The word "cannibal" means something like "priesthood of baal"

[Skwim]

Well anyone who has read Caesar's Gallic Wars knows that the Gauls were purportedly into human sacrifice on a large scale. They would basically vow sacrifices before a battle and if they won; they would sacrifice their captives to please their patron deity. This practice died down when they learned they could sell captives to the Romans instead in exchange for wine or other valuables.

How do you know the British and Irish weren't influenced by Baal or Phoenicia? I suggest the compelling book America B.C. by Barry Fell


I'm talking about the ancient Hebrew and Phoenician. The modern word "cannibal" is not what is in question. I'm arguing about the origins of the word. Note the similarities with the name Hannibal the famous Punic general.

Looking into it, the only consequential difference between ancient Hebrew and contemporary Hebrew is in the different alphabets used. And with the change in alphabets the words themselves retained their old meanings. In fact, the number of "letters" in a word typically remained the same and often retained their correspondence in other words. So, I see no reason to suspect a difference in meaning for "cannibal" in ancient Hebrew, and that in modern Hebrew.

.​

.

 

[Tumah]

I'm not that ignorant. I knew this. In fact I've likely been to the same website. The fact is, it means what it means in the Hebrew or Phoenician in spite of all the counter explanations.

It doesn't mean anything in Hebrew or Phoenecian. Ba'al (בעל) =/= bal (בל). And neither kan (כן) nor qan (קן) are the same as kohen (כהן)

 

[Estro Felino]

You're confusing the word with Hannibal
Hannibal means Baal's gift
Hasdrubal means "my help is Baal"

 

[Sir Doom]

Hai in Japanese means yes.
Hi in Amercanese means hello.

Clearly, the Japanese word must have been brought by Americanese traders (known as great seafarers) and was adapted from "yes I see you there on your trading ship hello"

 

[Brickjectivity]

Etymology can not be used to reconstruct History reliably. Consider the tragic tale of Jacob Bryant who spent his life attempting to do it. The scholar Jacob Bryant writes Analysis of Ancient Mythology, which with excruciating care falsely connecting ancient Greek myth with Genesis, but it relies upon etymological similarities in word structures and presumes the Egyptian myths to be corruptions of other stories. He also argues in two books also relying upon etymological clues that the Greek city of Troy never existed, which we now know to be incorrect. He also publishes other errent works all based on etymological reconstructions. Despite being wrong he is very sincere and devout.

 

[ChristineM]

The word "cannibal" means something like "priesthood of baal" in Hebrew or Phoenician. Is anyone concerned?

There is evidence that Baal was worshiped in the British isles since ancient times. Take the "Celtic" holy time of "Beltaine". Is it really BAALtaine?

Beltaine is two words, bel (bright) and taine (fire)

In celtic times bright fires were build on hilltops to signal the change from winter to summer... Now known as may day.

 

[Milton Platt]

I'm not that ignorant. I knew this. In fact I've likely been to the same website. The fact is, it means what it means in the Hebrew or Phoenician in spite of all the counter explanations.

Source please.....

 

[74x12]

It doesn't mean anything in Hebrew or Phoenecian. Ba'al (בעל) =/= bal (בל). And neither kan (כן) nor qan (קן) are the same as kohen (כהן)

It's a loanword. My argument is not that it should line up perfectly with the original language. Many loanwords have altered pronunciation or spelling compared to the original word. Rather I'm talking about the source of the modern word. So it's not going to line up perfectly in spelling or even pronunciation with Hebrew. In fact it would have been a different Alphabet used anyway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenician_alphabet

You're confusing the word with Hannibal
Hannibal means Baal's gift
Hasdrubal means "my help is Baal"

No, I'm just showing the similarity so people see that "cannibal" is similar to ancient Phoenician/Hebrew. Baal = lord, the common title used by Phoenicians for various male patron deities of their city-states.

Hai in Japanese means yes.
Hi in Amercanese means hello.

Clearly, the Japanese word must have been brought by Americanese traders (known as great seafarers) and was adapted from "yes I see you there on your trading ship hello"

So a single syllable word is your example? There are probably even better examples of this phenomenon than a single syllable word like "hi".

But, I still find the three syllable word "cannibal" to be suspiciously similar to ancient Phoenician/Hebrew for "priesthood of Baal". I find that the official etymology of the word "cannibal" seems a bit far-fetched.

