Re: Proto-IE Poytheism
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Originally Posted by Delbáeth
The Old Testament Roots of European Mythology
Part 1: Norse Mythology
Does Bible prophecy actually speak to us of the Norse and related peoples of Europe? I believe that it does, and that these peoples can trace their descent from the Biblical lost tribes of the House of Israel, removed out of their land in Assyrian captivity two thousand seven hundred years ago, and lost to recorded history. The Caucasian peoples, including the Norse, migrated out of Asia into Europe in the early pre-Christian centuries, and have fulfilled many of the prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments concerning Israel in the latter days. Let’s begin our study in the foremost prophetic books of the New Testament, Revelation.
In Revelation chapter 12, there appears a spectacular vision which has intrigued Christians for centuries. The vision concerns “a woman.” Bible commentators see this woman as representing Israel, and the vision as prophetic of events which were to take place in world history. We are told in verse two that this woman was about to give birth. The child was none other than Jesus Christ, for we are told in verse five that he was "a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron." It is obvious here that the woman who gave birth to our Savior is Israel, for Christ was born of the Israelite tribe of Judah, of the line of David. The vision expands in verse three. We read, "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns......the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." This should remind us of the prophet Daniel's prophecy of four great “beast” kingdoms. They were: Babylon & Assyria, Medo-Persia, Macedonia, and Rome. They formed one continuous succession of four beast empires, each one "devouring" or absorbing the previous. Using the year-for-a-day principle of prophecy, the next verse speaks of Israel being attacked and persecuted for 1,260 years by the dragon-beast, a period which ended with the fall of Rome in 476 AD. Verse six says, "And the woman fled into thewilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Where in Israel's history do we read of the chosen nation fleeing in dispersion into the wilderness? This occurred when Assyria, the first beast-empire, conquered them in four invasions between 745-676 BC, dispersing them out of Palestine into the wilderness of Europe. This is the prophetic story of Israel in the wilderness going to a place prepared by God, and it is a fascinating account of how God's prophecies have indeed come to pass. (745 BC to 476 AD is a 1260 lunar year period!) As the late Bible scholar, Dr. Pascoe Goard, has stated, "We know sufficient of the history of all the territory south of the Caucasus to be able to say that they could find no such unsettled land there. But plains, forests and river valleys of Europe still remained which had not even been explored in the days of Herodotus, three and a half centuries later. To that country they took their way." ("Post-captivity Names of Israel," p. 35) Remember that Esdras said they traveled to “a more remote region," a wilderness; and that this journey was a long one over a great distance, requiring “a year and a half” of travel. Yes, northward from the upper reaches of the Assyrian Empire was the wilderness of Europe, and there is a river Sereth in southeastern Europe even today. Over six centuries after their dispersion, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote, "The ten tribes did not return to Palestine...There are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude." (Jos. Antiq., Ch. 11, pp. 2, 5) The lost ten tribes were no longer in Palestine, and were outside the realm of the Roman Empire. Even though Israel had been hidden in the wilderness for six centuries when Josephus wrote, he informs us that they were an identifiable people and a great multitude which no man could number.
Where else in the annals of history is there a record of nearly an entire nation suddenly converging on a wilderness? Only the migrations of the Anglo-Saxon-Gothic tribes into early Europe can fit the picture, and that occurred at the very time that Israel was dispersed and became lost to history. The Angles, Saxons, Celts, and Goths, who overspread Europe, are said to have originated in the region of Medo-Persia, about 700 BC, the very time and place in which the nation of Israel was lost to history. The early Christian church noted a remarkable fact: There was a distinct resemblance between ancient Israel’s religion and that of the early inhabitants of Europe. Early Christian writers used the Latin phrase, “Preparacio Evangelica,” meaning that European mythology constituted a good “preparation for the Gospel.” We now know why Norse mythology, Celtic Druidism, and Greek mythology all bear such striking similarities to the Old Testament -- it’s simply because these peoples were the physical descendants of ancient Israelites who migrated to Europe in ancient times, bringing deep-rooted traces of their religion with them when they came.
But other amazing parallels exist, as well. There was also an uncanny resemblance to ancient Canaanite religion, since ancient Israel corrupted themselves with that form of worship, according to the Bible account. In addition to that, early European mythology also bears traces of the religious customs of the Babylonians and Assyrians, as you might expect, since these peoples exerted some influence when they brought Israel in captivity out of Palestine. Let’s see how history offers proof of both Biblical and Babylonian influence among the people of early Europe.
The central figure of Norse Mythology is the hero known as Odin. He is believed to be an historic figure, the king who led his tribes northwestward from their former residence in a city called Asgard to their new home in Western Europe. Asgard literally means "city of God," and perhaps by implication, "the city of God's people." Although it has never been identified by archaeologists, it is believed to have been located either in southern Russia or Northern Assyria, placing it in the region where the ten tribes were lost to history. After Odin's death, his great deeds were expanded until he took on godhood in the folk memory of the people. But it is important to note that the name "Odin” shows unmistakable evidence of a Babylonian origin.
