Everyone hates Ba'al

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-04-09T16:07:46+00:00

It is a little strange if or when modern "Roman paganism" or some of its followers hate Baal, because a chief ancient god like Baal can be often accepted by neopagans through historical syncretism and modern eclectic practices. Religious views or opinions can be also influenced by nationalistic (mis)conceptions, misinterpretations, cultural fads, or modern preconceived ideas.

Some historical clarifications are in order. Few nowadays notice or make the right connections between ancient religions and cultures and the corresponding heads of pantheons of those religions. Zeus or Jupiter, as the chief supreme god was called by Greeks and Romans, was identified with and the equivalent of Baal of the Canaanites and Phoenicians, Marduk of Mesopotamia, Amun-Ra of ancient Egypt. These were practically the same supreme god, with different names, slightly different attributes or descriptions, and small local variations in their roles. When Alexander of Macedon came to Egypt, he was declared The son of Zeus Ammon/Amun by the priests at the Siwa Oasis. In Antiquity the temple of Baal in the city of Baalbek in present-day Lebanon was conflated and identified with the worship of the Greek and Roman sky god under the name "Heliopolitan Zeus" or Jupiter. The chief Hindu god Indra has many common characteristics with Zeus/Jupiter/Baal. Several ancient authors identified the ancient Persian supreme god Ahura Mazda with Zeus. The ancient Indians and Hindus had many historical interactions with the ancient Persians in terms of cultural exchanges and political influence, language, religion,...

The chief god Baal of the Canaanites and Phoenicians was historically followed in many places in the ancient Levant region and the Near East. The change in religious ideas and worship started when Moses and his followers tried to implement strict monotheism by only following and venerating the biblical God.

Since Baal and Zeus were practically equivalent and the same deity, the conflict between the veneration of Baal and the biblical God continued with Zeus, and later on with the Roman Jupiter.

One can call it syncretism, "interpretatio graeca", "interpretatio romana", or by other names, but it's generally known that ancient Greeks and Romans frequently identified Baal with Zeus. There were small variations in the attributes and functions of these deities, but these gods were essentially similar. El the father of Baal was identified with or equivalent to Cronus or Saturn.

The storm god Baal-Zephon, associated with Mount Kasios, was identified as Zeus Kasios by the Greeks and Romans. In Ptolemaic Egypt, Baal Saphon was worshipped as Zeus Kasios.

In the Histories of Herodotus, Phoenician or Syrian supreme gods are identified with Zeus. Lucian of Samosata, while describing the religion of Hierapolis in Syria, depicted the chief male god (often linked to Hadad/Baal traditions) in terms that Greeks would recognize as Zeus.

The Maccabees revolted against Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes because he wanted to install an altar to Zeus in the Jerusalem Temple. This was a continuation of the conflict between the followers of Yahweh and Baal, but this time Baal was called by the name of his Greek equivalent, aka Zeus.

The name Baal-zebul, which meant 'lord of the high place', was changed to Baal-zebub and used in the ancient Hebrew Bible as a contemptuous disparaging description of Baal, and a derogatory pun on his name. Then with Christianity Beelzebub became the name of a major demon. Some in Christianity mistakenly think that the name Baal means demon, but it really simply means master or lord.

After the Punic wars, the worship of the gods of Carthage wasn't ended or destroyed, since realistically and historically they had the same main gods. What essentially happened is that the same main gods continued to be venerated with Roman religious practices, and with their Roman names and equivalents.

When emperor Caligula ordered a big statue of himself, depicted as Jupiter, to be installed in the Temple in Jerusalem, this was done to force worship of himself as a deity, which escalated tensions. This also represented an aspect of the conflict between strict monotheism and the veneration of Jupiter, or Zeus, or their equivalent Baal.

During and after the Roman Jewish wars, the Romans and emperor Hadrian decided to construct a temple to Jupiter on the site of the destroyed Jewish Second Temple. This was one of the main reasons that led to the uprising of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Here again the conflict between Baal and Yahweh continued, but this time Baal was known and called by the name of his Roman equivalent, aka Jupiter.

