BAAL-BERITH, that is to say, Lord of the Covenant, the God of the Schechemites. After the death of Gideon, the Israelites forsook the Lord, and prostituted themselves to the Idolatry of Baal, and made Baal-Berith their God. There was a Temple at Schechem consecrated to Baal- Berith, where they laid up that Money, which they gave afterwards to Abimelech the Son of Gideon. Diodorus of Sicily1 speaks of a Goddess of the Cretans, named Britomartis, which is probably the same as Baal-Berith. Britomartis comes from Marath-Berith, Mistress of the Covenant.
Philo Biblius2 says, that Elion and Beruth, are two Phœnician Deities, who had a Son and a Daughter called Heaven and Earth. The beauty of these two Children was the reason of denominating from them the Heaven and Earth which we see. If we might depend at all upon the recital of this Author, there would be no occasion to seek elsewhere for the Original of Baal-Berith. But both Porphyry and Sanchoniathon are at present in so little credit with Men of Learning, that none will venture any more to quote them; at least there can be no relying upon their Testimony.
Bochart3 is of opinion, that Berith might be very probably the same as Beroe the Daughter of Venus and Adonis, desired in marriage by Neptune, and given to Wife to Bacchus ^4, that she gave her name to the City of Berith in Phœnicia, and became afterwards the Goddess of it. This is Bochart’s conjecture; for there is no proof of the Goddess Berith’s having been adored in this City.
The most simple and natural manner of explaining the name of Baal-Berith, is to take it in general, for the God who presides over Alliances and Oaths. In this sense the true God may be termed the God of the Covenant; and if the Scripture had not added the name of Baal to that of Berith, it might be understood of the true God. But the most barbarous nations, as well as the most superstitious, the most religious and the most knowing, have always taken God to witness their Oaths and Covenants. The Greeks had their Jupiter the witness and arbitrator of Oaths, Zeus Horkios, and the Latins their Deus Fidius or Jupiter Pistius, him they looked upon as the God of Honesty and Plaindealing, who presided at all treaties and alliances: they swore sometimes even by Jupiter the Stone, per Jovem lapidem, because the Victim appointed for the ratification of the alliance, was struck with a Stone, or because Jupiter was besought to throw him headlong down some precipice, who should fail in the performance of his promise, in like manner as the Stone which the High-Priest held in his hands was cast from the top of the Capitol.
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