SPECIAL TOPIC: BEL
Bel (BDB128, KB 132, Akkadian for "lord") is a similar title to the Canaanite title for the male fertility god, Ba'al. This is an allusion to the chief god of the Akkadian pantheon (Sumerian god, Enlil, who was called "lord"). Enlil was the patron god of the city of Nippur. This god had the title of "Lord of heaven and earth." As Babylon came to power the chief deity's name was changed to Marduk (i.e., who was the patron god of the city of Babylon, BDB 597, cf. Jer. 50:2). This change is documented in the Prologue to the "Code of Hammurabi." There are two books that have helped me in this area.
SPECIAL TOPIC: CREATION AND FLOOD ACCOUNTS IN THE ANE
SPECIAL TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP OF THE ANE
SPECIAL TOPIC: CREATION AND FLOOD ACCOUNTS OF THE ANE
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