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Godly DevotionAid to Bible Understanding
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great: ‘He was made manifest in flesh, was declared righteous in spirit, appeared to angels, was preached about among nations, was believed upon in the world, was received up in glory.”’ (1 Tim. 3:16) Adam, the perfect man, had not set the perfect example of godly devotion. None of his children, born imperfect, could do so. Who would be able to do this? The coming of God’s Son to earth and his integrity-keeping course gave the answer, revealing the solution to the sacred secret.
Jesus Christ was the one man to manifest godly devotion perfectly, in every sense, proving that man in the flesh can maintain such devotion. Jesus was, at the end of his earthly course under severe trials, “loyal, guileless, undefiled, separated from the sinners.” (Heb. 7:26) No flaw could be found in his integrity, to accuse him before God. He said, before his death: “I have conquered the world,” also, “The ruler of the world is coming. And he has no hold on me.” (John 16:33; 14:30) No unrighteousness could be found in him. He could rightly say to his enemies: “Who of you convicts me of sin?” (John 8:46) The solution to “the sacred secret of this godly devotion” is so great and means so much to mankind that it is to be proclaimed world wide. It is the basis upon which Christian godly devotion and conduct in the congregation is patterned.
TRAINING, WITH CONTENTMENT, ESSENTIAL
Strenuous training is necessary on the part of the Christian in order to achieve full godly devotion. It entails the enduring of opposition and persecution. (2 Tim. 3:12) One’s aim or objective in training himself is not to achieve selfish materialistic gain. But there is gain to the one who is content with his lot, who continues in godly devotion along with self-sufficiency. “It holds promise of the life now,” namely, spiritual health, satisfaction, happiness and a purpose in living. It also holds promise of the life that “is to come.”—1 Tim. 4:7, 8; 6:6-8; compare Proverbs 3:7, 8; 4:20-22.
Though persecution and hardship may come upon the one having godly devotion, he need not fear, for “Jehovah knows how to deliver people of godly devotion out of trial.” (2 Pet. 2:9) The apostle Peter counsels Christians to add to their endurance godly devotion. (2 Pet. 1:5, 6) He admonishes them to be persons of “holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion” in order to survive the judgment of Jehovah’s day.—2 Pet. 3:7, 10, 11; 1 Pet. 4:18.
THE POWER OF GODLY DEVOTION
One professing godly devotion must recognize its power to change his personality and must be true and genuine in following godliness. (1 Tim. 6:11; Eph. 4:20-24) He must recognize that God’s Word is His expression of the way of godly devotion and so he must conform to its precepts. (Titus 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:3) Since godly devotion is toward God personally, his Word and spirit will bring one to know Jehovah personally, intimately, and to become more like Him—to be an imitator or copier of him. (Eph. 5:1) Such one will reflect more and more the fine qualities of Jehovah God.—2 Cor. 3:18.
If one fails to guard carefully his godly devotion he will become mentally diseased. (1 Tim. 6:3, 4) The apostle Paul warned his younger fellow-minister Timothy about ungodly ones who professed devotion to God. He cautioned Timothy to handle the Word of the truth aright, shunning empty speeches that violate what is holy, that Timothy might not be turned from the way of godly devotion. He then pointed out that there would be those who would practice all sorts of wickedness, hypocritically having a form of godly devotion, but proving false to its power. (2 Tim. 2:15, 16; 3:1-5) Jude likewise shows that such ones would have no genuine reverence for or devotion to God, no respect or appreciation for his undeserved kindness. They would be persons using godliness for materialistic or sensual gain. Their hypocrisy is revealed in their practice of loose conduct.—Jude 4.
THE ‘MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS’
Herein lies another mystery, diametrically opposed to Jehovah’s “sacred secret.” This is “the mystery of this lawlessness.” It was a mystery because its wickedness would be practiced under the guise and in the name of godly devotion. In fact, it would be an apostasy from true godly devotion and would turn against God. Paul said that the “man of lawlessness” was in operation in his day and would soon be exposed. Finally, this one would be done away with by Jesus Christ at the manifestation of his presence. This apostate, Satan-operated “man” would lift himself up “over everyone who is called ‘god’ or an object of reverence” (Gr., seʹba·sma). Thus this great opposer of God as a Satanic instrument would be extremely deceptive and would bring destruction to those following its practices. The effectiveness of the “man of lawlessness” would lie in the fact that his wickedness would be cloaked in a hypocritical godly devotion.—2 Thess. 2:3-12; compare Matthew 7:15, 21-23.
