Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

On 8/23/05, Heard, Christopher wrote:
> Antiochus IV was no atheist, nor a proponent of atheism. He styled
> himself "Epiphanes," and had pictures of Zeus and Nike minted on his
> coinage; these are not the actions of an "atheist." Judging by the
> narratives in 1 Maccabees and Josephus, when Antiochus IV defiled the
> temple in Jerusalem, it was not by promoting atheism, but by
> promoting the worship of Zeus Olympius/Baal Shamayim. Persecuting a
> "rival" religion is unusual in the history of antique polytheism, but
> it is not atheistic.

Hello, 

Is there any specific reason you associate Baal Shamayim with Zeus, as
opposed to say, Baal Zephon or Baal Hadad?  Might you have references
that I could read about Baal Shamayim?

Thanks,
Yitzhak Sapir