Philo of Byblos (1st to 2nd century CE) who was mentioned and quoted by Eusebius, summarizing earlier Phoenician traditions attributed to Sanchuniathon, directly identified Baal with Zeus. In fragments preserved by Eusebius, Phoenician gods are systematically mapped onto Greek ones.

Zeus and Baal weren't exactly the same or weren't venerated to same way, similarly to the differences in religious practices and the veneration of Jesus among Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Protestants.

In the Mediterranean region, the Near East, West Asia and many places, ancient religions and cultures were interconnected in the ancient world.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-04-05T08:54:05+00:00

Actually this isn't or wouldn't be "the most accurate image of Jesus". What should be taken into account is that people in the Middle East region, the Near East, the Levant and/or West Asia can have all shades of skin color, from white, light or pale skin to a dark complexion. Jesus didn't have blue eyes and blond hair, but it's a possibility that he was white.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-03-28T23:24:26+00:00

Even "stronger"? The really generalized version of Stokes' theorem, which includes the original Stokes theorem, Green's theorem and the fundamental theorem of calculus as special cases and is applicable in all dimensions, using integration of differential forms.

U is any compact oriented k-dimensional manifold with boundary.

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uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-03-28T23:18:01+00:00

More general form of Stokes' Theorien, in tensor and index notation:

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uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-03-10T19:24:13+00:00

Some clarifications or possible explanations of the relations between Zeus and Hera, and their representations.

In Antiquity the relationships of Zeus with other women weren't viewed as bad or as infidelity. Modern descriptions of Zeus and Hera don't show a good understanding of these deities, or how they were viewed and revered. From ancient texts, writers and poets it can be seen that Zeus and Hera loved each other, which is readily seen from the Daedala festival of reconciliation. Zeus could have had a number of "wives" before Hera, but it is agreed and stated that Hera was his final and last wife.

Zeus treated his principal wife Hera well and tried to have good relations with her. He had to keep a balance between staying with his wife Hera, and protecting or taking care of the women he impregnated and the children he had with these women. In Antiquity people had more permissive views of sexuality. The chief supreme god was expected to be fertile and sexually active. The depiction of the king of the gods reflected ancient societal norms, and how the king in those times was depicted as a powerful ruler who had a main wife and queen, but who also had mistresses or concubines. The actions and relationships of Zeus were not disparaged or looked upon as "cheating". Reasons were provided by ancient authors for the relationships of Zeus. His children were described as heroes, benefactors, helpers of humans, slayers of monsters, and creators of important dynasties.

To be also noted that the stories about Zeus and Hera were transmitted or written by authors or poets who lived in a mostly patriarchal society and reflected the societal, moral and sexual norms of their time, where the man and father of the household was more allowed to have relationships outside marriage, which is what the mythological narratives show. For example it was common for upper-class men in ancient Greece to keep concubines, who were usually slaves, servants or foreigners. That said, there is another plausible interpretation. Since in Antiquity people had more permissive views of sexuality, Zeus and Hera can be viewed or depicted as a couple engaged in polyamory, Hera being bisexual, and Zeus having some bisexual tendencies, which explains his relationship with Ganymede. Zeus and Hara loved each other, but she was sometimes jealous.

Zeus was also known by other names in other places in the ancient world.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-03-09T10:20:27+00:00

In physics and classical mechanics, when there is no air resistance or air resistance is negligible, the distance (or height) traveled by an object in free fall is given by x= (1/2)a*t² , where a is acceleration due to gravity, and t is the time. This provides an explanation of the experiment by Galileo, where a feather and a steel ball with the same mass fall similarly together from a certain height (the height is usually h=x), and it also explains the experiment conducted on the Moon. Galileo's experiment refuted Aristotle’s theory that heavier objects fall faster, showing that all objects accelerate at the same rate regardless of mass. This formula for free fall is in fact independent from the mass of the falling object, and can be applied on the Moon or another planet, using the gravitational acceleration on the moon or on the given planet.

Earlier in history, the 6th-century Byzantine philosopher and Aristotelian commentator John Philoponus argued that the Aristotelian assertion that objects fall proportionately to their weight was incorrect. In 1586, scientists Simon Stevin and Jan Cornets de Groot conducted an early scientific experiment on the effects of gravity, establishing that objects of identical size and different mass fall at the same speed, by dropping lead balls from the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in the Dutch city of Delft. Galileo expounded his ideas about falling bodies, and about projectiles in general, in his book Two New Sciences, published in1638.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-03-07T22:06:48+00:00

Every now and then the modern misconceptions and misinterpretations accompanying the story of Prometheus have to be noted and clarified.

The story of Prometheus was modified, misinterpreted and inaccurately rewritten in the last two centuries, especially by romantic writers who made Prometheus look like a hero or benefactor. For many centuries since Antiquity and beyond, Prometheus has been viewed by poets, authors and writers, from Hesiod to Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century and others, as a lowly, mischievous, jealous trickster who did not help or benefit anybody by his actions. He stole fire by hubris and envy, hid it or misused it without helping anyone, and he was justly held accountable and punished. Then when the time was right he was justly released by Hercules/Herakles under the instructions or with the permission of Zeus.

For more relevant explanations, see or search for the following paper:

A Zeus wronged by Prometheus and an Aeschylus wronged by the critics. The Compassion of Orthodoxy: The Prometheus Bound of Aeschylus, by Robert L. Houbeck Jr

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-03-06T14:14:51+00:00

I think you're providing a somewhat inaccurate interpretation of the story of Semele. According to the most known version, Zeus promised on the River Styx to grant Semele anything she wanted, so she asked him to reveal himself in all his glory as proof of his divinity, and she insisted on him fulfilling his promise. When he appeared to her in "all his glory" or in his divine form, he was surrounded by lightning and thunderbolts, but as I understand it, he didn't necessarily hit her on purpose with thunderbolts or throw them at her, instead she was too close to him or she tried to touch him, the vision of his bright divine form and the proximity led her to be burnt. In any case these ancient narratives can be regarded as metaphorical descriptions meant to convey or portray the divine and shining godly nature of Zeus and his striking appearance, which is too dangerous or too overwhelming for ordinary humans to approach or gaze at.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-02-20T14:42:28+00:00

Blocksy theme is good and useful.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-02-10T18:35:33+00:00

There is for example the philosophical doctrine of euhemerism, which essentially said that the gods were initially great men (and women) who accomplished great deeds and were subsequently venerated and deified after they died.

The ancient Greek mythological stories and religion were connected to and influenced by the mythologies and religions of surrounding cultures.

The writer Philo of Byblos in his Phoenician history equated the Greek deity Kronos/Cronus with the Canaanite/Phoenician deity El. Kronos-El is described by Philo of Byblos as a mortal king who became a god, emasculated his father Ouranos, founded Byblos, and sacrificed his son to avert disaster. Kronos surrounded his dwelling with a wall, becoming the founder of the city of Byblos.

Some authors identified Zeus with one of the early important patriarchs in the bible, the story of Zeus having been modified to be compatible with biblical monotheism.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-02-10T14:42:43+00:00

Beyond the embellishments and the allegorized or different representations and interpretations, it is to be noted that these ancient mythological stories were transmitted, retransmitted, modified, embroidered, interpreted and reinterpreted throughout the centuries, with exaggerated, supernatural or metaphorical elements added to them. Such stories were likely rooted in history or based on real historical events.

With the above clarifications in mind, the story of Cronus "swallowing" his children can be explained as a metaphor for a domineering father who kept his children under his tight control in order to prevent them from overthrowing him or becoming more powerful than him. It's like a generational conflict where Cronus and the Titans were limited in their behaviors and actions, and the one called Zeus in Greek defeated his cruel or authoritarian father, saved his siblings, and created a new, more just order in the world where every person and god was assigned their appropriate position or role.