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God of Good Luck; God of DestinyAid to Bible Understanding
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GOD OF GOOD LUCK; GOD OF DESTINY
In Isaiah’s time the worship of these deities evidently involved setting a table of food and drink before them. (Isa. 65:11) Arabic tradition identifies the planet Jupiter with the “greater [good] luck” and the planet Venus with the “lesser [good] luck.” Hence, it has been suggested that the god of Good Luck (Gad) may be identified with Jupiter, and the god of Destiny (Meni) with Venus.
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Gods and GoddessesAid to Bible Understanding
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GODS AND GODDESSES
The deities that have been and still are worshiped by the nations are human creations, the products of imperfect, “empty headed” men, who “turned the glory of the incorruptible God into something like the image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed creatures and creeping things.” (Rom. 1:21-23) It is, therefore, not surprising to note that these deities mirror the very characteristics and weaknesses of their imperfect worshipers.
The striking similarity readily observable when comparing the gods and goddesses of ancient peoples can hardly be attributed to chance. Concerning this, Colonel J. Gamier, in his book The Worship of the Dead, writes: “Not merely Egyptians, Chaldeans, Phœnicians, Greeks and Romans, but also the Hindus, the Buddhists of China and of Thibet, the Goths, Anglo-Saxons, Druids, Mexicans and Peruvians, the Aborigines of Australia, and even the savages of the South Sea Islands, must have all derived their religious ideas from a common source and a common centre. Everywhere we find the most startling coincidences in rites, ceremonies, customs, traditions, and in the names and relations of their respective gods and goddesses.”
The evidence of Scripture points to the land of Shinar as the post-Flood birthplace of false religious concepts. Undoubtedly under the direction of Nimrod, “a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah,” the building of the city of Babel and its tower, likely a ziggurat to be used for false worship, began. This building project was undertaken, not to bring honor to Jehovah God, but for the self-glorification of the builders, who desired to make a “celebrated name” for themselves. Also, it was in direct opposition to God’s purpose for mankind to spread about in the earth. The Almighty frustrated the plans of these builders by confusing their language. No longer being able to understand one another, they gradually left off building the city, and were scattered. (Gen. 10:8-10; 11:2-9) However, Nimrod apparently remained at Babel and expanded his dominion, founding the first Babylonian Empire.—Gen. 10:11, 12.
As for the scattered people, wherever they went they carried their false religion with them, to be practiced under new terms and in their new language and new locations. Since Noah lived 350 years after the flood, this scattering logically occurred while Noah and his son Shem were still alive. (Gen. 9:28; 11:10, 11) Therefore, the dispersal took place at a time when the facts about earlier events, such as the Flood, were known. This knowledge undoubtedly lingered in some form in the memory of the dispersed people. Indicative of this is the fact that the mythologies of the ancients echo various parts of the Biblical record, but in a distorted, polytheistic form. The legends depict certain gods as serpent slayers; also, the religions of many ancient peoples included the worship of a god placed in the role of a benefactor who dies a violent death on earth and then is restored to life. This suggests that such a god was actually a deified human wrongly viewed as being the ‘promised seed.’ (Compare Genesis 3:15.) The myths tell of the love affairs had by gods and earthly women, and the heroic deeds of their hybrid offspring. (Compare Genesis 6:1, 2, 4; Jude 6.) There is hardly a nation on the earth that does not have a legend concerning a global flood, and traces of the tower-building account are likewise to be found in the legends of mankind.
BABYLONIAN DEITIES
After the death of Nimrod, the Babylonians reasonably would have been inclined to hold him in high regard as the founder and builder and first king of their city and as the organizer of the original Babylonian Empire. Tradition has it that Nimrod died a violent death. While there is no record that Nimrod was worshiped under his own name, some scholars believe that his death was commemorated by the annual ‘weeping for Tammuz.’ (Ezek. 8:14) Also, since the god Marduk was regarded as the founder of Babylon, this would suggest that Marduk represents none other than the deified Nimrod. Thus The International Standard Bible Encyclopœdia (Vol. IV, p. 2147) says of Nimrod’s identification: “The most admissible correspondence is with Marduk, chief god of Babylon, probably its historic founder, just as Asshur, the god of Assyria, appears in [Genesis 10:11] as the founder of the Assyr[ian] empire.”—See MERODACH; TAMMUZ, I.
If Nimrod was indeed the first man to be deified after the Flood, then he would have come to be regarded as the “father of the gods” in Babylonish religion. His mother would thus have become the “mother of god” or the “mother of the gods.” Nimrod’s father Cush, although probably not given a position of great prominence, may well have become the third member of a triad composed of Cush and his wife and their son Nimrod, though worshiped under different names. With the father undoubtedly kept in the background, this would have given rise to the worship of mother and son. That this actually happened is suggested by the widespread trinity concept, the worship of a mother goddess and her son, and the lesser role accorded the father god in ancient myths.
