Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
SACKIFICE TABLETS
OF THE
WORSHIP OF BAAL
Reproduced
in
Translated,
Facsimile, Edited,
with
the
Levitical
and Compared
Code,
THE REVEREND
bonbon
D.
NUTT,
270-271,
1897.
STRAND,
M.A.,
"
"8. E.
DRIVER,
Oxford."
Mh
INTRODUCTION
The
what
49019
INTRODUCTION.
When the " find'*' was announced, prudent investigators in epigraphy were divided into two classes.
a. Those who said that there was an ancient Pagan
temple on the seashore on a spot which is now
beneath the sea-level, but that this temple was
probably devoted to the worship of Diana; and
furthermore that the stone on which the inscription
is engraved looks as if it were composed of the same
materials as those in the rocks near Marseilles.
b. Those who based their argument on the fact
that the inscription is Phoenician with Carthaginian
names therein, and that the Phoenician sailors and
resident merchants were certain to have a Temple of
Baal.
Patient investigation showed that the b argument
led in the right direction for a chemical analysis of
a fragment of the Massilia-tablet showed that its
constituents are not those of the rocks around
Marseilles, but that they are absolutely identical with
those of the rocks close to Carthage, a fact proved by
comparing the fragment of the Massilia-tablet with
a chip from a tablet in the Louvre which was
brought direct from Carthage. The Massilia-tablet
is now deposited in the Museum at Marseilles, and
should be an object of historic pride to the good
people of Marseilles but, as a matter of fact, they
:
of comparative philology
INTRODUCTION.
was most fortunate that Mr. Nathan Davis discovered a similar but shorter sacrifice-tablet for Baalworshippers in Carthage itself,* during his investigations there in 1858, and, after reading them both.
we can at once see that there was a sacrificial code
in Carthage compiled by authority, in much the same
way as the Levitical code was drawn up by authority
for use in the worship of Jehovah.
The purpose of the Massilia-tablet is manifest,
it
The tone
is
simple
much
The
Massilia
sacrifice-tablet
is
promulgated by
Q^^^o^C^
order of
Halatsbaal the judge, just
as the first code for the nation of Israel was issued
The Massiliaby Moses the chief civil authority.
tablet lets in a flood of light on the proneness of the
Hebrews to drift towards the worship of Baal.
Judges
Judges
ii,
13.
b&b rajm
rnirriN nitsw
vi, 30.
Known
as the Carthago-tablet.
INTRODUCTION".
nrrN
-.
wi
.
Judges
Wife*
t
..
viii,
m ^it^
..
and the
rtjna
I
n^
*\tt?3
.--
tm
;-
33.
T-
bsKJ Hfc
^Jfa
? rfrtt?
Massilia-tablet
it
Djl
would be
Jezebel,
ttfV
1
Kings
D^rn
T T
niN??
jehn boon
won 'hi ?
1
xviii, 22.
his
own
Tyre.
* If you placed Phoenician letters more to the right, and
tipped them up more horizontally, then you might fairly consider four-fifths of the Moabite alphabet like Phoenician fetters.
INTRODUCTION.
To
a degenerate
reading
of the
carelessly listening to a rabbi cantillating the glorious
old Hebrew liturgy, the Massilia-tablet would look
like Chinese but this Phoenician character is practically the self-same character in which Jehovah with
His own finger wrote the Ten Commandments, as did
Moses after him. When they are discovered, as I
hope that they will be, this fact will be patent to all.
;
When
the
changed
into
primal
pure
old
Talmudic Chaldee,
Hebrew
etc.,
character
or as
>^-H<\7n
we write it now
pDiD*i
could
read
The Ti
essential
is
-J
is
."--\i
INTRODUCTION.
With a
little
imagination
we can form
a picture of
the service in a good ^^f>^ taking as the working sketch for our picture the scenes in 2 Kings x,
20-27, where the cathedral of Baal in Samaria was
full of earnest Baal-devotees from the altar to the
full
(Wj?)