There is a definite connection between Odin and the Middle East. Odin was the great Norse war god. The Assyrians and Babylonians also had a war god known as "Adon," and the Greeks later had a god named “ADONIS,” as well. The Babylonish Adon was the god of wine. In the Norse Elder Edda we are told that Odin ate no food but wine: "The illustrious father of armies, with his own hand, fattens his two wolves; but the victorious Odin takes no other nourishment to himself than what arises from the unintermittent quaffing of wine. For 'tis with wine alone that Odin in arms renowned is nourished forever." It has also been established that the Norse religion involved worship in sacred groves, which were trees planted to simulate the walls of a temple. The Canaanites, too, had sacred groves for worship, and the disobedient nation of Israel had adopted this form of worship at the outset of their wanderings out of Palestine.
But the similarity between middle-eastern and Norse mythology does not end there. One of Odin's sons in Norse mythology was called, "Balder," which Hislop states comes from the Chaldee form of "Baal-zer,"meaning the seed of Baal. Quoting Alexander Hislop, "The Hebrew z, as is well known, frequently, in the later Chaldee, becomes d. Now, Baal and Adon both alike signify ‘master’ or ‘lord;’ and, therefore, if Balder be admitted to be the seed or son of Baal, that is as much as to say that he is the son of Adon; and, consequently Adon and Odin must be the same."
The name of Odin's other well-known son is Thor. Again to quote Mr. Hislop: "Now as Odin had a son called Thor, so the second Assyrian Adon had a son called Thouros (Cedrenus, vol. 1, p. 29). The name Thouros seems just to be another form of Zoro, or Doro, meaning, ‘the seed.’" So, as Professor Hislop points out, Odin's son, Thor, is an exact parallel to the Assyrian god Adon's son Thouros. Quite an amazing similarity! (Lexicon, pars 1, p. 93: “The D is often pronounced as Th; Adon in the pointed Hebrew, being Athon.")
It is extremely doubtful that all of this parallel detail could be mere happenstance. A very definite cultural connection somehow took place between the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians and the early European Norse. Yet another author lends credence to this, the professor Hans Gunther, in his book, "Religious Attitudes of the Indo-Europeans." He finds much to admire in the Norse mythology, yet is led to admit that, "one perceives in him (Odin) the voice of an alien non-Nordic race." (page 11) Professor Gunther goes on to associate certain aspects of Norse mythology with Babylon. (page 57)
Yet one more proof of a connection between the Norse and the ancient Canaanites should be noted: the evidence we have of human sacrifice. For although human sacrifice appears to have been unknown in the British isles, it was definitely practiced in early days on the continent of Europe by the Celts.
But it is appropriate at this point to show that there are also some undeniably distinct similarities between Norse religion and that of the ancient Israelites. In fact, from the Norse sagas we learn many facts which lead to a comparison of both God, and God in the flesh, Immanuel, Jesus Christ. The tribes of Israel, at the time of their dispersion, would have been familiar with the Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah. Many of these ancient beliefs could have remained with them in their traditions after their dispersion from Palestine. So let's compare Bible prophecies with some of the basic beliefs cherished by the early Norse.
The Norse myths recount a remarkable account of creation, which differs from the Bible in that the flood was said to be caused by the blood of a slain giant. However, in Genesis 6, verse 4, the Bible does speak about the Nephilim, or giants, during the account of the flood. In the Norse account, the world is wiped out in this catastrophe, with the exception of one household who escaped on a skiff or boat, and from whom is descended the new race from which the god Odin came.
Odin is also called the "Rafnagud," or Raven-god, because he is said to have two ravens named Hugin and Munin, which he sends out into the world each day, returning at nightfall to tell him what they observed. Quoting the Norse Elder Edda,
"Hugin and Munin Fly each day
Over the spacious earth
I fear for Hugin
That he come not back
Yet more anxious am I for Munin."
The Norse legends prominently refer to the end-times. They say that in the end of the world a great battle called Gotterdammerung, or the "Twilight of the gods," will take place between the forces of good and evil. In this great battle, all of the forces of good will be killed except for one called the "All-father." This brings me to my most important point. "Bulfinch's Mythology" states that "the Scandinavians had an idea of a deity superior to Odin, uncreated and eternal," which they called the Alfadur or "All-father." For although the Norse mythology allows for a pantheon of gods, yet only ONE GOD is said to be immortal. Thor, Odin, and the others are mortal and die at some point in the sagas.
But above Odin was said to be the one eternal true God - unnamed except to be called the "All-father," meaning the "ever-lasting father," as he is called in our Bibles in Isaiah 9:6 and other places. In the original language of the Old Testament, God's name was YAHWEH. The Norse called the 'All-father' by no other name, believing that his personal name was too sacred to be spoken, although they apparently didn't have any memory or record of what that name was. Compare this with the actions of the few Israelites of the House of Judah who returned to Palestine and removed God's name, YAHWEH, from our Bibles, believing it too sacred to be spoken. Yes, I am convinced that although the Norse mythology was corrupted with the religion of Assyria and Canaan, yet the proofs are there that they were indeed "the people of the Book."
