Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Henry Churchyard" <churchh AT usa.net>]

I'm not sure what the point of positing a strong opposition between "El"
and YHWH is.  In Canaanite languages, "El" is both a general word for "a
god", and also the proper name of the god who is vaguely conceived of as
the highest god, or overall ruler of the pantheon (without any
particularly close approach to a monotheistic theology).  YHWH is the
name of the god of Israel.  As the god of Israel comes to be considered
the highest (or even only) god, some of the "El" high-god terminology
naturally becomes associated with YHWH (though in the Bible "El"
standing by itself is not as frequently used to refer to YHWH as is "El"
in special compounds and phrases -- and of course the related but
different "Elohim" is more common by far).  I don't know of much
evidence in the Bible for any El vs. YHWH religous conflict, and I'm not
sure that Hebrew prophets would have had much objection to worshiping
YHWH under the name of "El" (as long as Canaanite rituals and
mythologies concerning the Canaanite "El" were not dragged in) -- while
they would have had the most violent antipathy towards worshipping YHWH
under the names Baal, Asherah, Anath, etc.

On a different point, "Yashuya" as a supposed early transliteration of
"Joshua" (if that was what was actually being referred to earlier) might
not quite work out phonologically, because the _pathah. g@nubha_
(furtivum) in Joshua is probably rather a late feature in terms of
diachronic phonology.

P.S. Is there really a cohesive self-identified "humanist" school of
archaeologists and/or historical interpreters of Exodus??

--
Henry Churchyard   churchh AT usa.net   http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/