With the passage of time, the gods of the first Babylonian Empire began to multiply. The pantheon came to have a number of triads of gods or deities. One such triad was composed of Anu the god of the sky, Enlil the god of the earth, air and storm, and Ea the god presiding over the waters. Another triad was that of the moon-god Sin, the sun-god Shamash and the fertility goddess Ishtar, the lover or consort of Tammuz. The Babylonians even had triads of devils, such as the triad of Labartu, Labasu and Akhkhazu. The worship of heavenly bodies became prominent (Isa. 47:13), and various planets came to be associated with certain deities. The planet Jupiter was identified with the chief god of Babylon, Marduk; Venus with Ishtar, a goddess of love and fertility; Saturn with Ninurta, a god of war and hunting and patron of agriculture; Mercury with Nebo, a god of wisdom and agriculture; Mars with Nergal, a god of war and pestilence and lord of the underworld.
The cities of ancient Babylonia came to have their own special guardian deities, somewhat like “patron saints.” In Ur it was Sin; in Eridu, Ea; in Nippur, Enlil; in Cutha, Nergal; in Borsippa, Nebo, and in the city of Babylon, Marduk (Merodach). At the time Hammurabi made Babylon the capital of Babylonia, the importance of the city’s favorite god Marduk was, of course, enhanced. Finally Marduk was given the attribute of earlier gods and displaced them in the Babylonian myths. In later periods his proper name “Marduk” was supplanted by the title “Belu” (“Lord”), so that finally he was commonly spoken of as Bell. His wife was called Belit (“Lady,” par excellence).—See BEL; NEBO No. 4.
The picture portrayed of the gods and goddesses in ancient Babylonian texts is but a reflection of sinful mortal man. These accounts say that the deities were born, loved, had families, fought and even died, as did Tammuz. Terrified by the Deluge, they are said to have ‘crouched like dogs.’ The deities were also portrayed as being greedy, frequently eating to the point of gluttony and drinking to the point of intoxication. They had furious tempers and were vindictive and suspicious of one another. Bitter hatreds existed among them. To illustrate: Tiamat, bent on destroying the other gods, was overcome by Marduk, who split her into two halves, forming the sky with one half and using the other half in connection with the establishment of the earth. Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld, instructed Namtaru, the god of pestilence, to imprison her sister Ishtar and afflict her with sixty miseries.—See NERGAL.
ASSYRIAN DEITIES
Generally speaking, the Assyrian gods and goddesses are identical with the Babylonian deities. However, one deity, Asshur, the chief god, seems to have been peculiar to the Assyrian pantheon. Since Assyria takes its name from Asshur, it has been suggested that this god is actually Shem’s son named Asshur, deified by false worshipers.—Gen. 10:21, 22.
Unlike the Babylonian Marduk, who was also worshiped in Assyria but whose seat of worship always remained in the city of Babylon, Asshur’s seat of worship changed as the kings of Assyria took up official residence in other cities. Also, sanctuaries to Asshur were built in various parts of Assyria. A military standard was Asshur’s primary symbol, and this was carried right into the thick of the battle. The winged circle or disk, from which the figure of a bearded man often emerges, represented the god Asshur. At times the human figure is shown as holding a bow or in the act of shooting an arrow. Another representation of Asshur suggests a trinity concept. In addition to the central figure emerging from the circle, two human heads are shown on top of the wings, one on either side of the central figure.—See ASSYRIA; NISROCH.
EGYPTIAN DEITIES
The gods and goddesses worshiped by the Egyptians give evidence of an underlying Babylonish heritage. There were triads of deities and even triple triads or “enneads.” One of the popular triads consisted of Osiris, his consort Isis and their son Horus.
Osiris was the most popular of the Egyptian gods and was regarded as the son of the earth-god Geb and the sky-goddess Nut. It was said that Osiris became the husband of Isis and reigned as king over Egypt. The mythological accounts tell of Osiris being murdered by his brother Set and then being restored to life, becoming the judge and king of the dead. The relationship of Osiris and Isis and their respective characteristics strikingly correspond to the relationship and characteristics of the Babylonian Tammuz and Ishtar. Hence, numerous scholars consider them to be identical. Also, it is of interest that the Egyptian Osiris was depicted as having dark skin, in view of the fact that Nimrod, who seems to have been worshiped under the name of Tammuz, was the son of Cush, a principal progenitor of dark-skinned peoples.—Gen. 10:8; compare Jeremiah 13:23.
