Canaanite Mythology and the Old Testament
Mr. Paul Sansone
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Caritas Christi Center, 295 Benham St., Hamden, CT
1:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Caritas Christi Center, 295 Benham St., Hamden, CT
1:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
The people who lived in the ancient Canaanite city of Ugarit are related to the Canaanites among whom ancient Israelites lived and with whom they interacted. The writings of Ugarit shed considerable light on the religious symbolism and language of the Old Testament (and indirectly on some important New Testament imagery). During this session, we will explore some of the mythological imagery that appears in these texts and illustrate how the Old Testament authors, while rejecting Canaanite beliefs, nevertheless took over the imagery of these ancient Canaanite texts to create a theological language by which they expressed their own beliefs about God, God's majesty, and God's relationship to Israel.
Reminder: If you plan to join us for this fascinating seminar on how the mythology of ancient Canaan impacted the formation of Israel's religion and the Hebrew Scriptures, you must register by Friday, September 3. Forms were sent out this summer in the ORE Connections. You can get another copy of the form by contacting Jill Costa at the Office of Religious Education (jcosta@adh-ore.org - 860-243-9465).
*The image above is a sketch of an ancient statue of Ba'al that is currently housed at the Louvre in Paris.