The
sacrifices
"]
* It
is
Testament that
t
several passages
me
of
mttJN
JT'Q^D
INTRODUCTION.
Baal Berith,
SW
Peor,
pyin
at
the temple.
Let us examine the inscription on the Massiliatablet letter by letter, and of necessity in the original
photograph for the type which is supplied to us as
Phoenician is at times ludicrously unlike the same
Wherever a
letters as shown in the photograph.
restoration has been effected in a hiatus, the same has
been given in the original Phoenician.
The learned scholar who wrote the monograph on
the Massilia-tablet in the Corpus Inscriptionum (Paris)
for the French Academy, restored the lost phrase or
word in Hebrew and Latin but not in Phoenician.
I think that this was a mistake, and I have therefore given what I believe to be the original Phoenician.
In one or two places 1 differ from the above writer,
;
male gods
-n*f.
psfrn DnhittrriN
Exodus xxxiv,
i3.
pninrn yhjen
The
There
is
pillar,
and
it
is
always
The JYQ^ft
ordered them
A^Vy
to be
brought out.
inside, for
Jehu
10
INTRODUCTION.
Line
jW[.
.])"
W-D
ft ?
?"*
Qj"X]+5fr -hfr^fr
-]^9^
^
[
just at the
third tails
The
name
the
tail
that of
of the
>f-
might pass
tail
for those of
first letter
that at once
first letter
is
than y.
>y^-
shuts out
))^\
as well as
INTRODUCTION.
Exodus
in
xiv,
^-
2,
slightly different
9,
11
Hebrew
in
Numb,
as a place
and
also
xxxiii, 7,
in
"VN
l|
knowledge," but
"
The North."
The North was
Ezek. xxvi,
!?7\
aJJ^Julc
^^ was
a Phoenician
name
Q* "
1
7.
in Africa like
Y)\
is
not
harsh restoration.
/^ w y
,
^/, ]^ is a certain restoration, for
[/
we luckily find both words complete in Mr. Nathan
Davis's tablet in the British Museum, which tablet he
f>
"time"
is
without a preposition.
therefore a noun.
* Compare
ZyZ^
INTRODUCTION.
12
Arabic
to the
the
writes
Ss y
daulah
*,
(Z^rix* |A
e.g.,
but pronounces
<L).J,
pronounced madraseh
is
JL-,Jcc
n n
it
o /
Syriac
for euphony.
auk) V^iAj
%a.Io>
_ju
text,
"
forf "
the
singular
of the taxes.
JIN to
Hto n^toTl^
by
it
it
/^^y
f^f^^^J^.
in
We
Chron.
get the
xxiv,
6,
^^
is
^])0^>T-
good Phoenician
tft.
It is
for "VN;
Aramseic some-
is
the
ra d7TOKt/xeva
avTuy.
&uu
but
it
is
to find
not usual
INTRODUCTION.
^^
f'f-^T^y^ Lo
13
J^)?^
a restoration
is
Ao
is
for
charge of anything.
OVSRlhl!,
Kings
c,o^[yA^]^o.
iv,
From
5,
"over the
line 19
we
officers."
letters.
*
O? 4^^ Halatsbaal was not only a temple ruler,
he was the renowned chief civil authority or judge.
On some private votive tablets in the Public Library
=
of
y^^^A
0^^,
of Paris
Bodesmun
Line
^y^
tKC
>) >'h)'h
eKC
>)
^-
it
among
00*^^
the Carthaginians.
as iMifes.
"the
chief
civil
INTRODUCTION.
14
v/
)\y^\
Fenner's inscription
in Carthage
It
Luke
y^^/^wvo.
a
quite
is
tells of
as
same
rnin
Malachi
ii,
14;
we have "QT?
and )laL St.
v, 7.
Line 3
^wZ,mv
From
A^^y
line 3
\K^
*v
f-^^y\ )?/^
onwards we get
sacrificial rules
and
details.
Os^.
Hebrew
This
is
F)V?N, an ox.