Part 2: Celtic Mythology
The Mythology of Druidism is said to have been brought to England in ancient times by Hu Gadarn Hysicion, who came from the east with a party of colonists and built Stonehenge. Who were these Eastern colonists? Historians tell us that Phoenician-speaking peoples colonized the British Isles in early times. The Israelites, a seafaring people, spoke a Phoenician dialect, and the early history of these two peoples is intertwined. The Bible speaks of Israelites sending "ships to Tarshish," or Spain, and Solomon’s navy sailed with the Phoenicians on their trade and colonizing expeditions. (2 Chron. 9:21; Isa. 60:9) Phoenician-speaking peoples, including Israelites, colonized Spain and Britain in ancient times, mining ores such as silver, iron, tin, and lead. The Druidic religion of early Britain and Ireland should therefore exhibit signs of both Hebrew and Phoenician origins.
HEBREW RELIGION
Celtic scholar, John Daniel, in his book, "The Druidic Idea of God," lists the Druidic terms for the Deity and their meaning:
Celi The Invisible One
Ior The Eternal
Duw Commonly translated 'God'; lit., 'He Who Wills'
Rheen All-Pervading Spirit
Peryl Author of Existence
Dofydd Governor
Deon Distributor
Yr Hen Ddihenydd Eternally Ancient One, or "Ancient of Days"
Mr. Daniels remarks, "Nobody can fail to see in these terms a similarity to the common phraseology of the Christian Church... There is such perfect consonance between these [Celtic] appellations of the Deity and those of Biblical theology, that it is strange anyone should so fail to see it..." (p.4, compare Daniel 7:9,13, 22, etc.) Daniels also points out that the Celtic name for the Deity was IAO, pronounced, "Yah-o," which is virtually identica1 to the Hebrew name for God, "Yah" or "Yahu."
In early alphabets, letters represented ideas. In Hebrew, aleph, the first letter, stood for an ox; bet symbolised a house, gimel was a camel, dalet a door, and so on. Similarly,in Celtic the letter "I" stood for 'the future.' "A" represented 'the present', and "O" stood for 'the past'. (ibid, pp. 16-17) Thus, the Druidic name for God, "IAO," literally meant "the Everliving," a being in existence past, present, and future. This is the exact definition given by scholars for the name of the Hebrew God, "Yahu" or "Yahweh". In fact, the Ferrar Fenton Bible consistently translates the name of God as "the Everliving."
The identity of the Celtic and Hebrew Deities is obvious, for "there can hardly be a question that the three letters were originally no other name than IAO, the Latinized form... of the Hebrew [Yah or Yahu]; and that such was the rendering of that name, we have the authority of several ancient writers. Diodoros Siculus says it was related amongst the Jews that Moses attributed the framing of the laws to the God called IAO; and Theodoret states that God was by the Jews called IAO" (ibid, p. 12) In addition, the Druidic "IAO" was called the "Unutterable Name" again identical to the Hebrew, "Yah." Daniels states, "So to the Druids there was a secret name for the Deity, which was unutterable ("Aflafar'') to all but the most privileged of their order, and was symbolised by the three Bardic characters representing the vowels IAO" (ibid, p. 11) With such close resemblances between the Celtic and the Hebrew Deity, it is not surprising that England was converted without the shedding of a single drop of blood. There is no record of martyrdom for any early Christian missionary, and it has been truly said that Druidism was only accepting a fuller, better revelation through the adoption of Christianity! The Druidic priests, like the Levitical priests of the Bible,were exempt from military service. The Druidic and Levitical priests were both divided into three classes. Even the Druidic ceremonial robes remind one of the Mosaic priests, with their breastplates of gold and jewels. The Druidic rituals, like the Old Testament Levitical, included the sacrifice of sheep, oxen, and goats, but no idol worship.
In the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 31 verse 21 instructed scattered Israel to "set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps, " and thus we find a trail of unhewn stone monuments, called dolmens and cromlechs, leading from Palestine (Genesis 35:14 etc.) across Europe, and into the British Isles, where they were used in worship by the Druidic priests. In England, according to Isabel Hill Elder's book "CELT, DRUID, AND CULDEE" each stone monument was called a "Si'on" in the ancient Celtic language. The similarity between this and the Hebrew word "Zion", meaning a stone fortress, is striking. Truly, these are additional witnesses to the identity of the House of Israel in the world today.
