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From: jkelly@ms_unix1.vitro.com (Charles J. Kelly)
Subject: Re: Original Meaning of "El"
Message-ID: <1994Dec16.202243.16003@vitro.com>
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Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 20:22:43 GMT
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Osophos (osophos@aol.com) wrote:
: Does any one know the original referent of the ancient Hebrew word "El"?

: It is always translated as "God," or "Lord," but unless it was originally
: the word for "that which is desirable," it is not an interlingual synonym.

: Thank you in advance

Karen Armstrong in "A History of God" covers this.  I don't have the
book in front of me, but I believe "El" was the name of one of the many
local gods of the ancient Middle East, when the Hebrews were wandering in
the desert.  It was common in those times for one city or tribe to
borrow another's or at least assign the other god's name and attributes to
its own god.
--
Jim Kelly  jkelly@ms_unix1.ms.vitro.com
                  or
           kellyc@vitro.com
