No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV). Jesus says, "They are blind leaders of the blind. THIS IS A PROFILE OF PRACTICES, DOCTRINES, AND SYMBOLS OF BAAL WORSHIP . The songs of His Temple would ordinarily be happy and joyous songs of praise to God, but He will turn the songs of their templesung to Baal in the name of the Lordto wailing, for the numbers of the dead will be unimaginable. However, before the war was over, both sides were summarily executing anybody who did this because those traitors could not be trusted. But church is where we come to have our minds stretched and measured against Christ's standard. Learn more about Biblical Sidon and Sidonian religion in Claude Doumet-Serhals article SidonCanaans Firstborn in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Immorality lies in the desire of men to live self-centered lives independent of God, as when Adam and Eve took of the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:1-19). That afon designated the "north" in Hebrew is presumably due to the fact that Mount Casius lies directly north of Palestine. Baal's worshipers appeased him by offering sacrifices, usually animals such as sheep or bulls (1 Kings 18:23). As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. This shows that the Egyptian Cleopatra had maritime connections with the ancient Kerala Tamils. If anyone could get an award for Having the Worst Neighbors, it would most likely go to the ancient Israelites. "Whatever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). This god also, apparently according to Canaanite lore, defeated El and had associations with the sun and thunder. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th-11th-century B.C.E. The tablets, although closely attached to the worship of Baal at his local temple, probably represent Canaanite belief generally. A general understanding about the bamah and . At Shittim they attached themselves to Baal-Peor, ate sacrifices for the dead, and indulged in sacred sexual orgies (Num. For those who think the baptism of John (Yochanan) was something new under the sun recall that he was a Levite as was his father Zechariah (Tsekharya). In an Akkadian catalogue of Ugaritic deities Baal apn is listed as dIM be-el hurn a-zi, "Storm-God, Lord of Mount azi" (see above; az [z] i being the Hurrian name of Mount apn which survives in the Greek and Latin Kasios/Casius as the name of the storied mountain of the gods). The Masoretic text has the 4 letters YHWH with a sheva under the Y, pronounced yuh, and a Qamats below the W, i.e. Prepare to Meet Your God! One interpretation is that it is a localized occurrence, in the sense of it happening just within the little flockthe church. The Semitic original of this name has been recognized in one of Baal's names in Ugaritic: (The name is to be connected with the root dmr, "be strong, brave," and is probably the same as that of Abraham's son Zimrn (damarn), the -n afformative being preserved in the genitive case of the Greek form Demarountos). Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). Israel "walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel." The sum of what Elijah said is actually spiritually dangerous, due to the fact that God is judging. He was also king of the gods, and, to achieve that position, he was portrayed as seizing the divine kingship from Yamm, the sea god. Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 demons. Christ warned the Pharisees: "For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the traditions of men." Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. When Elijah preached his message, it put the people in a bind because they knew their conscience was telling them that they had to commit themselves to God or to Baal. Canaanite Religions and Baal Worship by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson Audio (12:51) Free E-mail Bible Study Grace: Favor for the Undeserving. Ginsberg, Kitvei Ugarit (1936); J. Oberman, Ugaritic Mythology (1948); A.S. Kapelrud, Baal in the Ras Shamra Texts (1952); M. Dahood, in: Studi Semitici, 1 (1958), 7578; N. Habel, Yahweh Versus Baal: A Conflict of Religious Cultures (1964); J. . Your email address will not be published. With the help of wonder weapons supplied and blessed by the versatile Koshar (the craftsman god), Baal was able to defeat and rout the sea-god. From Easton's Bible Dictionary:Baal-peor: lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Numbers 25:3; 31:16; Joshua 22:17), worshipped by obscene rites. He began to prophesy in a time of immediate crisis, one that would become far worse before it ever improved. He wanted people to like him, which is understandable. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. 