gave them a sense of control over possible disaster. A spell or charm could, they believed, ward off bad luck or illness, caused as they believed by malignant forces in the universe.
The prophets of the Old Testament taught them that prosperity, peace and safety depended on Israel's obedience to God, and that people themselves had an obligation to help the unfortunate, the poor and the weak. Despite this, many of the people still found the ancient religious practices attractive, and continued to worship other religious deities or forces of Nature right throughout the biblical period.

INTERESTING SITES - stories, pictures, information

Ruins of the amazing Mesopotamian pyramid-temples that Abraham saw in Ur 
BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: ZIGGURATS

The great Temple of Jerusalem - scale models, floor plans, archaeological finds  
BIBLE ARCHITECTURE: JERUSALEM

The main buildings of the Bible, including a synagogue (at Capernaum) and the Temple of Jerusalem 
BIBLE TOP TEN: BUILDINGS

Jezebel's story, describing her loyalty to the rain-god Baal 
BIBLE PEOPLE: JEZEBEL

Jezebel's conflict with Elijah, and the murder of the priests of Baal
WOMEN IN THE BIBLE: JEZEBEL

Women's role in ancient religion
WOMEN IN THE BIBLE: FAMILY, WORK, RELIGION

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Ancient Religion in Bible Times  - Archaeology of The Bible
Cult Objects, Private and Public Worship; Bible  Study Resource