But that's just the debate. Literally, "el-'elyon" simply means "most high god". Now since the deciphering of Ugaritic literature in the 1930's, we are aware that El (or Illu) was also the "name" of the chief god at Ugarit, and presumably (but not really proven) in Canaan as well, and that "elyon" (alyan? - who really knows?) was a common epithet for that god. It was also used for Baal. So here's the thing. Up until the 20th century, it was assumed that Gen. 14 meant to say that Melchizedek was a king-priest of God, the same God worshipped by Abraham. This is certainly the interpretation picked up by the Psalmist in 110, and in later Jewish and Christian literature. But now we know that there's another possibility - that Gen. 10 meant to contrast Melchizedek's "most high god" with Abraham's "YHWH el-'elyon" in verse 22. Possible. But which interpretation makes more sense in the context of Gen. 14. If you ask me, I'd go for the "old" interpretation, that the whole point of the story is to claim that (Jeru-)Salem was a place of "YHWH el-'elyon" worship even in the days of Abraham. If the author had any knowledge of the Ugaritic (and Canaanite) "el-'elyon", he was subverting the title for his own use.
(I don't have an iPad or iAnything either) Yigal Levin -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Donald Vance Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 9:40 AM To: George Athas Cc: B-Hebrew Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] El = God? Darn tootin' it's debated. I don't see how Gen 14:18 can be anything but a reference to the Canaanite deity. Sent from my iPad Donald R. Vance [email protected] [email protected] On Aug 9, 2011, at 8:05 AM, George Athas <[email protected]> wrote: > Karl is correct, that the word אל is a common noun for 'deity'. However, it > is often used practically as a Proper Name for the president or father of the > gods in the Canaanite pantheon. This is confirmed in Ugaritic, for example. > However, in Hebrew, it is very rarely used that way, if ever (it's > occasionally debated, though). > > > GEORGE ATHAS > Director of Postgraduate Studies, > Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au) > Sydney, Australia > > > _______________________________________________ > b-hebrew mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