Mother-and-son worship was also very popular in Egypt. Isis is often portrayed with the infant Horus on her knees. This representation is so much like that of the Madonna and child that certain ones in Christendom have at times venerated it in ignorance. With respect to the god Horus, there is evidence of the distortion of the Edenic promise concerning the seed that would bruise the serpent in the head. At times Horus is depicted as trampling crocodiles and grasping snakes and scorpions. When grown to manhood, Horus determined to avenge his father Osiris, and, according to one account, sometime during the ensuing conflict, which resulted in complete victory for Horus, Set, the murderer of Osiris, changed himself into a serpent.
On Egyptian sculptures and paintings the sacred symbol, the crux ansata, occurs very frequently. This so-called “sign of life” looks like the letter “T” with an oval handle on top and probably represented the male and female organs of reproduction combined. The Egyptian deities are often depicted as holding the crux ansata.
Many were the creatures venerated as sacred by the Egyptians. These included the bull, the cat, the cow, the crocodile, the falcon, the frog, the hippopotamus, the ibis, the jackal, the lion, the ram, the scarab, the scorpion, the serpent, the vulture and the wolf. However, some of these were sacred in one part of Egypt and not in another, this, at times, even resulting in the outbreak of civil wars. Not only were animals sacred to certain gods, but some of them were even viewed as incarnations of a god or goddess. The Apis bull, for instance, was regarded as the very incarnation of the god Osiris and also an emanation of the god Ptah.
According to Herodotus, a person killing a sacred animal deliberately was put to death; if the killing of the animal was by accident, the priests stipulated a fine. However, one killing an ibis or a hawk, whether intentionally or not, was put to death, usually at the hands of an enraged mob. When a cat died, all in the household shaved their eyebrows, whereas at the death of a dog they shaved their entire body. Sacred animals were mummified and given elaborate burials. Among the mummified animals that have been found are the bull, the cat, the crocodile and the falcon, to mention but a few.
The mythological accounts portray the Egyptian deities as having human weaknesses and imperfections. They were said to have experienced anguish and fright and repeatedly found themselves in peril. The god Osiris was slain. Horus, in childhood, was said to have suffered from internal pains, headaches and dysentery and even died from a scorpion’s sting, but was restored to life. Isis suffered from abscess of the breast. With advancing years, the strength of the sun-god Ra waned and saliva dripped from his mouth. His very life was in jeopardy after being bitten by a magical serpent formed by Isis, although he recovered as a result of Isis’ words of magic. Sekhmet, a goddess representing the destructive power of the sun, was bloodthirsty. She took such delight in killing men that Ra was said to have feared for the future of the human race. To save humankind from extermination, Ra distributed 7,000 jugs of a beer and pomegranate mixture over the battlefield. Thinking it to be human blood, Sekhmet drank it ardently until too intoxicated to continue her slaughter. Nephthys got her brother Osiris, the husband of her sister Isis, drunk and then had relations with him. The sun-gods Tem and Horus were portrayed as masturbaters.
The ten plagues
By means of the plagues he visited upon the Egyptians, Jehovah humiliated and executed judgment upon their gods. (Ex. 12:12; Num. 33:4) The first plague, the turning of the Nile and all the waters of Egypt into blood, brought disgrace to the Nile-god Hapi. The death of the fish in the Nile was also a blow to Egypt’s religion, for certain kinds of fish were actually venerated and even mummified. (Ex. 7:19-21) The frog, regarded as a symbol of fertility and the Egyptian concept of resurrection, was considered sacred to the frog-goddess Heqt. Hence, the plague of frogs brought disgrace to this goddess. (Ex. 8:5-14) The third plague saw the magic-practicing priests acknowledging defeat when they proved to be unable by means of their secret arts to turn dust into gnats. (Ex. 8:16-19) The god Thoth was credited with the invention of magic or secret arts, but even this god could not aid the magic-practicing priests to duplicate the third plague.
The line of demarcation between the Egyptians and the worshipers of the true God came to be sharply drawn from the fourth plague onward. While swarms of gadflies invaded the homes of the Egyptians, the Israelites in the land of Goshen were not affected. (Ex. 8:23, 24) The next plague, the pestilence upon the livestock, humiliated such deities as the cow-goddess Hathor, Apis and the sky-goddess Nut, who was conceived of as a cow having the stars affixed to her belly. (Ex. 9:1-6) The plague of boils brought disgrace to the gods and goddesses regarded as possessing healing abilities, such as Thoth, Isis and Ptah. (Ex. 9:8-11) The severe hailstorm put to shame the gods considered as having control of the natural elements; for example, Reshpu, who, it appears, was believed to control lightning, and Thoth, who was said to have power over the rain and thunder. (Ex. 9:22-26) The locust plague spelled defeat for the gods thought to ensure a bountiful harvest, one of these being the fertility god Min, who was viewed as a protector of the crops. (Ex. 10:12-15) Among the deities disgraced by the plague of darkness were sun-gods, such as Ra and Horus, and also Thoth the god of the moon and believed to be the systematizer of sun, moon and stars.—Ex. 10:21-23.
