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The ancient Canaanite city-state of
Ugarit is of utmost
importance for those who study the Old Testament.
The literature of the city
and the theology contained therein go a very long way in helping us to
understand the meaning of various Biblical passages as well as aiding us in
deciphering difficult Hebrew words.
Ugarit was at its political, religious
and economic height around the 12th century BCE and thus its period of
greatness corresponds with the entry of Israel into Canaan. |
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Ugarit
Cuneiform inscription
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Why should people interested in the
Old Testament want to
know about this city and its inhabitants? Simply because when we listen to
their voices we hear echoes of the Old Testament
itself. Several of the
Psalms were simply adapted from Ugaritic sources; the story of the flood has
a near mirror image in Ugaritic literature; and the language of the
Bible is
greatly illuminated by the language of Ugarit. For instance, look at M. Dahood’s brilliant commentary on the Psalms in the Anchor
Bible series for
the necessity of Ugaritic for accurate Biblical exegesis.
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In 1928 a group of French archaeologists journeyed with 7
camels, one donkey, and some burden bearers towards the tel known as Ras
Shamra. After a week at the site they discovered a cemetery 150 meters from
the Mediterranean Sea. In the graves they discovered Egyptian and
Phoenician artwork and alabaster. They also found some Mycenean and Cypriot materials. |
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After the discovery of the cemetery they found a city and
a royal palace about 1000 meters from the sea on a tel 18 meters high. The
tel was called by the locals Ras Shamra which means “fennel hill”. There
also Egyptian artifacts were discovered and dated to the 2nd millennium BCE.
The greatest discovery made at the site was a collection of tablets carved
with (a then) unknown cuneiform script. In 1932 the identification of the
site was made when some of the tablets were deciphered; the city was the
ancient and famous site of Ugarit. |
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