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
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