BAAL WORSHIP
But the religious customs of the Covenant people became corrupted with the religion of the Phoenician Canaanites. The Prophet Elijah's challenge of the Hebrew priests of Baal is one of the most moving Bible accounts. (1 Kings 8:18-40) The Bible indicates that at one time the majority of Hebrew priests and people followed the rituals of Baal worship. Noted 19th century antiquarian, Sir William Betham, made an exhaustive study of the ancient Celtic peoples, and states in his book, The Gael And Cimbri:
"Baal... has the precise meaning in Gaelic as in Phoenician - the lord of heaven." (p. 226) Many customs hearken back to Palestine, as well; "Even the cakes which the idolatrous Jews, in imitation of the Phoenicians, made in honour of the queen of heaven are still the most popular cake in Ireland under the old name of the barnbrack, or speckled cake." (p. 236)
Ancient customs and rituals are persistent among mankind, and therefore provide tangible evidence of a people's origins, even where no written proof survives. Betharn comments:
"Thus we see at this day, fires lighted up in Ireland, on the eve of he summer solstice and the equinoxes, to the Phoenician god, Baal, and even called Baal's lire, baltinnes, though the object of veneration be forgotten ..." (p. 222-223) In addition, archeological proof points to a Hebrew Phoenician origin of the Britons and Irish. Betham relates:
"On an altar-stone, dug up near Kirby Thore, in Westmorland, is this inscription:"DEO BEL ATUCADRO IB[ERUM] VOTUM FECIT IOLUS" The text translates as follows: "To the god Baal, the friend of man, Iolus made his free vow."
Numerous other stone altars to Phoenician gods, which have been discovered in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, are discussed and translated in Betham's work. Some of the principal finds include altar-stones found in Northumbria and other parts of Britain. He states that these ancient monuments to "Baal, by the ancient British... are unanswerable evidences of the identity of the people of the two Islands {i.e., Britain and Ireland) and Gaul, which the most unwilling and incredulous caviler at etymologies, can scarcely refuse to receive as conclusive. It proves more, for it shows an identity of the deities of the Celtae and the {Hebrew)-Phoenicilans" (p.228-229)
Numerous other parallels exist between Celtic and Hebrew Canaanite worship, including mystic well-worship, worship of sacred stones, and the veneration of the autumnal equinoxes. In fact, both the Canaanites and Celts practiced autumnal sacrifices to Baal, which the Celts called, "Baal-tinnes," as previously mentioned.
AVEN
Aven was another of the deities of the Phoenician Canaanites, and temples to this god were called, 'Beth-Aven,' or 'house of Aven.' The idolatrous Israelites also had adopted worship of this false god, as we see in Hosea 4:15-17:
"... come not ye unto GilgaI, neither go ye up to BETHAVEN, nor swear, the Lord liveth. For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer... Ephraim is joined to idols... "
Israelite worship of this god was so pervasive, that the prophet Isaiah used the word, "Aven," to signify an idol in general: "...he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an IDOL"(Hebrew, '"AVEN")
All idols are vanity, and aven itself came to have a secondary meaning of vanity. Since this so-called god was no god at all, the idolaters were literally worshipping nothing! The Apostle Paul picks up on this theme in First Corinthians 4:8
"We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other god but One. "
There are five rivers Avon in Britain, of which three pass through Gloucestershire, where Celtic worship of this god was centred. In the same English district is an old town named Avening. The "ing" suffix means the place of, so Avening is the place of Aven. Historian Samuel Lysons, in "Our British Ancestors""The worship at Beth-Aven, in Canaan, and that of Avening in Gloucestershire, and that of Aven, Heliopolis or Baal bec, were all identical. The stone altars, the high place, the calves' bones discovered there, mark the similarity."(p. 123).
MOLOCH AND CHIUN
The Canaanite god and goddess, Moloch and Chiun, are mentioned in connection with Israel's worship by the prophet Amos (5:25),
"But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity... "
At Windmill Hill, near Avebury, Wiltshire, England, there are evidences of Druidical worship, but no windmill. 'Win' is the Celtic word for 'eye,' and 'Win-Melk' is the 'eye of Moloch.' Dr Maurice, in "Indian Antiquities" says, "the Druids worshipped the sun under the title of Moloch, so we are certain that worship was derived to them from their Eastern ancestors.'' The British towns Melch-boume in Bedfordshire, and Melc-combe in Dorset, both retain evidence of the worship of Moloch in early times.
Similarly, the goddess Chiun was worshipped by the idolatrous Canaanites and the Israelites who followed their custom. Chiun was the moon goddess, and was considered so important that she was called the queen of heaven. In fact, it is from this word, Chiun, that we derive our English word, queen. The Prophet Jeremiah mentions worship of this goddess several times. He laments Israel's worship of her, saying,
"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the QUEEN OF HEAVEN and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." - (1:18; compare 44:11-25)
The goddess Chiun had her adherents in Britain also, as seen in the name of the famous king, Cuno-bel-inus, whose name combines the worship of both Chiun and Bel. Similarly,Chiun is seen in the early British names Cunedag, Cingetorix, Conan, and Maglo-cunus.
