[Illustration: Cover] THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT PALESTINE IN THE SECOND MILLENNIUM B.C. _In the Light of Archæology and the Inscriptions_ By STANLEY A. COOK, M.A. EX-FELLOW, AND LECTURER IN HEBREW AND SYRIAC, GONVILLE AND CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE; AUTHOR OF 'A GLOSSARY OF THE ARAMAIC INSCRIPTIONS,' 'THE LAWS OF MOSES AND THE CODE OF HAMMURABI,' 'CRITICAL NOTES ON OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY,' ETC. LONDON ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO LTD 1908 {v} PREFACE The following pages deal with the religion of Ancient Palestine, more particularly in the latter half of the Second Millennium, B.C. They touch upon the problem of the rise and development of Israelite religion; a problem, however, which does not lie within the scope of the present sketch (pp. 4, 114 _sq._). The Amarna tablets, Egyptian records, and the results of recent excavation form the foundation, and the available material has been interpreted in the light of comparative religion. The aim has been to furnish a fairly self-contained description of the general religious conditions from external or non-biblical sources, and this method has been adopted partly on account of the conflicting opinions which prevail among those who have investigated the theology of the Old Testament in its relation to modern research. Every effort has been made to present the evidence accurately and fairly; although lack of space has prevented discussion of the more interesting features of the old Palestinian religion and of the various secondary problems which arose from time to time. {vi} Some difficulty has been caused by the absence of any more or less comprehensive treatment of the subject; although, from the list of authorities at the end it will be seen that the most important sources have only quite recently become generally accessible. These, and the few additional bibliographical references given in the footnotes are far from indicating the great indebtedness of the present writer to the works of Oriental scholars and of those who have dealt with comparative religion. Special acknowledgements are due to Mr. F. Ll. Griffith, M.A., Reader in Egyptology, University of Oxford; to the Rev. C. H. W. Johns, M.A., Lecturer in Assyriology, Queen's College, Cambridge, and King's College, London; and to Mr. R. A. S. Macalister, M.A., F.S.A., Director of the Palestine Exploration Fund's excavations at Gezer. These gentlemen enhanced their kindness by reading an early proof, and by contributing valuable suggestions and criticisms. But the responsibility for all errors of statement and opinion rests with the present writer. STANLEY A. COOK. _July_ 1908. {vii} CONTENTS CHAP. I. INTRODUCTORY: The Subject--Method--Survey of Period and Sources--The Land and People, . . . 1-12 II. SACRED SITES: The Sanctuary of Gezer--Other Sacred Places--Their Persistence--The Modern Places of Cult, . . . 13-23 III. SACRED OBJECTS: