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Natib Qadish

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Natib Qadish is also known as Canaanite Paganism, Canaanite Neopaganism, or Canaanite Reconstructionism.

Contents

Definition

Natib Qadish is a modern polytheistic religion based upon the religious practices of ancient Canaan and the veneration of the Canaanite Deities. This religion is often included under the “umbrella” category of modern Paganism, Neopaganism, or Reconstructionism.

To the ancient Canaanites, religion was inherently a part of life such that they did not have a separate word that means “religion.” “Natib” in the ancient language of Ugaritic means “path,” while “qadish” means “sacred,” thus the name means “sacred path.” This phrase is a modern construction from an ancient language.

Sometimes a Canaanite Pagan is called a “Qadish” (“Qadishuma,” plural) simply referring to the belief that we are all sacred.

Geography

Ancient Canaan was located in what is now parts of modern-day Syria, Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon, all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This area is sometimes referred to as the Levant or the Near East.

History

For detailed notes regarding the history of Canaan, please see Canaan, Ugarit, Ebla, Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos. The Phoenicians are one of the daughter cultures of Canaan, and Carthage was a daughter-colony of the Phoenicians. Some modern practitioners blend Phoenician religion into their Canaanite religious practices.

The Hebrew people are probably also descended from the Canaanites, and the early polytheistic roots of the Hebrew religion demonstrate a close tie to the ancient Canaanites. However, it should be noted that Natib Qadish, Canaanite Paganism is not the same religion as that of the Hebrews, and it is also not the same religious path as Judeo-Paganism, Ceremonial Magic or practices involving the Kaballah, although some Canaanite Pagans may choose to incorporate these a part of their own personal practices.

The modern religion has not been established long enough to have much written about it in a history section. Perhaps one of the first self-proclaimed Canaanite-Phoenician Pagans is Lilinah biti-Anat who, with three other friends in California, began to practice a form of Canaanite-Phoenician Paganism. Lilinah biti-Anat’s site [Qadash Kinahnu] was the first site concerning the subject in some depth. The first networking online group for Canaanite Pagans was started in the late 1990s by Qadash Kinahnu, but due to lack of participation was dissolved several years later. The most active current online networking group is the [Natib Qadish Canaanite Paganism Discussion Group].

[Natib Qadish: Canaanite Paganism] is a newer site that concentrates more upon Canaanite and Ugaritic practices.

Deities

Many of the Deities revered by Canaanite Pagans include the Deities listed in the Ugaritic texts found in modern-day Ras Shamra around 1928. Some of these Deities include:

Sacred Texts, Legends, Epics

Much of what we know of the mythology of Canaan comes from the fragmentary clay tablets from Ugarit. The tablets date around 14th-13th Century BCE, and were rediscovered 1928 CE. The clay tablets were written using an alphabet, perhaps the earliest alphabet in human history, and utilizing a style of writing known as cuneiform. The transcribed stories were probably a part of oral tradition that may predate their writing by a few hundred years.

One of the more lengthy set of stories details the adventures of Ba’al: Ba’al versus Yam, Ba’al Builds His Palace, and Ba’al versus Yam. In Ba’al versus Yam, Ba’al fights Yam for dominion over the earth. Upon winning the battle, with some help from Kothar-wa-Khasis’s magic weapons, Ba’al needs to build a palace. The building a Palace was a symbol for the establishment of Ba’al’s rightful rule. After establishing his palace, Ba’al then battles with Mot in order to retain his kingship.

An old scholarly theory explored the idea that the tales of Ba’al were a part of a mythological seasonal cycle. This theory, however, is problematic. Modern scholars are now viewing the Ba’al tales as a metaphor for only the end of summer and the beginning of the rainy season, and more so as a tale exploring the ideas of kingship. In another tale, the tale of King Kirtu, we see a king bereft of family and heirs. As such, he would have no one to care for him in his dotage, carry on his family, nor retain the kingship. In a dream, Ilu grants Kirtu instructions on obtaining a wife.

The tale of the Wedding of Yarikh and Nikkal, Yarikh makes arrangements to wed Nikkal. This text may have been written exclusively for a wedding that transpired in the city of Ugarit.

Aqhat meets a bloody end in the tale of Prince Aqhat. He has acquired a special bow made by Kothar-wa-Khasis. Anat covets the bow and eventually kills him for it. The bow breaks and Anat mourns—perhaps mourning not just the breaking of the bow, but for the death of Aqhat. Aqhat’s death leads to the sterility of the fields.

Beliefs and Practices

Offerings, Sacrifices, and Libations

In Natib Qadish, there are three basic kinds of offerings:

Ethics

The ancient Canaanites had a concept of “sin,” but it is different from the now-common Jewish or Christian concepts. To the Canaanites, it did not necessarily mean a disobedience to a Divine mandate. Instead, it meant that one committed an act that caused social and universal imbalance. In order to free oneself of sin, one would do an act to repair the imbalance, and/or perform acts to cleanse and purify oneself, and perform certain incantations. See also Seven Components.

Holidays and Observances

Natib Qadish celebrate holidays at certain times of the year, as well as observing the phases of the moon.

Shanat Qadish

The Shanat Qadish is a reconstructed Canaanite festival calendar based upon the Ugaritic texts from roughly 14-13th Century BCE found at Ugarit, upon the Gezer Calendar written in roughly 925 BCE, and upon the seasonal occurrences in this part of the world during the Bronze Age.

The word “Ashuru” means “festival” or “feast”:

Lunar Observances

Misconceptions

A misconception, especially within the greater Pagan community is the confusion of Canaanite Paganism/Natib Qadish with Judeo-Paganism. Natib Qadish and Judeo-Paganism are two different paths. Although Judeo-Paganism share some themes in common, the focus and practices of these paths often differ considerably. Judeo-Paganism is often based on Judaism, research concerning the early Jews, and Jewish traditions. Natib Qadish is focused upon practices of the ancient Canaanites and their mythological literature, including the literature of the city-state of Ugarit.However,since one must do nothing more than identify oneself as such,it is certainly possible to be both a "Jewitch" and Canaanite Pagan.

Natib Qadish is open to anyone regardless of age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, or sexual orientation.

See also

Resources

Further reading

Pardee, Dennis. Ritual and Cult at Ugarit. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, Georgia. 2002.

Internet Resources

[Natib Qadish, Canaanite Paganism]

[Qadash Kinahnu, A Canaanite-Phoenician Temple]

[The Edinburgh Ras Shamra Project]

[Canaanite-Ugaritic Mythology FAQ, ver. 1.2]

[Canaan and Ancient Israel, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology]

[ASOR (American Schools of Oriental Research)Links for Archaeology and Ancient Civilizations]

Online Communities

[The Courtyard] A Place for Natib Qadish community, featuring a Bulletin Board for Discussion, News, and a Calendar of Events

[Canaanite Paganism Discussion Group]

[Umatu-wa-Marzichu] An Online Ritual Community

 

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