Baalism

Baalism refers to the worship of Baal and related deities in the ancient Levant, a term used chiefly by scholars of the Hebrew Bible and Near Eastern archaeology. The name Baal means "lord" or "master" in Northwest Semitic languages and was a common title applied to several distinct gods in different cult centers, rather than to a single, unified religious system.

Geographically, Baal worship flourished in Canaan, Phoenicia, and Syria from the Late Bronze Age onward. The best-known form is Baal Hadad, a storm and fertility deity; other notable variants include Baal Hammon, associated with North Africa and the Punic world, and Baal Zebub, recognized in Philistine Ekron. Ugaritic texts and inscriptions attest to a family of Baal-centered cults with diverse rituals.

In the Hebrew Bible Baal is portrayed as a rival to Yahweh in several narratives, most famously in the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Biblical portraits emphasize idolatry and apostasy, although they reflect broader political and cultural tensions. Later kings purged or restricted Baal worship as part of religious reforms.

Scholars rely on a range of sources, including Ugaritic tablets, Phoenician and Carthaginian inscriptions, and biblical texts, to understand Baal worship. Because the name Baal is a title meaning "master", some researchers prefer to speak of a network of related cults rather than a single doctrine. The term Baalism thus denotes a regional and chronological variety.

Today, Baalism is mainly of interest to historians and archaeologists as a term for ancient Levantine religious practices, with attention to regional variation and polemical biblical portrayals. It is not regarded as a single, cohesive religion but as a label for diverse cults centered on Baal and related deities across centuries and locales.