Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Ancient Allah

I don't know when we're going to be allowed to read DOI 10.1093/JSS/FGAF012, but I do hope so soon. Here, al-Jallad - finally - traces the genealogy of the Arabian high god. The missing-link is site MH09, in the Ḥarra of transJordan.

Some who have the text report that the Arabia imported him, from the northwest-Semitic god Ilu. He seems to exist in Ugarit, also Canaan and (maybe) Tayman.

Ilu will be a god of light, opposed to darkness and by-extension death.

This certainly puts paid to the Jack Chick moon god nonsense but I hope my readers already know all that. Durie's thought that Islam is voodoo might still have a leg to stand on. Except that Durie proposed, specifically, a wind god.

The paper might be reconciliable with Durie inasmuch as the paper argues that Allah is a RETVRN, as the 'chans call it. The paper cites Wilson-Wright that Ilu was never far behind the YHWH of the Bible. The path Ilu > Allah was an indirect one, caused by Arabs picking and choosing portfolii.

Further: as of this paper, we still lack since AD 500 any Arabic inscription as can note any divine name other than "God" or such arguable attributes as Rahman.

BACKDATE 5/23

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