SUN WORSHIP: AL
The Hebrew word, AL, signifies the sun, and is equivalent to the Phoenician Hal, Greek Halios, Babylonian Il and CeIto-British Heaul. Mallet's "Northern Antiquities," (vol. 2, p.68) states,
"All Celtic nations have been accustomed to the worship of the sun... It was a custom that everywhere prevailed in ancient times to celebrate a feast at the winter solstice, by which men testified their joy at seeing this great luminary return again to this part of the heavens. This was the greatest solemnity of the year. They called it, in many places, Yole or Yuul, from the word Hiaul, which even at this day signifies the sun in the languages of the Bas-Bretagne and Cornwall."
Christmas is still called Yule. A Christmas holiday beer, Ale, may be from the same root. Holly and Holy come from the word, heaul, meaning 'to hallow, to deem sacred,' with roots to the Hebrew, 'EL,' God. The German words, 'heilig' and 'ale' mean 'to swear, to call on the name of God.' The words 'all,' 'whole,' and 'heal,' may be related to this.
The Hebrew name for the sun appears in many places in Britain with names beginning with 'Ail,' 'Ayl,' 'Hal,' 'Hayl,' and the like.There are many exarnples, including Albury, Albourne, Alcester, Alby, Althorp, Alton. Allington, Allerton, Alford, Allenby, Alsop, and dozens more.
AUN OR ON
In Genesis 41:45 we read,
"And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to WIFE ASENATH the DAUGHTER OF POTIPHERAH PRIEST OF ON. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. "
Again in Genesis 46:20, we are to told,
"And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which ASENATH THE DAUGHTER OF POTIPHERAH PRIEST OF ON bare unto him." (compare 41:50)
The word, On, signifies the sun, and is derived from the Hebrew Aun, Assyrian Anu, Babylonian Aunu, CeIto-British On, and the Greek On.The ancient Celtic poet, Taliesin, is quoted in "Davies' British Druids," as saying, ''Even the sovereign On, the ancient, the generous feeder." (p.527) Historian George Rawlinson states, "Aunu signified 'the god', and was no doubt in use among the primitive Babylonians from the very earliest times." (Herodotus, Essay x, vol 1, p. 591)
Who was this "Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah the priest Of On," whom the Biblical patriarch Joseph married? It is popular teaching today to say because Asenath dwelled in Egypt, that therefore Joseph married a Hamite. But the fact that her family were sunworshippers who worshiped On, the Semitic sun-god, is proof positive of a Semitic identity.
It is from this word, On, that we derive the Latin, annus, meaning a year, from the annual solar revolution, and the English, annual. Samuel Lysons states,
"That Aven and On were the same, is shown by the Greek translation of Beth-aven as 'the house of On.' Heliopolis, Egypt was at different periods called Ain, Aven, and On... Possibly our word Evening, Dutch Avond, and German Abend, may represent Aven, as the declining sun" (ibid, P.238-239)
British place-names showing early sun-worship include Ansley, Anston, Anslow, Ancoats, Ancaster (Caer An), Ancroft, Anford, Anwick, Avon, Avening, Arran, and many others. Concerning this last location, a circle of Druidic stones with a cromlech in the centre at Arran indicates sun worship.
British antiquarian, Aylett Sammes, writing in 1676, noted that "the customs, religion, idols, offices, and dignities of the ancient Britons are all clearly Phoenician." John Pinkarton, in his "Enquiry Into The History of Scotland" (1789), also stated that Druidism was directly descended from the Phoenicians, while British antiquarian William Stukely, in the book, "Stonehenge," believed that it had the marks of Israelite worship and culture.
Stukely pointed out Old Testament references to oaks, which gave these trees symbolic or mystical attributes. Abraham's altar of sacrifice was prepared by the oak of Moreh.
"And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain (lit: "oak") of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him." - (Genesis 12:6-7)
We are further told in Hosea 4: 13
" They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks... "
The importance of worship under oaks in Druidism is well known.
Modern Celtic scholar, John King, in his book, "The Celtic Druids' Year" adds,
"The Hebrew word for oak also means oath, and there is evidence that the oak signified a burial place. The golden calf or bull worshipped as an idol by the Israelites has its counterpart in the Druidical image of the god Hu Gadarn, or Hu the Mighty, who, like Noah, survived the deluge and first brought the skill of ploughing to mankind. Dibbuks, demons and lesser deities, some of which might seem to correlate to Celtic spiritual figures, have been pushed into the background by contemporary Judaism." (p. 26)
Thus the Hebrew connection is little-known but factual. Perhaps we can do no better in summing up our study than to quote the venerable Sir William Betham:
"The connection of this [Hebrew Canaanite] worship with the historical traditions of the Pagan Irish is so evident, and so extensive, that it ... strongly illustrates the [Biblical] account of the progress of population from the plains of Sennaar [i.e., in the Middle-East] to the western extremities of Europe... " says, (p. 242) This is obvious, for no one but God's people exhibited the peculiar mix of true and false religion seen in the early Celts.