Psalm
D^DE
Vffl^M
more common
Semitic.
cxliv, 14.
"^p3.
are
sacrificial
animal
The ox
among
Semites.
INTRODUCTION.
The
all
^Xf
which the
of
15
/^o^, and
figured,
LLyyL^i.
the
viz.,
We
the
^y,
the
words.
Asy.*
find
If
that
we
the
burnt offering
turn to the
Hebrew
text)
Levit.
whole burnt
offering,"
^nitD"^
vi,
also
it
Wo\
23 (16
in
later
li,
19,
was
written,
It
/y| means
the
means "a
Psalm
we
Hebrew
Scriptures,
means
when
in the
perfection,
IP
]AiI r k> _sb -rci\ loai Aa|j dai ]c*i^ ]oj Ijioaoo
Acts xiv,
12.
)'li\
^,-Ai
Iklao
-ft
)iol ^Zu]
I
yssY
INTRODUCTION.
1G
We
LLy
and
fairly
we must assume
that
0L
\\
f>
is
equal
or the HMtSH.
to the DtfN
T T T
of
the
latter
mbtin
.
LLy yL<"
as
aforesaid
like
is
rat.
~ v
Numbers
xv,
their
arhti and
nrn:,
rir\:v,
vide
3. 8.
it
is
only
fair to
Qt
say that
\\ and
f>
LLy
it
is
J^
T^^vo
dues
in
7-H<y
y^y^-
Marseilles
included
gift
of
money
to
INTRODUCTION.
the
Temple
of flesh
Temple priests.
The Davis and Guienot inscriptions show that this
practice was common in Carthage, that it was
authoritative, though the sum is not detailed as in
retained for the
the Massilia-tablet.
It
Davis-tablet in re birds
^>&>^>
"
in
the
r^')'H<y
^^Ky^y^.
This
is
The
We
find
it
in
*s
Job
g oocl
xvi,
archseic
Semitic for
14 V^ pS
WW-
rssr?.?.
B
INTRODUCTION.
18
In the Decalogue
the eye:
it is
W^J D^nN
the
first
DV^N ^b
mm
mean HNT
[frXfyfi^^ *^<*/y
\^]^
is
a restoration,
but
it is
Line 4
is
directed
Z,o^ <\^ w ^
^/.
to the priests.
ptTft
>
but
it
may
it
to equal
be a participial adjective.
INTRODUCTION.
19
and
so in
out,
f>*\'
to
allied
is
meaning of which
Ezekiel
Levit.
is
xiii,
xii,
cut
h*f& and
cut
out" with a
*?2N,
the root-
"side"
18.
T ^"? hshg
T
natan fw,
12.
in the sense in
which we say
"W
f>\
and
yyo^
DTO^Q
are clearly
"the
y^s ^^
4
3">tt5
means
^^V^o^c,
These
Levitical
details
B 2
INTRODUCTION.
20
were
^^v^\ ^^^y
\'
And
have the
\XC" \
\?&K
good
Semitic
construct
clause.
carefully compiled,
is near to the
Semitic mutter-sprache Ave should prefer our text.
Line 5
LLy
but
we remember
yL***
^A
'3J?,
V-v^1
cUj^
As the phrase
are an
*
>
g' 00(i
Semitic
y ^j?\^ *^^ ^A
INTRODUCTION.
21
good grammar for " a horned calf," then the succeeding phrases must be extra-descriptive.
is
y4 may
be Phoenician
for
the
i7
old
of
as
%'Q y \Q%' /5
a Semitic word.
xii,
20.
tthb jrfa-
]ih
all
Luke
pN
place
If
i ,s
when re-duplicated )?Q, ^Q^Cwe admit that the Phoenician traders knew
L,L,y
yw y^[/,0u\V
kind of animal
was the
y^^y ^K
A^>^ ?
Its
What
rules
are
DrPJ^niDft
Genesis xlix,
5.
22
INTRODUCTION".
Was
TW
a stag, T>*N, or
it
calf as of equal
It is
is
to be offered
of the male sex.