The death of the firstborn resulted in the greatest humiliation for the Egyptian gods and goddesses. (Ex. 12:12) The rulers of Egypt actually styled themselves as gods, the sons of Ra or Amon-Ra. It was claimed that Ra or Amon-Ra had intercourse with the queen. The son born was, therefore, viewed as a god incarnate and was dedicated to Ra or Amon-Ra at his temple. Hence, the death of Pharaoh’s firstborn, in effect, actually meant the death of a god. (Ex. 12:29) This in itself would have been a severe blow to Egypt’s religion, not to mention the complete impotence of all the deities insofar as being able to save the firstborn of the Egyptians from death was concerned.—See AMON No. 4.
CANAANITE DEITIES
Extrabiblical sources indicate that the god El was considered to be the creator and sovereign. Although El seems to have been somewhat remote from earthly affairs, he is repeatedly shown as being approached by the other deities with requests. El is depicted as a rebellious son that dethroned and castrated his own father, as well as a bloody tyrant, a murderer and an adulterer. In the Ras Shamra texts El is referred to as “father bull” and is represented as having gray hair and a gray beard. His consort was Ashera, who is referred to as the progenitress of the gods, whereas El is placed in the role of progenitor of the gods.
Most prominent of the Canaanite gods, however, was the fertility god Baal, a deity of the sky and of rain and storm. In the Ras Shamra texts, Baal is often called the son of Dagon, though El is also spoken of as his father. Baal’s sister Anath is shown referring to El as her father and he, in turn, calls her his daughter. Hence, Baal probably was regarded as the son of El, though he may also have been viewed as El’s grandson. In the mythological accounts Baal is depicted as assaulting and triumphing over Yam, the god who presided over the water and who seems to have been El’s favorite or beloved son. But in his conflict with Mot, the god of death and aridity and a son of El, Baal is slain. Thus, Canaan, like Babylon, had its god who died a violent death and thereafter was restored to life.
Anath, Ashera and Ashtoreth are the principal goddesses mentioned in the Ras Shamra texts. However, there appears to have been a considerable overlapping of roles of these goddesses. In Syria, where the Ras Shamra texts were found, Anath may have been viewed as Baal’s wife, since she, though repeatedly referred to as “maiden,” is shown as having intercourse with Baal. But the Scriptural record mentions only Ashtoreth and the sacred pole or Asherah in connection with Baal. Hence, at times Asherah and then again Ashtoreth may have been regarded as wives of Baal.—Judg. 2:13; 3:7; 10:6; 1 Sam. 7:4; 12:10; 1 Ki. 18:19.
The references to Anath in the Ras Shamra texts give some indication of the degraded conception of the deities the Canaanites undoubtedly shared with the Syrians. Anath is described as the fairest among Baal’s sisters, but as having an extremely violent temper. When her father El declined to comply with her wishes, she is depicted as threatening to smash his skull and cause his gray hair to flow with blood and his gray beard with gore. On another occasion Anath is shown going on a killing spree. She attached heads to her back, hands to her girdle and plunged knee-deep in the blood and hip-deep in the gore of valiant ones. Her delight in such bloodshed is reflected in the words: “Her liver swells with laughter, her heart fills up with joy.”—See ASHTORETH; BAAL No. 4; CANAAN, CANAANITE No. 2; SACRED PILLAR; SACRED POLE.
DEITIES OF MEDO-PERSIA
The indications are that the kings of the Medo-Persian Empire were Zoroastrians. While it cannot be proved or disproved that Cyrus the Great adhered to the teachings of Zoroaster, from the time of Darius I the inscriptions of the monarchs repeatedly refer to Ahura Mazda, the principal deity of Zoroastrianism. Darius I referred to Ahura Mazda as the creator of heaven, earth and man, and acknowledged this god as the one who had bestowed upon him wisdom, physical skillfulness and the kingdom.
A characteristic feature of Zoroastrianism is dualism, that is, the belief in two independent divine beings, one good and the other evil. Ahura Mazda was viewed as the creator of all good things, whereas Angra Mainyu was regarded as the creator of all that is evil. It was thought that the latter could bring about earthquakes, storms, disease and death as well as stir up unrest and war. Lesser spirits were believed to assist these two gods in carrying out their functions.
The symbol of the god Ahura Mazda was much like the representation of the Assyrian Asshur, namely, a winged circle, from which, at times, a bearded man with the vertical tail of a bird emerges.