13:2) such as Baal himself performed in the Ugaritic myth are depicted in the prophetic tirades. Sacred sex was a key component. (verses 9-11). The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. So it was that, about 250 years after it was established, the ten-tribed northern kingdom became extinct as a sovereign nation. Thus the basis of the Baal cult was the utter dependence of life on the rains which were regarded as Baal's bounty. So-called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. It was a corruption of that religion, for the Israelites syncretized that holy way with Baalism and other idolatries. Omissions? How many pagan ideas have we let seep in? Combine a one-year tablet and print subscription to BAR with membership in the BAS Library to start your journey into the ancient past today! Avot 5:11 on the connection between tithing and rain). Notably, an impressed handle found near a Canaanite grave at the site depicts Sidons storm god and a ship. 55:613; Jer. Koshar twice recommended that a window be installed and Baal twice vetoed the suggestion, although Koshar insisted that Baal would have to reconsider. However, even though their origins were Canaanite, the Phoenicians established their own distinct culture. In the Hebrew Bible, Moloch is presented as a foreign deity who was at times illegitimately given a place in Israel's worship as a result of the syncretistic policies of certain apostate kings. He is a loving Master who only is to be obeyed and servedand only on His terms. Baal worship is and has always been pagan; today it is replacing the laws and beliefs based upon Judaeo-Christian roots, which honours the GOD of the Bible, His laws and His ways. Asherah, another popular deity in Canaan, was the goddess of motherhood and fertility . I know the firstborn of Creation through and for Him everything was made would appreciate it! Join the BAS Library today. The Jordan River (Nahar ha-Yarden) qualified as a mikveh as its flowing living waters originated from a natural spring (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River). ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. The worship of Baal extended in this region to the Jews, Canaanites and the Phoenicians. He was to be an aid in getting them from their state of being merely "churched" to that of being truly religious and servants of the Most High God. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. To accommodate Baal ideology to Yahwism required some radical transformations. What happens if a person, trying to establish a religion, mixes falsehood with the truth of God? The Israelites displayed a pandemic failure to love their fellow man. Christ's purpose is to cure, not merely to comfort, so pain will be often involved when dealing with a prophet. Recall God's prophecy in Deuteronomy 32:15, predicting that when Israel prospered, then it would rebel. Baal was the god of agriculture and fertility in Canaan, becoming a fallen angel and a demon. First was sexual orgies "under every green tree," where promiscuity and perverted sex acts were the norm. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. The Bible is full of colorful characters, from Noah to Moses to Jesus. Baal was also worshipped by various communities as a local god. In Canaan, however, when the solar theology had absorbed the older beliefs, Baal, passing into a sun-god and the goddess who stood at his side becoming a representative of the moon--the pale reflection, as it were, of the sun- -Ashtoreth came to be regarded as the consort of Baal and took the place of the solar goddesses of Babylonia. Whoever is missing shall not live.". Mot refused and boasted how he had mangled Baal. Once Elijah began preaching, their conscience pricked them, and it encouraged them to worship the true God. However, it was not the religion God gave through Moses, but idolatry that flourished! Elijah had to take drastic measures to prevent Baal worship from completely eradicating the worship of the true God (I Kings 18:20-40). Right now, though, we are witnessing a steady defection from the basic principles of the Bible, away from what we call the Judeo-Christian ethic. Elijah was sent by God, and he was fulfilling the responsibility of a prophet, to prod the people to whom he was sent to their responsibilities. While they gave lip service to the Creator, they adopted most of the Canaanitish religion with its lewd immorality, and in actual practice, patterned their life after it. Asherah was a fertility goddess. All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. Even as the Canaanite religion waned, Baal took on a new role as Zeus in the Ancient Greek pantheon. The first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . l /), or Baal (Hebrew: baal), was a title and honorific meaning 'owner', 'lord' in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity.From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. The handle displays an impression of a ship with the leonine dragon Uumgal, the storm god Adads attendant, next to it. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? John W. Ritenbaugh In other words, God is saying that He was driven to defeat and scatter Israel because they were guilty of exactly the same sin as the Samaritans! Charles Whitaker The variant form Hadad (hdd) is attested to only once in Ugaritic. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. Because Baal was neither alive nor a moral force, his worshippers felt they could communicate with him only by ritual actions that portrayed what they were asking him to do. It may be, however, that these extra Baalim are Baal's attendants, mentioned as the seven or eight lads whom Baal is ordered to take with him in his descent into the netherworld. Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. "Christian" religions of this world have mixed the traditions of paganism with some of the truth of God's Word. After a textual gap, there is a report that Baal's corpse has been found. Various forms of Baal worship are still going on in the Catholic church; even though these pagan idols were incorporated into Catholicism centuries ago, the worship of the sun still exists to this day. Elijah is quite instructive here. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated divided means. Reuben Alcalay, a famous Hebrew lexicographer, stated that Yehoshua is closely related to Let there be So, lets be intellectually honest and start using the proper English translation: Joshua. Nevertheless, despite the biblical tendency to avoid the use of the word as a proper name, it is now quite clear that by pre-Israelite times the term had become the usual name of the weather-god of Syria-Palestine. When the Israelites, following Moses to the Promised Land, were in the vicinity of Peor, some of them fell into idolatry and worshiped Baal Peor. Ahab accommodated his wife's idolatry to the point of building a . Yet, he was in trouble his whole life, from his teenage years on. At Ras-Shamar, Baal was referred to as the son of Dagon, the Philistines chief god. Gen. 41; II Sam. The latter name (Amarna, Addu) is to be related to Arabic hadda ("break," "crash") with reference to thunder. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble." Baal's 450 prophets worked themselves into a frenzy, cutting themselves, dancing, and chanting to their god. There was tremendous evil to overcome. Near Baals temple was that of Dagon, given in the tablets as Baals father. The Assyrians deported the population en masse from its homeland in Canaan, transplanting it virtually in toto to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. He is deceived into thinking that his material prosperity proves that God approves of his conduct and attitudes. Today, some evangelicals attempt to prepare the people for what is to come, but their teaching is a mixture of right and wrong. Meaning of Jezebel: This word can be also pronounced as Isabel. Paul, then, is letting the church know that it need not be concerned about missing the end time. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? Israel "feared other gods" (verse 7). Worship of Baal was also carried out right on the housetops of the people, from where sacrificial smoke to their god was frequently seen to rise. made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal" (verses 15-16). Baal Worship The Battle for the Israelites' Hearts For nearly a thousand years, a battle raged for the hearts of the Israelite nation. In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. All this was part of his fertility role, which, when fulfilled, meant an abundance of crops and fertility for animals and mankind. Molech was an ancient god worshiped by the people neighboring Israel during Old Testament times. In another room was a round base that likely supported a wooden pillar. north of Ugarit. The myths also tell of Baals struggle to obtain a palace comparable in grandeur to those of other gods. And one of the most famous instances of Israel going head to head with the prophets of Baal comes from 1 Kings 18. He takes something loathsome and vile, something that is a direct affront to almighty God, a pagan idol, and turns it into a cute little children's fairy tale, so that you can buy the book, see the movies, get the cuddly toy, and bingo! Evil practices never go away. This connects with the curse of Laodiceanism because God shows in the Laodiceans what can happen spiritually as people increase materially. But Baal was not exclusively a fertility god. Their spiritual lethargy for the true God made them uncommitted. They believed by their actions they could control and manipulate the Gods. The principal pillars of Baalism were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both heterosexual and homosexual) and pantheism . Most of them were just saving themselves and making themselves comfortable in their situation. Yet Sidon was a significant site before this period, too. More than 1400 of her works have been featured in various publications. Nyberg had restored it in Deuteronomy 33:12; I Samuel 2:10; II Samuel 23:1; Isaiah 59:18, 63:7; and Hosea 7:16. (verse 8). A religion with such a beginning was doomed to fail, bringing the nation down with it. And Asherah and Baal led the way together (Judges 3:7, 1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 23:4). This viewpoint was developed as the basic and final argument against Baalism. He is often accused of causing their pain. FREE ebook: Israel: An Archaeological Journey. In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. So the word Poeni can be rewritten as Peyeni or as Payani or as Payan. He could, and did, withhold the rain from one city and lavish it on another (Amos 4:7). They clash violently until both are prostrate and the Sungoddess warns Mot not to fight with Baal lest El hear and overthrow him. He is the king of the east and governs an army of 66 legions of demons." Did you catch that? Another idea is that it pictures a person shifting his weight from one foot to the other, indicating a degree of lameness. The prophet Haggai attributed the drought and scarcity in his day to the failure to rebuild the Temple (Hag. Sidons Storm God. Thus, IF one is to pronounce the Tetragrammaton according to the masoretic vowel-markings, then it should probably be pronounced something like yuh-WAH or yuh-HWAH. The laws given to Moses by God expressly forbade the Jews to do what was done in Egypt or in Canaan. Possibly even more treacherous than this was a parallel development: mixing the worship of Yahweh and Baal. Today Baal churches preach and teach Baal doctrines; prosperity, harvest, sex and fertility. A prophet's life is not a happy situation. Who were the Sidonians of the Iron Age (c. 1200586 B.C.E.)