On the
Genesis
xxii, 13.
We
.-
and
was
in the later
..
TT
...
TV
nomad
specially laid
Levit.
The
viii,
is.
nb^ri
b^ n
y$g\
same number of
INTRODUCTION.
^4^
and the
the
^Xf.
amount
23
^O
yZ, ^yn>,
Z/y
As
in the case
of
^*/ l^Ki
j->
^ *>^^
of j^Ao.
gave back
Line
C>
to the
layman the
and
y^y^n
f>Ky
\^y \k^ ^ /^ w y^
)?/>
<r,
The
24
INTRODUCTION.
The
(ims.
numerals
The
is
not
much
restoration from
we can
yyoo
onwards
get of the
photograph.*
is certain.
Line
y^w
i4jx(
Line 8
/^Y y^
LLy ^o^
y^ L^^
These two
lines
down laws
for
Ay?* and the ^o which agree with the preceding laws, as the money payment of one and
three-quarter shekels is probably a proportionate
the
calculation.
INTRODUCTION.
as
25
connection of
means a
L^c^a*
" she-goat,"
would lead us
means a he-goat.
On
to suggest that
^V
Joshua
vi,
rams' horns or
may mean
4,
6, Dy3^!D fiV^Sfitf,
may mean sacred festival-trumpets.
which
he-goat,
victim,
is
The
juc: lJS*j
essence
the
is
money
is
creat
4y*
The
sacred
still
gets
is
w ith
the
translated
meaning
or
to
three-quarters.
quarter shekels.
its
With reference
India;
in
festival
is
clearly
is
its
f*W*%
and
be unprofessional to give
26
INTRODUCTION.
Note
word
parts
or
A^ ^
great.
that
in
line
the
though
A^
hiatus.
Line 9
5\
[Z,o
Line 10
\ yX?
is
not
a Hebrew word,
but
it
is
good
Ezra
vii, 17,
Ezra uses
Chaldee gives
pE?N
p$N pIH
at about the
pto.
INTRODUCTION.
was
St.
Matt,
15.
vii,
Acts
27
Later on
Uo^li
|Vk>lj
it is
^osZal ^L)*
^^Zl lAmnil
viii, 32.
found in
)%>]
*J\
for a sheep.
also in
Levit.
St. Matt,
xxv, 32,
^W
not a
A^r^
is
iv, 23,
Wf Tytp
oiVnm ^b
U'r^o
for
\\^
^,
One of these
*}\\could not be
both
but
tablets might have an error,
wrong.
Carthago-tablet
*
v
H2
).
is
gives
Note by
Munk,
also
(like
|N2
Professor Driver.
'28
INTRODUCTION.
was sy,
fr
0L\\- or
etc.
>
y^y.
Davis-Carthago-tablet uses
The Davis-Carthago here inserts
y>
y>^
but we shall treat of this later on, as the Massiliatablet has a similar direction in line 15.
Line 11
y*-
1^7 y^ w vv y*
))r\*c
\?vw
INTRODUCTION.
29'
that
is
it
Restoring as
not
It
\1\ we now
above
cannot be
come
\ ).
to
the
sacrifice of birds.
This
is
it
If
))f\%C be
root-form
pj means
2
Kings
transliterated,
The
old
Hebrew
to protect.
xix, 34.
Tyrr^M irtoi
and the
Zech.
ix, 15.
Qrrf?j?
nin^
jg;
Luke
It
i,
35.
*^tli.!^
^11
U^?
aiLiuLo
"game
birds,"
which
fly
(from f?).
^V
\\,
luckily
30
INTRODUCTION.
Munk thought
that
means
>f >f
" flowers."
As a
liile it is
consideration of the end of the line should have convinced him that animals were meant; for the layman
receives back (in both b^K' an d
"the whole
of the flesh:
W)
^^^
a^W^
Z,o^
L>y
It
spirit of
Isaiah
xl,
TV1V? f$^
6.
xlviii, 9.