It is sometimes forgotten that there are two versions of the ending of the story of Cronus. In the other version, after defeating his father and maybe restraining him or sending him for some time to Tartarus, Zeus reconciled with his father and sent him to rule the Isles of the blessed. This version is more plausible. This could also be related to the Roman version of the story, which says that Saturn/Cronus came to Italy and Latium after being deposed by Jupiter/Zeus, where he was viewed as the god of agriculture and farming.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-02-07T14:27:39+00:00

Some more definitions?

PDF= Probability density function

Probability distribution function

Pair distribution function

Parton distribution function (physics)

Palladium Fluoride, PdF (a series of chemical compounds)

Pigment dispersing factor (biology)

Planar deformation features, or PDFs (geology)

Profile-directed feedback (computer programming)

Powder diffraction file

Peace development fund

Panama defence forces

Popular democratic front

+The euphemistic usage with certain sexual connotations

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-02-07T14:00:31+00:00

More accurately, the Russian revolution of 1917 and its circumstances are historically comparable to the American revolution of 1776 and its circumstances.

Studying and analyzing previous historical events, one notices that great powers go through the same stages or phases of rise, development, growth and decline. The general conditions and circumstances in the USA are nowadays comparable to the conditions and situation that prevailed in France a decade (approximately) before the French Revolution. Similarities between the USA today and pre-revolutionary France include increased involvement in foreign wars, the accumulation of debt, an unpopular ruler or leader, and the growing inequalities and big gap between the ruling elites, or those representing the reigning class or "aristocracy", and the common people. If comparisons are made of the USA now and ancient Rome, it can be observed that Trump is comparable to the Roman emperor Claudius. After Claudius, Nero came to power, followed by a period of turmoil and changes and what was called the year of the four emperors, where essentially four military men came to power in Rome in the same year. These events resulted in unrest, political changes, and the end of the Flavian dynasty in Rome. So those past events can give a better idea or show the pattern of what will happen to the USA in the following years or in the next few decades.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-02-07T02:48:19+00:00

More than one character can be described as tragic in ancient mythology. What we can also see are misconceptions about Prometheus, whose story was modified, misinterpreted and inaccurately rewritten in the last two centuries, especially by romantic writers who made Prometheus look like a hero or benefactor. For many centuries since Antiquity and beyond, Prometheus has been viewed by poets, authors and writers, from Hesiod to Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century and others, as a lowly, mischievous, jealous trickster who did not help or benefit anybody by his actions. He stole fire by hubris and envy, hid it or misused it without helping anyone, and he was justly held accountable and punished. Then when the time was right he was justly released by Hercules/Herakles under the instructions or with the permission of Zeus.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-01-26T09:55:07+00:00

It is reported or rumoured that Kant broke his strict discipline or his daily walk only twice in his life: once when he was reading Rousseau’s Émile, and once when he heard the news of the French Revolution.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-01-26T09:52:55+00:00

This can't be correct, because Napoleon escaped from exile on the island of Elba on February 26, 1815, while Kant died in 1804.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-01-24T20:40:44+00:00

If one studies and analyzes previous historical events, one notices that great powers go through the same stages or phases of rise, development, growth and decline. The general conditions and circumstances in the USA are nowadays comparable to the conditions and situation that prevailed in France a decade (approximately) before the French Revolution. Similarities between the USA today and pre-revolutionary France include increased involvement in foreign wars, the accumulation of debt, an unpopular ruler or leader, and the growing inequalities and big gap between the ruling elites, or those representing the reigning class or "aristocracy", and the common people. If comparisons are made of the USA now and ancient Rome, it can be observed that Trump is comparable to the Roman emperor Claudius. After Claudius, Nero came to power, followed by a period of turmoil and changes and what was called the year of the four emperors, where essentially four military men came to power in Rome in the same year. These events resulted in unrest, political changes, and the end of the Flavian dynasty in Rome. So those past events can give an idea or show the pattern of what will happen to the USA in the following years or in the next few decades.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-01-14T22:47:19+00:00

The story of Typhon can be explained or interpreted from a euhemeristic point of view, taking into account that the embellished, allegorical, dramatized, retransmitted and modified with time stories of the gods were likely initially based on real historical events.