? In the parallel Ugaritic list, which is unfortunately very fragmentary, the "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" apparently corresponds to Baal apn, while those following are termed simply Baalim (blm). Its prosperity played a part in corrupting the Israelites' hearts, which is why Hosea mentions the divided or disloyal heart in context with its bountiful fruit. This establishes the fact that the Cannanites (Phoenicians) has connections with the Tamil speaking ancient Kerala mariners. Val is related to valimai in Tamil. A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. Baal was the god of rain, wind, and fertility. In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram and had associations with fertility. The basis of all immorality is selfishness, the exact opposite of what God is. For example, Christmas and Easter are traditions of men, but they are lies. Jer 32:29. In the Bible, Baal is spoken of in a negative light, as an idol and a false god, and is associated with idolatry and paganism. We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. The motifs of these myths were adopted and adapted in Jewish and Christian eschatology. Did the Carthaginians Really Practice Infant Sacrifice? Scholars previously associated the theonym with solar cults and with a variety of unrelated patron deities, but inscriptions have . For seven days a fire burned inside the building, and when it subsided, the house was plated with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli. 114) or with eschatological victory (Isa. However, God shows there is a possible harmful, secondary effect: As people become financially secure, their attention is diverted from His purpose to vain and unimportant things. The Devil is behind a. 1:21), would be catastrophic. Thus, according to Sakkunyaton, Baal's natural father was Ouranos and Dagn became his foster-father, while El-Kronos effected the transfer. 11:17; I Kings 8:3536; Jer. 3:10; cf. 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. 2008 The Gale Group. * Jesus is a transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT a translation! Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation. Baal worship spread rapidly when the king of Israel, Ahab, married Jezebel, the princess of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31-32). No doubt, we cant cover the breadth of verses on Baal here, but we should make a note that Baal becomes a big player in the book of Judges and during the time of the kings when Israel appears to succumb most to the foreign pantheons. God wants to transform us from people who are bent on pleasing ourselves to people who show concern for others. The association of the name Baal-Zephon with Israel's exit from Egypt (Ex. The triumph of Baal recounted in the myths and perhaps reenacted in ritual drama gave assurance of help in the present and the future as in the past. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Some extraordinary discoveries from recent excavations have allowed us to partially reconstruct Sidonian religion during the Bronze and Iron Agesshowing that Baal worship at the site had deep roots. In Psalms 48:23, Mount Zion is equated with "the recesses of afon" (the phrase quoted above from Isa. They simply evolve. By the time of the prophet Hosea (mid-8th century bce) the antagonism to Baalism was so strong that the use of the term Baal was often replaced by the contemptuous boshet (shame); in compound proper names, for example, Ishbosheth replaced the earlier Ishbaal. 19Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. While it is acceptable to say that it was in what is now Jordan, to point to a particular cave and say, This is it. is ridiculous. At one point in A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton, he deals with soldiers who left the service of their armyeither the Confederate army or the Union army. 6:30; II Kings 16:3233) are associated with him. . For Constantine, the acceptance of Christianity was done solely TO UNIFY TERRITORY, RELIGIONS, AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS. Baal and Asherah were two giant stumbling blocks for the people of Israel. Sidon's Phoenician Temple. The Israelites rejected the law of God and relied on the traditions of Gentile nations. Baal's objection to the window somehow concerned his three daughters and the sea-god (Yamm), but the text is broken at this point. 74:1314, 89:910, 93:1ff. Most modern translations use "false," "deceitful," or "faithless," and none of these are wrong, including "divided." You tricked me." Baal was a god of prosperity, god of harvest, sex and fertility. (Jeremiah 7:8-10). The latest archaeological discoveries shed light on Biblical Sidon and provide a window into the Sidonians polytheistic religion and worship practices during the Bronze and Iron Ages. 27:1, 30:7, 51:910; Ezek. Baal worship is something I associated only with Old Testament Bible days. It disturbed them. The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". Since their rejection of the house of David under Jeroboam I, the Israelites had practiced a syncretistic religion (Amos 5:21-26; 8:14; I Kings 12:25-33). Since Baal was, like almost all ancient deities, a fertility god, the human act of intercourse demonstrated that they wanted Baal to prosper them. The contest on Mount Carmel was reported as demonstrating that Baal was an impotent non-entity and that the rain came only from YHWH. (From Forerunner Commentary). In the Hebrew language, Baal as a noun means "lord or possessor." As a verb, it means "to have dominion over or be lord over." Additionally, the local deity (near Israel) "Baal," was a god of rain and fertility. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th11th-century B.C.E. And she has taken over many so-called churches. Through the window, a cleft in the clouds, Baal gave forth his holy voice which convulsed the earth and sent his enemies scurrying to the hills and woods. . Elijah was dealing with the same thing here, albeit spiritually. Baal's sister-consort Anath demanded that Mot release her brother. Today Jezebel has built Baal altars in the name of 'church' and led many to Baal worship. The proposition for the concept is as follows: The Latins called the Phoenicians as Poeni. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. It may seem easy to point the finger at the ancient Israelites and say, How could you let a bull statue into Israel? Who were the Sidonians, and what do we know about their religion? 33:7) has been made the basis of intriguing speculation by Eissfeldt. This is not brand new, but it is picking up speed. To become moral, we must kill our selfish egos through the use and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. The cosmic character of afon leads to its use as a synonym for "sky" in Job 26:7: "who stretched out afon on emptiness who suspended earth on naught." Elijah says disturbing things. Either you are going to be committed to Him or not. Required fields are marked *. Consequently, during this tumultuous time, most Jews kept their faith and identity outwardly but bowed to Baal when necessary to appease Jezebel as well as mainstream culture. 1:711). 4. In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. But who is Baal? Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. A large part of this world's appeal is its offer of financial security. Virtually all reference to Baal's consort, the violent "Virgin Anath" with whom Baal copulates by the thousand in one of the Ugaritic mythological fragments has been excluded from the Bible, but the goddesses Ashtart (Judg. It has been suggested that this clash was indirectly a conflict between Baal and El, with Yamm serving as champion for the venerable El, as the Titans fought on behalf of Kronos in the Greek version of the myth and the stone colossus Ulikummi for Kumarbi in the Hurrian-Hittite version which is roughly contemporary with the Ugaritic texts. Looking at these two definitions we can say . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Jews nowadays say Ha-Shem [i.e. Matthew 5:17Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Issuing a challenge to his enemy Mot (death), who presumed to rule gods and men, Baal dispatched his messengers to Mot's infernal, filthy abode, warning them not to get close to Mot's rapacious jaws. . The violence and injustice in Israelite society ultimately stemmed from the false teaching proclaimed from the pulpits. . Since the root tr in Arabic is connected with artificial irrigation, it is apparent that Ashtar's failure to measure up to Baal represents the inadequacy of irrigation as a substitute for natural rainfall. II Kings 17:5-6 relates the ultimate consequence. In mythological texts from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 B.C.E) city-state of Ugarit, she is called "the creatress of the gods"; her consort at Ugarit, the god El, is . The basis for this view was the fact that in biblical usage the plural of the term, with the article, "the Baalim," appears to designate minor local gods (Judg. Given Jezebels religious fervor in the Bible, one would expect to find evidence of Baal worship at Sidon. The continued worship of Baal was given as one of the causes for the destruction of Judah (Jer. The Canaanites often worshipped her via trees (Asherah poles) because of her association with the tree of life. This corrupt blending of a holy God with a pagan goddess became part of everyday religious practice, which is why evil king Manasseh put an Asherah pole . Depending on the tradition, she was either Baal's mother, lover, or both. Bible Study Hosea Old Testament. Sidons Phoenician Temple. Groves and high places were places of worship erected to Canaanite gods and goddesses. 3:23). The worship of Baal penetrated Jewish religious life during the period of the Judges ( Judges 3:7 ), became common in Israel during the rule of Ahab ( 1 Kings 16:31-33 ), and also influenced Judah ( 2 Chronicles 28:1-2 ). If the rains failed and drought and death came upon the land and people, it was not because Mot had mangled Baal and made the glowing sun-goddess destructive; it was rather YHWH's way of meting out merited punishment to a faithless and sinful people (Deut. The myth may refer in part to the construction of Baals own temple in the city of Ugarit. Portions of ancient Baal liturgy were adapted to the praise of Israel's God, as the Ugaritic poems have shown. An example of Israel going after Baal leads to their loss of direction and, ultimately, scattering at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. In contrast, the church has had periods of strength and weakness all throughout its historyit goes through cycles of rallying around truth and then gradually letting it slip.
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