The Emesa temple to the sun god Elagabalus with baetyl at centre. Roman coin of 3rd century AD.
Baetylus (also Baetyl, Bethel, or Betyl, from Semitic bet el "house of god"; compare Bethel, Beit El) are sacred stones which were supposedly endowed with life, or gave access to a deity. According to ancient sources, at least some of these objects of worship were meteorites, which were dedicated to the gods or revered as symbols of the gods themselves.[1]
Other accounts suggest contact with them could give access to epiphanic experiences of the deity. The baetyl has been described by Wendy Doniger as "the parent form for altars and iconic statuary".[2] In general the baetyl was believed to have something inherent in its own nature which made it sacred, rather than becoming sacred by human intervention, such as carving it into a cult image. Some baetyls were left in their natural state, but others were worked on by sculptors. The exact definition of a baetyl, as opposed to other types of sacred stones, "cult stones" and so on, is rather vague both in ancient and modern sources.[3] In some contexts, especially relating to Nabataean sites like Petra, the term is commonly used for shaped and carved stelae.[4]
They had a role in most regions of the ancient Near East and Greek and Roman religion, as well as other cultures.
^Chisholm 1911 cites Pliny's Natural History xvii. 9; Photios I of Constantinople, Myriobiblon, Codex 242.
^Doniger 2000, p. 106.
^Augustine Pagolu, in Chapter 4, "Sacred Pillars" of The Religion of the Patriarchs, 1998 (Bloomsbury Academic, ISBN 9781850759355) attempts to make distinctions based on ancient sources, arguably with little success.
Baetylus (also Baetyl, Bethel, or Betyl, from Semitic bet el "house of god"; compare Bethel, Beit El) are sacred stones which were supposedly endowed with...
round-topped stela standing on a raised platform. Ancient Egyptian creation myths Baetylus Egyptian sun temple Abzu Lingam List of Egyptian pyramidia Hart, p.16 Corinna...
Religion. Cambridge University Press. p. 441. ISBN 1108009492 Compare: Baetylus. In Semitic: sacred stone Martin Nilsson (1967). Vol I. p. 556 Huxley,...
deliveryman. Asherah pole – Canaanite sacred tree or pole honouring goddess Baetylus – Type of sacred standing stone Carlin stone – Name of many stones in Scotland...
menorah and burning bush narrative, as described in the Book of Exodus. Baetylus, type of sacred standing stone High place, raised place of worship Ceremonial...
promises Jacob the land of Canaan; when Jacob awakes he anoints the stone (baetylus) with oil and names the place Bethel. Another account, from Genesis 35...
mundi Black Stone Jerusalem in Islam Jerusalem in Judaism Mount Gerizim Baetylus t. Yoma 2:12; y. Yoma 5:3; b. Yoma 54b; PdRK 26:4; Lev. R. 20:4. m. Yoma...
plain (Judges 9:6), and this pillar is thought to be likely to have been a baetylus of El-Berith; the Joshua story, of a stone being set up as a witness, simply...
Seat contains a stele or baetylus Hellenistic Region of Tyre National Museum of Beirut none Seat contains a stele or baetylus 4th century BCE Umm al-Amad...
Arab sun god. He brought the image of this god, a conical black stone (Baetylus), to the Elagabalium in Rome. Emesa also grew wealthy because it formed...
who was represented by a black conical meteorite from Emesa. This was a baetylus. Herodian wrote "this stone is worshipped as though it were sent from heaven;...
Island) Monolithic type Menhir: a large single upright standing stone. Baetylus Alignments (or Stone row avenues [e.g., Linear arrangement of upright,...
from the sky, from Pessinus to Rome (Livy 10.4-11.18). This was called a baetylus Vergil, Aeneid I.647-655. "He who walks into battle" Alan Cameron, The...
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