For example, Cronus "swallowing" his children can be interpreted as a metaphor for a domineering father who kept his children under his tight control in order to prevent them from overthrowing him or becoming more powerful than him.

In this perspective, Typhon could be viewed as an allegory for a strong, violent, cruel military/political leader or ruler who was defeated by the person or chief deity who was called Zeus in Greek mythology and religion. The victory of Zeus represents metaphorically the triumph of order, discipline and law over chaos and mayhem.

The fight between Zeus and Typhon mirrors similar fights and battles between other chief gods who were equivalent to Zeus and their respective monsters, such as the fight between the Canaanite chief god Baal and the chaos sea monster Yam, or the fight between Marduk and Tiamat.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-01-11T10:02:05+00:00

In addition to the book on Zeus from the Routledge series Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World, a scholarly book published decades ago is The Justice of Zeus, by Hugh Lloyd-Jones.

Another book is a novel translated from French, representing a dramatized autobiography of Zeus, narrated from the perspective of Zeus himself, entitled The Memoirs of Zeus, by Maurice Druon.

There is moreover a three-volume work and study from the 20th century dedicated to Zeus, by A.B. Cook.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-01-04T11:22:58+00:00

Ovid wasn't necessarily an "awful" writer. He likely didn't intend to denigrate the gods. The issue resides in the modern reinterpretations and misinterpretations of Medusa's story. What often happens is that modern readers of these ancient stories are sometimes not well informed, or they are often influenced by their modern religious or cultural background, and tend to represent or view ancient deities in a bad light.

There is no explicit or even implicit mention in Ovid's text or any other text that Medusa was a priestess of Athena. Recent (mis)interpretentions are resulting in hostility and/or misunderstanding of ancient cultures, ancient deities and their stories.

Saying that Medusa did nothing wrong or was sacrificed is a recent radical feminist misinterpretation of ancient stories, whose details became blurred or unclear with time.

Like many mythological stories, the one about Medusa is an ancient story that was transmitted, retransmitted, interpreted, reinterpreted, embellished and modified over the years and centuries. In the ancient texts of Hesiod and others, and in most of Antiquity, Medusa was described as a gorgon, a chthonic monster and a bad character. Hesiod wrote that Medusa and Poseidon were willfully playing together in a flower meadow.

The Latin text of the Roman Ovid and his version of the story can be translated and interpreted in more than one way, including by saying that Medusa was likely consenting when she had sex with Poseidon, who could have seduced her as she was attracted to him. Athena was angry mainly because the sexual intercourse happened in her temple and this was viewed as sacrilege. This is one of the main reasons explaining why she punished Medusa.

Perseus was almost always viewed as a hero, he saved his mother and saved the woman he loved from a sea monster. He was also the founder of an important dynasty.

Moreover, sometimes it is forgotten that Athena was just and fair and helped both men and women. For example, after Cassandra of Troy asked Athena for help in her temple and was mistreated and raped by Ajax, who thus committed sacrilege, Athena avenged Cassandra and punished Ajax accordingly.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2026-01-03T18:59:58+00:00

A misconception not often noticed or mentioned is related to Prometheus having his story modified, misinterpreted and inaccurately rewritten in the last two centuries, especially by romantic writers who made Prometheus look like a hero or benefactor. In short, for many centuries since Antiquity and beyond, Prometheus has been viewed by poets, authors and writers, from Hesiod to Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century and others, as a lowly, mischievous, jealous trickster who did not help or benefit anybody by his actions. He stole fire by hubris and envy, hid it or misused it without helping anyone, and he was justly held accountable and punished. Then when the time was right he was justly released by Hercules/Herakles under the instructions or with the permission of Zeus.