We began our series in part one with a look at the Old Testament roots of Norse mythology. In that study, we saw that the beliefs of the Norse bore a striking resemblance to the religion and culture of the Hebrews, Canaanites, Assyrians, and Babylonians. These cultural "cross-currents" were not unusual, and indicate a Semitic wave of colonization in early Europe.
Let's continue our series with a closer look at Greek mythology and see if the Bible is correct in I Maccabees 12:21, where we read, “It has been found in a writing concerning the Lacedaemonians (Greeks) and Jews (Judahites), that they are kinsmen, and that they are descended from Abraham.” Yes, Israelites colonized Greece in early times, and the Greek religion shows us proof of a Hebrew origin as stated in the Apocrypha in the Bible.
The most well known Greek God-hero was the one known as Hercules (the Latinized form of the Greek “Heracles”), whose most distinguishing characteristic was immense physical strength. Interestingly enough, the “Encyclopedia Of The Classical World,” states, “The tales of his heroic deeds lend to the supposition that Hercules was originally an historic figure.” Who do we know in the Bible that exhibits a like characteristic? The answer, of course, is the Israelite hero known as Samson, whose life was detailed in the Bible in Judges chapters 13 through 16. One important event in Hercules’ life involved his escaping from the clutches of a symbolic woman, who is called “Pleasure.” This corresponds directly to the troubles Samson got himself involved in with the harlots of Canaan.
But the most celebrated event in the life of Hercules involved the 12 labors he was ordered to perform by God through the Oracle of Delphi. (Incidentally, "12" was an important divine number in Hebrew religion.) What do you suppose was the very first labor Hercules had to perform? You might have guessed it! He had to slay a lion with his bare hands!
Let's read a paragraph from the book, “Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece” by W.H.D. Rouse:
Heracles threw down his bow and arrows and leapt upon the lion’s back... while he put his hands round the lions neck...gripped the lion’s throat with his two hands, and bending him backwards, throttled him. There lay the lion dead on the ground.” (p. 59). In our Bible, Judges 13:6 says that Samson actually tore the lion in two, but the ancient historian Flavius Josephus in his “Antiquities of the Jews” also tells us that Samson first strangled the lion, which is exactly as Hercules is said to have done.
I don’t even know that there ever were any lions in Greece. The Biblical Archaeologist Magazine somewhat tersely comments, “Lions, we may remark, are not frequent in Greece.” (59:1, p. 17) In fact, the Greek myths explain this one away as the offspring of a monster! But whether there were lions in Greece is not important; Hercules needed to find one anyway. Why? Simply because the Biblical Samson inspired the Greek legend called Hercules, and provided the basis for his life!
Another of Hercules’ labors involved his live capture of a wild animal, which he brought home and threw at the feet of Eurystheus. In Judges 15:4, Samson is said to also capture live wild animals, which he released in the cornfields of the Philistines.
A fascinating bit of additional information regarding Hercules is his connection with the Biblical tribe of Dan. The Bible Samson was born of the tribe of Dan. (Judges 13:2-25) Greek history tells us that a people called ‘Danioi’ came to trade and colonize Greece in ancient times, settling in a region called ‘Argos.’ The word Hercules in Greek is, ‘Heracles,’ which is virtually identical with the Hebrew plural word for traders, ‘Heraclim,’ and Heracles is said to have come from ‘Argos,’ himself! The Greek myths tell that the Danioi were descended from a patriarch ‘Danaos’ who was the son of ‘Bela,’ and sailed from Egypt. In the Bible, the Hebrew patriarch Dan was the son of the concubine ‘Bilhah’ (Genesis 30:3-6), and the Israelites were in Egypt at the time that ’Danaos’ set sail to Greece from there! Heracles, further, is said to marry a girl named ‘Hebe,’ an obvious and well-known short form of the word, Hebrew! Since the tribe of Dan were traders and colonists who did so much sailing that they “stayed in their ships” (Judges 5:17), it is not surprising to find such connections with ancient Greece.
In another tale from Greek mythology, we read how God through the Oracle at Delphi seemingly ordered a king to sacrificially slay his son Phrixos, as a sign of his obedience to God. But let me quote the story from my Greek commentary: “The oracle said, kill Phrixos and Helle at the altar for a sacrifice, or your corn will grow no more. This was a dreadful blow to the king; but he had to obey what he believed to be god’s wish, like Abraham and Isaac in the Bible. And in this case, too, there was a ram, but a different sort of ram from the ram which was sacrificed instead of Isaac. There stood at the altar the two children, ready to be killed; there stood the sacrificer with his knife; there stood the king, full of sorrow. and lo and behold, down came the ram, and up got the boy and girl upon his back, and away he flew into the sky.” (ibid., P.92) This is obviously not an exact retelling of the story of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac, but an historical kernel obviously exists, which was corrupted into the present Greek mythology over time. Another interesting Bible comparison can be made with the Greek hero Achilles, who could only die by having his heel wounded. What a strange story to tell! That is, it would be strange were it not for the fact that we read such an account in the Bible in the form of a prophecy concerning the coming Christ in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou SHALT BRUISE HIS HEEL.” It can be easily seen how a misinterpretation of this verse (especially in the early pre-Christian centuries, before Christ’s fulfillment of prophecy was manifest) could inspire a story of someone dying through a wound in his heel!