N2n
tt3
nNitt
IPX VF\
beam
the
in favour of
A very
in
YV
as an animal.
as a
^y
^ V
V^ w ?V^
or as a /l0u\V
or
/^X^-
INTRODUCTION.
31
find
Hjn
all
seer,
the prophet,
is
the
is
not a
Hth
we have
We
the
word of watching
birds.
INTRODUCTION.
32
Line 12
With regard
which
still
upon
fixed
remains
Ao
is
as the word.
The most
as
is
from the
initial
of 14,
it is
1(3,
an
cursory
:
18, 20,
it is
and
as
21,
other
one.
\J\
the
one introduced by
the
INTRODUCTION.
33
fity**G
is
very Semitic,
rootmeaning being
its
idiom
is
Levit.
ii,
14.
TTY)-?. Hi;??
^Y 0s^^v
>
?0
"p)I>
would cause us
hunting.
suppose
at
it
once to think of
must mean
provision,
34
INTRODUCTION.
The Corpus
I
A4^
take
mrh
t
Levit.
ii,
There
oil,
and frankincense
ndan
rxhv
tv t
t
;
tDtf
v
I
as corn, but
of line 14 to be corn.
gives corn,
^^
Inscriptionum gives
mVy
t
vt
nroi
hero
aha
t t
v
:
14.
is
The only
letter
f \f\X?i an d
%
remaining
* ne
Ewald suggested
)?.
is
Sam.
ii,
36.
^d| rrtfwh
bptfn
'v |T -
h ninfltfn^
mrr
v
:
D'nfcy
mz
T"
looks ungrammatical, in
fact incomprehensible,
Semitic
known
grammar
hiatus
now
the meaning.
occurs of which
^^^^yA.
we cannot fathom
INTRODUCTION.
Line 13
we may
The
35
line
is
for
but
at
point
of
assert
line.
the
we have by this
0l
\\ is equal
f>
it is
^y w
and
just before
more natural
is
may be
a general
general
that the
sacrifice,
f^^Oiby just
blood.
We
the
but
a
/
^V
which would be used in the
same as in the sacrifices with
l0t
is
name
or
ys^
jMo
in
the plural
may be
explained
by
D yN
paean,
mm nrtr
.
Exod. xv,
ii.
rp
C 2
36
INTRODUCTION.
f*jjj
of Phoenician does
as A.
S
'
'
gives
^<yo^
i s the Niphal,
as in good Semitic, but
Dfoy means "to load," not "to offer," as here.
Perhaps in Phoenician it developed into the meaning, "heajDed up, laid before the gods."
2 Chron. x, 11.
113
Vtf
HWl
Line 14:
>&a/v
A4a
^^
LyLo^L^Lo^
is
HT)
/S.,
and
i"!TI73.
io^ Z/ A io
is
takes
^>
as equivalent to
"
perfectly clear, as " corn
ought to be j^sAa.
it
*-\As>\
Most
is
critics
have
careless
INTRODUCTION.
37
repetition,
same consonants
l^n
c^U
^D
*/,>&
Munk
|nS,
^>& = milk.
fat.
10^/vZ,
we
it
y^^ w^
X^'v
^s>&
that
so written,
^>>& so would
Ao-^
^X(
^ >^
X^'vA
is
was a
is
a curious phrase,
have said
certainly
repetition.
/'X^y
is
"^$> tut if
commentators who object to
had been
Ay,
^ X( ^ X? B^N
Wlht
ttto^TF
v v
vm
ii,
i.
p:zravii, 17.
Jfrfigbyi
finnr??^
Chaldee.
INTRODUCTION.
38
/^^y
The
there
a hiatus
is
would allow
Massilia-tablet which
on the
of three letters.
f*
J^&^y* anc^ then calmly passes on to the
next letter found still and assumes that this is the
*** of
by7*; hut in his printed reproduction of the
photograph he leaves two spaces, one small and
the other almost double. There is not the shadow
of a doubt that some word of two or three letters
came after jM& Sy and before the ", as the Corpus
assumes it to be.