The reason cannibal makes sense for "priesthood of Baal" is eating human sacrificial victims could conceivable be part of performing the rites of Baal worship in ancient times. Take the Aztecs for example who butchered their human sacrificial victims and sold the flesh in the market for food.

 

[74x12]

Looking into it, the only consequential difference between ancient Hebrew and contemporary Hebrew is in the different alphabets used. And with the change in alphabets the words themselves retained their old meanings. In fact, the number of "letters" in a word typically remained the same and often retained their correspondence in other words. So, I see no reason to suspect a difference in meaning for "cannibal" in ancient Hebrew, and that in modern Hebrew.

.​

.

I think you're ignoring the "official" origins of the word cannibal which dates to the 16th century.

"mid 16th century: from Spanish Canibales (plural), variant (recorded by Columbus) of Caribes, the name of a West Indian people reputed to eat humans "

 

[74x12]

Beltaine is two words, bel (bright) and taine (fire)

In celtic times bright fires were build on hilltops to signal the change from winter to summer... Now known as may day.

Again I'm not that ignorant. Have you ever heard of a word with more than one meaning? Double meanings?

To quote Led Zeppelin
"'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings"

 

[Tumah]

It's a loanword. My argument is not that it should line up perfectly with the original language. Many loanwords have altered pronunciation or spelling compared to the original word. Rather I'm talking about the source of the modern word. So it's not going to line up perfectly in spelling or even pronunciation with Hebrew. In fact it would have been a different Alphabet used anyway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenician_alphabet

But you already said that you looked up the etymology, so you already know that it's not a loanword but comes from the word caniba which was Colombus rendition of the Carib's name for themselves. That is the source of the modern word.

 

[74x12]

But you already said that you looked up the etymology, so you already know that it's not a loanword but comes from the word caniba which was Colombus rendition of the Carib's name for themselves. That is the source of the modern word.

That's the official story, yes. Even that's a loanword from Spanish as far as English or modern Hebrew is concerned.

 

[ChristineM]

Again I'm not that ignorant. Have you ever heard of a word with more than one meaning? Double meanings?

To quote Led Zeppelin
"'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings"

You stated celtic. I assumed you meant the celtic meaning of the word, not your personal foyble

 

[74x12]

You stated celtic. I assumed you meant the celtic meaning of the word, not your personal foyble

Why did they choose to call it "bright fire"? My point is it could easily have been chosen because it was a play on words for Baal's holy day.

 

[ChristineM]

Why did they choose to call it "bright fire"? My point is it could easily have been chosen because it was a play on words for Baal's holy day.

I explained why, you choose to ignore it. Not my problem

 

[HonestJoe]

Why did they choose to call it "bright fire"? My point is it could easily have been chosen because it was a play on words for Baal's holy day.

Of course it could have been. The problem is that you’ve provided absolutely zero reason to even suspect that it actually was beyond the vague similarity of the words, something they’ll share with countless other words in countless other languages.

You’ve not even tried to back up your claim about the meaning of the word “cannibal” in ancient Hebrew/Phoenician. It’s just a blind assertion. Why would that concern anyone?

 

[Sir Doom]

I used to hate connect-the-dots when I was a kid. They always put those numbers on the dots that trick you into thinking there is a picture there. When you do it the real way it's always a spiderweb. Spiders are taking over and nobody is concerned.

 

[David1967]

Jesus sanctioned cannabalism and taught the importance of his followers committing themselves to eating flesh and drinking blood, that they may have life in them. I explain it here:
https://www.religiousforums.com/threads/chow-down-on-the-lamb-of-god.210909/

Symbolically. As far as I know only one denomination believes in transubstantiation. And that is a creepy thought.

 

[David1967]

The word "cannibal" means something like "priesthood of baal" in Hebrew or Phoenician. Is anyone concerned?

Nope, not concerned at all. Baal was a Canaanite god. The Europeans had their own set of deities.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Well anyone who has read Caesar's Gallic Wars knows that the Gauls were purportedly into human sacrifice on a large scale. They would basically vow sacrifices before a battle and if they won; they would sacrifice their captives to please their patron deity. This practice died down when they learned they could sell captives to the Romans instead in exchange for wine or other valuables.

Making Caesar out to be a reliable source about the Gauls is a lot like making Hitler out to be a reliable source about the Jews.

Did it ever occur to you that the mastermind of a genocide might portray his victims badly to justify his own crimes?