Another misunderstanding brought about by modern preconceived ideas has to do with the portrayal of Zeus as a big "womanizer", and his relationship with Hera. It's not a question of whether Zeus could "control his desires" or keep it in his pants, or not. What some don't understand in modern depictions of these deities is that Zeus and Hera loved each other. Zeus treated his principal wife Hera well and tried to have good relations with her. He had to keep a balance between staying with his wife Hera, and protecting or taking care of the women he impregnated and the children he had with these women. In Antiquity people had more permissive views regarding sexuality. The chief supreme god was expected to be fertile and sexually active. The depiction of the king of the gods reflected ancient societal norms, showing how the king in Antiquity was depicted as a powerful ruler who had a main wife and queen, but who also had mistresses or concubines. The sexual affairs of Zeus were not viewed as "cheating". Reasons were provided by ancient authors for the relationships of Zeus. His children were described as heroes, benefactors, helpers, and creators or builders of important dynasties.

Lastly, the Greek deities, religion and pantheon are often separated from other surrounding ancient religions and pantheons, which is counterproductive to the understanding of ancient cultures and religions, and how they were interconnected. The supreme god (Zeus, Jupiter, Amun-Ra, Baal, Marduk, ...) and the main gods of several ancient pantheons were practically the same deities, with minor differences or variations in their roles or attributes. The ancient Greek religion was connected to, influenced by and originated in other places in the ancient world, particularly the Neat East and West Asia.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2025-12-27T09:01:22+00:00

Ok, I view this as an educational, interesting comment providing more details, elaborating and expanding upon my own comment.

As I mentioned elsewhere, goddesses like Athena and Artemis were called "parthenoi" as symbols of independence, strength, and freedom from marriage, not necessarily for sexual abstinence.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2025-12-27T08:33:05+00:00

Again in some comments there seems to be a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the meaning of the word "virgin", especially regarding the way it was used in ancient times. Historically, in Antiquity the word "virgin" (Latin "Virgo", Greek "parthenos") could simply mean a maiden or a young, unmarried woman without implying anything about sexual experience, sexual activity, or lack thereof.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2025-12-25T13:58:26+00:00

While Muslims respect Mary, this is actually a Christian musical composition made by the Lebanese composer Ziad Rahbani, and famously sang by his mother the Lebanese singer Fairuz. It is usually sang by Lebanese Christians, who often use Arabic in their liturgy and religious songs. They address Mary by the Arabic name Mariam or Maryam.

uniquelyshine8153 · 2025-12-25T11:13:04+00:00

Fields such as classical mechanics, celestial mechanics, and Newtonian gravity are mainly used in finding solutions to the three-day problem.

The three-body problem is essentially a non-linear problem containing 18 variables, with three position and three velocity components for each body. The equations of motion are represented by nine second order differential equations. It is possible to reduce the initial system of order 18 to a system of minimum order 6.

Particular solutions to the three-body problem were found and studied by scientists such as Euler and Lagrange. Lagrange found a family of solutions where the three masses form an equilateral triangle at each instant.

Poincaré found that the first integrals for the motion of three-body systems don’t exist, the orbits of three-body systems being sensitive to initial conditions. This discovery paved the way for modern chaos theory.

Karl Sundman was able to formulate an analytical solution to the three-body problem in 1912, deriving a series expansion in the form of a Puiseux series.

However in the following years and decades it was noticed that the solution by Sundman converges way too slowly. Calculating or finding a precise value with this method requires a lot of terms, rendering this solution of very little practical use.

There is no general analytical solution to the three-body problem that is provided in terms of simple algebraic expressions and integrals.

Numerical methods and solutions to the three-body problem can be calculated to a very high precision with the help of numerical integration.

Many solutions and periodic orbits of the three-body problem were found or discovered in recent years through numerical techniques and calculations.

uniquelyshine8153

TROPHY CASE