Ahura Mazda may have figured in a triad. This is suggested by the fact that Artaxerxes II Mnemon invoked the protection of Ahura Mazda, Anahita (a goddess of water and of fertility) and Mithra (a god of light), and attributed his reconstruction of the Hall of Columns at Susa to the grace of these three deities.
A number of authorities have linked Anahita with the Babylonian Ishtar. Observes E. O. James in his book The Cult of the Mother-Goddess (1959), pages 94 and 95: “She was worshipped as ‘the Great Goddess whose name is Lady’, the ‘all-powerful immaculate one’, purifying ‘the seed of males and the womb and the milk of females’. . . . She was, in fact, the Iranian counterpart of the Syrian Anat, the Babylonian Inanna-Ishtar, the Hittite goddess of Comana, and the Greek Aphrodite.”
According to the Greek historian Herodotus (I, 131), the Persians also worshiped the natural elements and heavenly bodies. He writes: “The Persians, according to my own knowledge, observe the following customs. It is not their practice to erect statues, or temples, or altars, but they charge those with folly who do so; because, as I conjecture, they do not think the gods have human forms, as the Greeks do. They are accustomed to ascend the highest parts of the mountains, and offer sacrifice to Jupiter, and they call the whole circle of the heavens by the name of Jupiter. They sacrifice to the sun and moon, to the earth, fire, water, and the winds. To these alone they have sacrificed from the earliest times; but they have since learned from the Arabians and Assyrians to sacrifice to Venus Urania, whom the Assyrians call Venus Mylitta, the Arabians, Alitta, and the Persians, Mitra.”
The Zend-Avesta, the sacred Zoroastrian writings, actually contain prayers to fire, water, planets and to the light of the sun, of the moon and of the stars. Fire is even referred to as the son of Ahura Mazda.
GRECIAN DEITIES
An examination of the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece reveals the traces of Babylonish influence. Observed Oxford University Professor George Rawlinson: “The striking resemblance of the Chaldæan system to that of the Classical Mythology seems worthy of particular attention. This resemblance is too general, and too close in some respects, to allow of the supposition that mere accident has produced the coincidence. In the Pantheons of Greece and Rome, and in that of Chaldæa the same general grouping is to be recognized; the same genealogical succession is not unfrequently to be traced; and in some cases even the familiar names and titles of classical divinities admit of the most curious illustration and explanation from Chaldæan sources. We can scarcely doubt but that, in some way or other, there was a communication of beliefs—a passage in very early times, from the shores of the Persian Gulf to the lands washed by the Mediterranean, of mythological notions and ideas.”—Seven Great Monarchies, Vol. I, pp. 71 and 72.
A distortion of God’s statement concerning the seed of promise may be noted in the mythological accounts that tell of the god Apollo’s killing the serpent Pytho, and of the infant Hercules’ (the son of Zeus and an earthly woman, Alcmene) strangling two serpents. The familiar theme of a god who dies and then is restored to life again confronts us. Annually the violent death of Adonis and his return to life were commemorated, with principally the women bewailing his death and carrying images of his body as in funeral procession and later tossing them into the sea or springs. Another deity whose violent death and restoration to life were celebrated by the Greeks was Dionysius or Bacchus, who, like Adonis, has been identified with the Babylonian Tammuz.
The mythological accounts make the Grecian gods and goddesses appear much like men and women. Although thought to be of much greater size and exceeding men in beauty and strength, the bodies of the gods were depicted like human bodies. Since their veins supposedly flowed with “ichor,” rather than blood, the bodies of the deities were considered to be incorruptible. Nevertheless, it was believed that men, by means of their weapons, could actually inflict painful wounds upon the gods. However, it was said that the wounds always healed and that the gods remained youthful.
For the most part, the deities of the Greeks are depicted as being very immoral and as having human weaknesses. They quarreled among themselves, fought against one another and even conspired against one another, Zeus, the supreme god of the Greeks, is said to have dethroned his own father Cronus. Earlier Cronus himself had deposed and even castrated his father Uranus. Both Uranus and Cronus are depicted as cruel fathers. The offspring borne to him by his wife Gaea, Uranus immediately concealed in the earth, not even permitting them to see the light. Cronus, on the other hand, swallowed the children borne to him by Rhea. Among the detestable practices attributed to certain deities are adultery, fornication, incest, rape, lying, thievery, drunkenness and murder. Those who incurred the disfavor of a god or goddess are depicted as being punished in a most cruel manner. For example, the satyr Marsyas, who challenged the god Apollo to a musical contest, was attached by the latter to a tree trunk and skinned alive. The goddess Artemis is said to have changed the hunter Actaeon into a stag and then caused his own hounds to devour him, this because he had seen her nakedness.
Of course, some claimed that these mythological accounts were merely the imaginations of the poets. But on this, Augustine of the fourth century C.E. wrote (The City of God, Book II, chap. IX): “For whereas it is said in their defence, that these tales of their gods were not true, but merely poetical inventions, and false fictions, why this doth make it more abominable, if you respect the purity of your religion: and if you observe the malice of the devil, what more cunning or more deceitful craftiness can there be? For when an honest and worthy ruler of a country is slandered, is not the slander so much more wicked and unpardonable, as this party’s life that is slandered is clearer and sounder from touch of any such matter?” However, the popularity of the poetical accounts as enacted on the Greek stage indicates that the majority did not regard them as slander, but were in harmony with them. The immorality of the gods served to justify man’s wrongdoing, and this found favor with the people.
ROMAN DEITIES
The religion of the Romans was greatly influenced by the Etruscans, a people generally thought to have come from Asia Minor. The practices of divination and augury definitely link the religion of the Etruscans to that of the Babylonians. For example, the models of clay livers used for divination found in Mesopotamia resemble the bronze model of a liver found at Piacenza in the Province of Emelia, Italy. So when the Romans adopted the Etruscan deities they were, in effect, receiving a Babylonish heritage. (See ASTROLOGERS.) The great Roman triad of Jupiter (the supreme god, a god of the sky and light), Juno (the consort of Jupiter regarded as presiding over matters of particular concern to women) and Minerva (a goddess presiding over all handicrafts) corresponds to the Etruscan Tinia, Uni and Menrva.
In the course of time the prominent Greek gods found their way into the Roman pantheon, although they were known by different names. Also, deities of still other lands were adopted by the Romans, including the Persian Mithras (whose birthday was celebrated on December 25), and the Phrygian fertility goddess Cybele and the Egyptian Isis, both of whom have been identified with the Babylonian Ishtar. Then, too, the Roman emperors themselves were deified.
Saturn was worshiped for bringing a golden age to Rome. The Saturnalia, originally a one-day festival in his honor, was later expanded into a seven-day celebration in the latter half of December. The event was marked by great revelry. Gifts, such as waxen fruits and candles, were exchanged, and clay dolls were especially given to the children. During the festival no punishment was meted out. Schools and courts had a holiday; even war operations were brought to a halt. Slaves exchanged places with their masters and were permitted, without needing to fear punishment, to give free reign to the tongue.
GODS OF THE NATIONS CONTRASTED WITH JEHOVAH
Today many of the gods mentioned in the Bible are little more than a name. Although their worshipers at times even sacrificed their own children to them, the false gods were unable to rescue those who looked to them for aid in their time of greatest need. (2 Ki. 17:31) Hence, in the face of his military successes, the king of Assyria, through his spokesman Rabshakeh, boasted: “Have the gods of the nations at all delivered each one his own land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who are there among all the gods of the lands that have delivered their land out of my hand, so that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?” (2 Ki. 18:28, 31-35) But Jehovah did not fail his people as had those no-gods whom the king of Assyria consigned to the fire. In one night the angel of Jehovah killed 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. Humiliated, the proud Assyrian monarch Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, later to be murdered by two of his sons in the temple of his god Nisroch. (2 Ki. 19:17-19, 35-37) Truly, “all the gods of the peoples are valueless gods; but as for Jehovah, he has made the very heavens.”—Ps. 96:5.
Not only do the false gods have the characteristics of their makers, but people also become much like the gods whom they worship. To illustrate: King Manasseh of Judah was devoted to false gods, even to the point of making his son pass through the fire. But Manasseh’s zealous pursuit of false worship did not make him a better king. Rather, he proved to be like the bloodthirsty deities he worshiped, shedding innocent blood in very great quantity. (2 Ki. 21:1-6, 16) In sharp contrast with this, worshipers of the true God endeavor to be imitators of their perfect Maker, displaying the fruitage of his spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness and self-control.—Eph. 5:1; Gal. 5:22, 23.
[Picture on page 668]
Stone tablet depicting shrine of the god Shamash. Below arch are emblems of the Babylonian triad Sin (crescent), Shamash (sun disk) and Ishtar (eight-pointed star)
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The “crux ansata” is depicted in this ancient representation of Egyptian deities
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Isis, known to the Egyptians as “Mother of God, Lady of Heaven,” with the infant Horus
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God the God of IsraelAid to Bible Understanding
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GOD THE GOD OF ISRAEL
[Heb. ʼEl ʼElo·hehʹ Yis·ra·ʼelʹ, God is the God of Israel].
After Jacob’s encounter at Peniel with the angel of Jehovah, as a result of which he was given the name “Israel,” and after a peaceable meeting with his brother Esau, Jacob dwelt at Succoth and then Shechem. Here he acquired a tract of land from the sons of Hamor and pitched his tent upon it. (Gen. 32:24-30; 33:1-4, 17-19) “After that he set up there an altar and called it God the God of Israel.” (Gen. 33:20) This was Jacob’s first altar in Palestine. In identifying himself by his newly given name “Israel” with the name of the altar, Jacob indicated his acceptance and appreciation of that name and of God’s guiding him safely back into the Promised Land. The expression occurs only once in the Scriptures.
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GogAid to Bible Understanding
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GOG
The meaning of this name is uncertain. Some lexicographers believe it conveys the idea of “high” or “gigantic.” The German Bibel-Lexikon (1953) suggests a derivation from the Sumerian word gug, meaning “darkness.”
1. A descendant of Reuben.—1 Chron. 5:3, 4.
2. The name is found in chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel and is there applied to the leader of a stormlike, multinational assault against God’s people. The attack comes after Jehovah has gathered his people out of the nations and restored them to the previously devastated “mountains of Israel.” Because they dwell in security, with no visible signs of protection, and because they enjoy abundant prosperity, Gog is drawn into waging a vicious, all-out attack upon them. He congregates a vast army from many nations for this purpose. But his assault sets off Jehovah’s rage and brings terrible defeat and destruction upon Gog and his entire crowd. Their carcasses become food for birds and beasts and their bones are buried in the valley that thereafter is called the “Valley of Gog’s Crowd” (literally, “Valley of Hamon-Gog”).
THE ASSAULT’S SOURCE AND INTENT
The assault has a source far distant from the land of Israel. Gog is “of the land of Magog,” situated in “the remotest parts of the north.” (Ezek. 38:2, 15) He is the “head chieftain [“great prince,” AT; “chief prince,” AV, RS] of Meshech and Tubal.” (38:2, 3) Some translations here read “the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal” (AS, JB), thus making “Rosh [Heb. for “head”]” refer to a country or people. No such land or people is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, however. Meshech and Tubal, like Magog, are names given to sons of Japheth (Gen. 10:2), and the three lands bearing these names lay to the N of Israel. (See MAGOG; MESHECH No. 1; TUBAL.) Other northern members of the attacking forces, also Japhetic, were: Gomer and Togarmah (thought to be the progenitors of the ancient Cimmerians and Armenians, respectively). Japhetic Persia lay to the NE. But the conspiracy embraced southern Hamitic members also: Ethiopia and Put down in Africa.—Ezek. 38:4-6, 15.
Gog’s role, therefore, is as commander of a massive assault force that applies tremendous pressures designed to crush as in a vise Jehovah’s people, who are described as “dwelling in the center of the earth.” (Ezek. 38:12) Ancient Israel not only was located at a central point as regards the Eurasian and African continents, but also was the center of pure worship of the true God and was counted by him as the “pupil of his eye.”—Deut. 32:9, 10; Zech. 2:8.
Jehovah states that he will ‘put hooks in Gog’s jaws’ and lead him to this attack. (Ezek. 38:4; compare 2 Kings 19:20, 21, 28.) The prophecy clearly shows, however, that this is already Gog’s desire, the scheme being a product of his own heart. (Vss. 10, 11) Jehovah draws Gog out, nonetheless, by restoring and prospering his own name people. This incites Gog to manifest his malevolence toward God’s people and he willingly advances into a course that brings swift destruction upon him and all his associates. By the defeat and annihilation of Gog and his forces, Jehovah magnifies and sanctifies his own name before all observers.—38:12-23; 39:5-13, 21, 22; compare Joel 3:9-17.
IDENTIFICATION OF GOG
The lands and peoples mentioned in the prophecy relating to Gog are known from the Bible and to some extent from secular history. But efforts to identify Gog with some historically known earthly ruler have not been successful. Most frequently suggested is Gyges, king of Lydia in western Asia Minor, called Gugu in the records of Assyrian monarch Ashurbanipal. Gyges, however, had already died decades before the writing of Ezekiel’s prophecy in the latter part of the seventh century B.C.E. Hence, such identification is unacceptable. Additionally, the prophecy itself places Gog’s attack in the “final part of the years,” “in the final part of the days.” (Ezek. 38:8, 16; compare Isaiah 2:2; Jeremiah 30:24; 2 Timothy 3:1.) For these reasons the name Gog is evidently cryptic or symbolic, not being that of any known human king or leader.
The evidence points to a fulfillment in what is elsewhere called “the time of the end.” (Dan. 11:35; 12:9; compare Revelation 12:12.) Bible scholars and commentators generally recognize the prophecy as
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