The strong connection between the Hebrew and Greek civilizations is well known to scholars of ancient history. Perhaps the leading American archaeologist of the twentieth century is Cyrus H. Gordon, author of over 20 books, and recognized authority on Mediterranean cultural history. In his book, "The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations," Dr. Gordon says, "Pagan critics of early Christianity confronted the Church Fathers with some embarrassing parallels, but the Fathers were equal to the challenge and provided answers in keeping with the spirit of their times. There were Fathers who honestly recognized the reality of the parallels but explained them as the mischief of demons who had planted them in Greek literature to harass the Church." (p. 10) Gordon then points out that the definite similarity between Greek early religion and literature, and that of the Old Testament, is not due to demons but to the fact that the Hebrew people provided the basis of Greek culture. In ancient times, Hebrew traders and colonists established trading colonies and settlements throughout the Mediterranean seaboard; our tracts, "Ancient Hebrew Sea Migrations," and "Ancient Hebrews In Spain And Britain," also give evidence of such migrations in ancient times. Dr. Gordon gives numerous other parallels between Greek traditions and the Bible, such as the "staff of God," in Exodus 17, which appears in the Iliad in 15:318-322. The theme of "washing away uncleanliness into the sea," in Micah 7:18-20, also appears in Iliad 1:312-317. (ibid., p.12-13) The imagery of the sea as a "watery path" in Psalm 8:9 finds its duplicate often in Greek literature. The Hebrew "Cities of Refuge" for a fugitive kinsman who had to flee from an avenger of his own family, is also paralleled in Greek literature as in Odyssey 15:271-278. Likewise, military "triads of officers" in 2 Samuel 23:9, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, and 23 are paralleled in Iliad 2:563-7 and Odyssey 14:470-471. In fact, the Hebrew word for military officers, "salis," comes from, "salos," the Hebrew number 3. (ibid., p. 17) Early Hebrew burial customs were also paralleled in early Greece. The Bible tells us that when Saul and his sons died, the Hebrews retrieved and burned the corpses prior to burial. (I Samuel 31:12) Similarly, during the Trojan War, Hector's body was retrieved by Priam, and the Trojans "shedding tears, carried out brave Hector and set the corpse on the highest pyre and cast fire thereon." (Iliad 24:786-787) The very same custom was well-known in the Norse and early peoples of Europe, showing another familial connection. (Also see our tract, "The Old Testament Roots of Norse Mythology") As a result of such evidence, Gordon sees Hebrew and Greek civilization as "a continuum instead of two unconnected areas poles apart." (ibid., p.54) Yet some insist on ignoring the mass of such evidence! Gordon comments that the ancient Greek writer, "Herodotus (I:105, 2:44; 4:147ff; 6:47, etc.) knew about the early [Hebrew]-Phoenician penetration of what is now Greek territory. But many modern scholars still choose to discount his testimony and instead follow current schools of thought." (ibid., p. 216) Other familiar Bible history also has its counterpart in Greek literature. Cyrus Gordon explains (ibid., p. 279), "The analogy between the Greeks and Hebrews goes much further. [The Greek hero] Minos has rightly been compared with Moses. Both are greater than life-size figures who received the law from the Supreme God on a sacred mountain (Dionysius of Helicarnassus, Roman antiquities 2:61) God's law itself has parallels in early Greece. Dr. Gordon comments, "Leviticus 25 makes the theory of real estate quite clear. God owned the Land and the People. The Hebrews… were entrusted with the land as His tenants. They were at the same time to be the landed warrior and administrative ruling class. All this is basically paralleled in Greece." (ibid., p. 295)
The long day of Joshua, where the sun stood still to lengthen the day and ensure a victory, also appears in Greek legend. (Joshua 10:13-14; cp., Iliad 18:239-242) Truly, it would be astonishing for such parallel detail between the Hebrews and Greeks to be mere happenstance!
Dr. Gordon's studies have met with a considerable amount of rightly deserved acclaim in the academic community. The Biblical Archaeologist Magazine devoted an entire issue to his research, and reported (March 1996, p. 22), “Professor Gordon had been delivering a popular lecture on ‘The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations,’ particularly about the Heroic Age both in Late Bronze Age Greece and in pre-monarchic Israel. Citing the Iliad of Homer and the Biblical book Samuel, he pointed out that the heroes David and Achilles performed essentially the same warlike exploits in search of imperishable glory, the only bulwark against oblivion. The milieu of Achilles and of David were therefore closer to one another than was that of Achilles to Classical Greece or that of David to the Age of the Prophets in Israel. Following the lecture, a little old lady, wide-eyed with astonishment and admiration, made her way up to the distinguished lecturer and asked, ‘Does that mean, Professor Gordon, that Achilles was Jewish?’” This insightful woman was on the right track in her thinking, for the ancestors of the early Greeks were Israelites, as the close parallels between the religion of these two nations implies.
