Excavation at Ugarit (Ras Shamra) on the Syrian coast opposite the North Eastern tip of the island of Cyprus, brought to light many religious artifacts and hundreds of clay tablets, now known as the Ras Shamra texts, thought to be the liturgies of or the words spoken by those participating in the rituals.
In the texts, Baal, also called Aliyan, meaning "the one who prevails," is referred to as "Prince"(Zabul),
"Lord of the Earth,"and the "Rider of the Clouds." This harmonizes with its symbolic representation as holding a club in his right hand and a stylized lightning flash with a spearhead in his left. He is also depicted as wearing a helmet with horns, suggesting an intimate connection with the bull, a symbol of fertility.
The changes of the seasons and the resulting effects were thought to come in cycles because of the never-ending conflicts between the gods. The cessation of the rains and the dying of vegetation were attributed to the triumph of the god Mot (death and aridity) over Baal (rain and fertility), compelling Baal to withdraw into the depths of the earth.
The beginning of the rainy season indicated that Baal had awakened to life. It was made possible by the triumph of Baal's sister Anath over Mot, allowing her brother Baal to return to his throne. The mating of Baal with his wife, Ashtoreth, ensured fertility for the coming year.
The farming and cattle-raising was thought that their engaging in a prescribed ritual, supernatural forces would help to stimulate their gods to action according to the pattern enacted at their religious festivals and was necessary to ensure productive crops and herds in the coming year and to avert droughts, locust plagues, and so forth. Baal's coming to life again and to be enthroned and mated with his consort, then, was celebrated with licentious fertility rites, marked by sexual orgies of unrestrained debauchery.
In the Scriptures, the Hebrew word Ba'al is employed with reference to:
1) A husband as owner of his wife. -Genesis 19 and 20: ... The Lord rained on Sodom and Gomor'Rah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the Valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. (Luke 17: .. on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all ..) ... From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abim'elech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abim'elech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife." Now Abim'elech had not approached her; so he said, "Lord, will You slay an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this." Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart,and it was I who kept you from sinning against me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now then restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you, and all that are yours."
2) Landowners. -Joshua 24: Joshua gathered all the Tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Your fathers lived of old beyond the Eu-phra'tes, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac; and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Se'ir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it; and afterwards I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. And when they cried to the Lord, he put Darkness between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt; and you lived in the wilderness a long time. (Luke 17 .. Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz'arus in like manner evil things; but now Laz'arus is comforted here, and you (rich man) are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there [Hades] to us [Abraham's bosom]).' 'Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and you took possession of their land, and destroyed them before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and invited Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand. And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the men of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Per'izzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Gir'gashites, the Hivites, and the Jeb'usites; and I gave them into your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your sword or by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a Land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you dwell therein; you eat the fruit of the vineyards and olive-yards which you did not plant.' 'Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in Sincerity and in Faithfulness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose Land you dwell; but as for me (Joshua) and my house, we will serve the Lord.'
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