After close examination I have satisfied myself
is
>v,
and
suggest
for there
line.
Y>^7^ >/^,
is
f,
and
if
remains space
we
for
insert
one
***
X^
letter,
a distinct remnant of an
is
Then, after
Line 15
Hebrew
this,
we
4 above
the
etc., etc.
Its antithesis
Genesis
^y
xiii, 2.
is
for
Tl^m
nfofc
"the poor."
^^^y
TJ3 012^)
INTRODUCTION.
\1\ A^
jjysr* s^
39
a peremptory prohibition
we
there-
The Davis-Carthago
tablet has
clearly
V^y
in
y Sy
The
Greek
idea of
/ii^a is
Line 16
many
y Sy
that
means the
y^ ^^y
Munk
critics
too quaint.
^>yn
Phoenician
beginning.
mt
in
Carthage
means
opposed to the
'to
"")?
"a son
like the
rise,"
or
y^n
may
classes of
mtN
TXTTflO
was a person
This makes for
venture to translate
^\^vy,
of the soil."
^^
"a maid-servant";
* Langues Semitiqv.es.
in
but the
40
INTRODUCTION.
Phoenicians
evidently used
>&0*^
for
slave
of
either sex.
^^K
^\y
^0\ r
is
obscure, as
meaning a person.
Amos
Jerem. xvi,
Perhaps
servant
vi, 7.
tJF)ft
5.
is
" feasting."
JT1 Ni^n 7N
is
not so clear.
^^^
more
We know
Line 17
^^^.
From
yy^>r^
/y^,
perhaps
j^y
Kings
measure.
yw*)?
A^ ^*^.
4
is
essentially
found with s.
1
"J^U,
vii, 9.
a Phoenician phrase,
The root-meaning
rTO JTHM
is
" to
often
measure"
INTRODUCTION.
41
/**"
Line
18:
Line 19
The missing
A^tv^
one.
We
tive,
letter in line 18 is a
is
V though
bad
an extraordinary word.
but
Genesis
Then how
iv, 9.
T hlTl ^
42
INTRODUCTION.
would be
be Niphal with Waw Con v.
in Phoenician this
^^s
cording
j?/
'7>L
\.
The
text
must
is
The Hebrew
is
/*yy fi^wL.
^'hv
and
is
Line 20
This
is
an authoritative warning
to
rapacious-
priests.
\ k/}
as
it
stands
is
unintelligible.
It
may be
Psalm
any
lxviii, 32.
O^N^ Y* ^ft
{2*0
Temple
dues-
INTRODUCTION.
43
to be severely fined
^)o^
Waw
"shall
Conversive.
nuixn
T'T byz vhy
TT
Exod.
21:
The
first letter
but as in line 18
word
j~>Xf
itffco
tf:jr tri:y
V-: T
T *'
xxi, 22.
Line
the
murT
to
we
be Ay.
The
is
interesting.
The
hiatus in the centre of the line cannot be composed of a single word and the word beginning with
y shows no
sign of an A, so
I prefer
I^Ky, and
it is
f>,
\X( and
to restore
the
44
INTRODUCTION.
i.e.,
from Babylon.
INTRODUCTION.
45-
and only three instances of people throwing themIn like manner it will be seen
selves under the car
!
The preparation of this thesis has been an engrossing labour of love, begun in England, continued in
France, and now finished in India.
If, by an English annotated edition of the Massiliatablet, I could bring some slight confirmation of the
truth of Leviticus as a Semitic code to the large
number of English students of the history of the
Bible, who prefer English books on any subject, it
would be a great pleasure to me to publish it, even
though these same earnest students of the Old
Testament in English should be shocked at first to
find so much in common between a pagan sacrificetablet and the sacrificial code of the chosen people
of Jehovah.
ST.
MARTINS LANE.
"
14
DAY
LOAN
(G4427sl0)476B
USE
DEPT.
.General Library
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