Near-Eastern scholar, Dr. Louis H. Feldman, concurs with this in a lengthy article in the same journal pointing out the connection between Greek mythic literature and its source in both the Bible and Mesopotamian religion. He states, “Likewise, Mondi (1990:187) cites the parallel between the Homeric shield of Achilles;
'And upon it he made the earth and the sky and the sea, the tireless sun and the waxing moon, and all the constellations which wreathe the sky.’ (Iliad 18.483-485)
And Psalm 136:5-9:
‘to him who made the heavens, the earth upon the waters, ....the great lights, ...the sun..., the moon and the stars.’”
Dr. Feldman continues, “Furthermore, the scenes on the shield of a city at peace in which the leaders are dispensing justice, repelling aggression, and harvesting, while the king stands by watching happily, correspond to the description in Psalm 72.” An obvious inference is that the Greek myths are so chock full of Hebraisms because of Hebrew colonization of Greece in ancient times.
Parallels with Assyrian and Babylon religion are also commonplace in Greek mythic literature. On this, Dr. Feldman comments, “Furthermore, there are parallels in motifs between Near Eastern epics and Homer. In the first place, as Professor Gordon, followed by Considine and Walcot… noted there are eight striking parallels between the Baal-Anath text 137, where Baal is restrained from doing violence to the envoys by the goddesses Anath and Ashtoreth, and the scene in the Iliad (1.188-222), when Achilles is about to slay Agamemnon, but is restrained by the two goddesses, Athena and Hera.” Dr. Feldman’s article continues on these themes for many pages, proving without doubt the connection between Greece and the Near East, including Israel, in very early times. Feldman concludes by saying, “Some would say, as they did with Professor Gordon’s ‘Homer and Bible’ (1955) and ‘Before the Bible’ (1962), that several of these parallels are commonplaces; but the total effect is what counts. There is now fairly general agreement that the Near East …influenced Homer.” (ibid., p. 19) It is clear that early Greek mythology shows evidence of not only Hebrew, but also Canaanite, Assyrian, and Babylonian religious culture. That the Greek religion could be influenced by so many streams of different Semitic culture may seem incredible until we remember that Israelite religion was also influenced by these same foreign nations. This heavily mixed amalgam may therefore have been brought to Greece by the Hebrews themselves. At the very least, the strong evidence of Hebrew colonization and culture in ancient Greece should not be ignored. The story of the Noahic flood is also told in Greek mythology, where Deucalion and Pyrrha built a wooden "chest" to save them. Historian Olive Beaupre Miller, in "A Picturesque Tale Of Progress" says, "The similarity of these flood stories [Greek and Hebrew] is interesting. Here, as in the Bible, the flood is sent to destroy mortals because of the evil in the world, the chest goes aground on a mountain top and the survivors at once offer sacrifice."
Before closing this discussion on Greece and its ancient ties to Hebrew religion, it is interesting to mention that the Greek god-hero, “Adonis,” also received his name from the Semitic word, “Adon” or Lord. For example, one of the New Testament titles applied to Christ was "Adonay."
THE GOD WHO IS ABOVE ALL GODS
Greek heroes such as Hercules and Achilles were called children of God, but they were not immortal. They lived on earth, died, and their spirits were believed to sometimes be lifted up into heaven. Above these heroes in importance and power were said to be a pantheon of Gods. Yet, some of the Greek people also worshipped a ONE TRUE GOD, eternal in the heavens, unnamed except to be called "THE UNKNOWN GOD.”
This brings us down to New Testament times, where we pick up the rest of our story in the seventeenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (verses 22-23). “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mar’s Hill and said: Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious; for as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him I declare unto you.” Not only did this religion have ancient ties to the Hebrews, but so also did the Greek people themselves.
The noted Dr. Cyrus Gordon concluded his book, "Homer and Bible," by stating, "Bold spirits have intermittently maintained the kinship of early Greece and the ancient Near East… we view Greek and Hebrew civilizations as parallel structures built upon the same East Mediterranean [i.e., Hebrew] foundation." (p. 72) Yes, these people were not adopting a new religion with the coming of Christianity; they were rediscovering the religion of their forefathers in its purified form, as sent unto them by our Lord in the flesh, Jesus Christ. By God’s design, these people forgot who they were, where they came from, and what their past religion was, all in His Plan of preparing them to again become united with the ONE TRUE GOD, who came unto them in the form of man, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
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http://forum.stirpes.net/christianity/16125-old-testament-roots-european-mythology.html Interesting read for you  .
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Friday, May 2nd, 2008
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