Religion is a constructed reality. As C. Geertz has observed, it is “a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.” One of the ways that religion’s symbolic system is constituted is through the operation of conceptual analogy or metaphor (for our purposes the terms are interchangeable). This is where what is unknown, mysterious, hoped for, or threatening is described in terms of the known. The use of analogy for the production of knowledge is basic to human conceptualization generally and part of the language instinct. Even modern science employs analogy to explain new discoveries on the basis of the known. In religion, where conceptual creativity is presumably more prevalent, metaphorical conceptualization is fundamental. It not only concretizes elements of religious belief and practice, but also provides the psychological motivation, energy, and rationale for continued belief. Therefore religious beliefs and customs informed by analogy are not merely matters of tradition, but have a life and logic for their current practitioners. It is through the theoretical framework of the analogical construction of religious ideas that we will here explore the history of the religious traditions of ancient Syria and Canaan of approximately the first three millennia bce. This will help in the observation of a creative continuity and development over time.

Historical Overview

Evidence does not allow the writing of a detailed and continuous history of the religions of ancient Syria and Canaan across the first three millennia bce. The textual record, the best evidence for reconstructing the history of religion, is extremely meager and spotty. Relevant material finds, while evocative, are even less consistently evidenced and hard to interpret. The uneven historical record leads most scholars to base their studies and descriptions on the texts from Ugarit (see below), the most extensively attested corpus. The body of this chapter will follow this custom and will bring in textual and material perspectives from the other traditions when applicable. An outline of the documentary evidence here will provide a chronological backdrop for the discussion that follows.