Emperor Justinian and Papal primacy

Emperor Justinian is often known for his Erastianism aka Caesaropapism where essentially the government controls the Church (he appointed and deposed bishops at will, kidnapped, and imprisoned others, his wife deposed in effect Pope St. Silverius). Yet, he is venerated as a saint by Byzantine Christianity alongside the similarly troublesome Emperor Constantine the Great. However, despite Justinian's deposition and replacement of bishops, he also seemed to recognize the authority of the Roman See.

Justinian in a letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople (who he illicitly called ecumenical) states the Pope of Rome is the "head of the most holy priest of God" and wanted to protect unity with the Papacy:

...We issued a divine edict, also known to Your Holiness, in which We refuted the madness of the heretics; yet We neither have changed nor now change nor have neglected the status of the Church, which has hitherto prevailed with the help of God, as Your Blessedness also knows; but in all things We have protected the unity of the most holy churches with the most holy Pope and Patriarch of ancient Rome, to whom We have written a similar letter.  For We suffer nothing concerning the state of the Church to be withheld from His Blessedness, inasmuch as he is the head (κεφαλή) of the most holy priests of God, and because whenever heretics have arisen in those parts (the West), they have been restrained by the counsel and the correct judgment of his Venerable See.--The Codex of Justinian, First Book, 1.6-1.7, page 25, Letter of Emperor Justinian to Patriarch Epiphanius of Constantinople, March 26, AD 533. 

..δπερ καί ή σή γινώσκει άγιωσύνη, δι’ οΰ τήν τών αιρετικών μανίαν ήλέγξαμεν, ούδέν παντελώς έναλλάξαντες ή έναλλάττοντες ή παρεξελθόντες τής μέχρι νϋν σύν θεώ κρατούσης εκκλησιαστικής καταστάσεως, καθά και ή σή γινώσκει μακαριστής, άλλα διά πάντων φυλάττοντες τήν κατάστασιν τής ένώσεως τών άγιωτάτων εκκλησιών τής πρός τόν άγιώτατον πάπαν τής πρεσβυτέρας 'Ρώμης κα'ι πατριάρχην, πρός δν καί τά δμοια τούτοις γεγράφαμεν. Ούτε γάρ άνεχόμεθά τι τών εις εκκλησιαστικήν όρώντων κατάστασιν μή καί τή αυτού άναφέρεσθαι μακαριότητι, ώς κεφαλή ουση πάντων τών άγιωτάτων του θεοΰ ιερέων, καί επειδή, οσάκις έν τούτοις τοϊς μέρεσιν αιρετικοί άνεφύησαν, τή γνώμη καί ορθή κρίσει έκείνου τοΰ σεβασμίου θρόνου κατηργήθησαν. 3· Έκ γάρ τών παρουσών θείων ήμών συλλαβών μαθήσεται ή σή άγιωσύνη τά παρ’ ήμών προτεθειμένα, έφ’ ω τούς έπιχειροΰντας πονηρώς νοεΐν ή έρμηνεύειν τά παρ’ ήμών όρθώς έν τώ ήδίκτω λεχθέντα έκ τών παρουσών θείων ήμών έλέγχεσθαι συλλαβών. --The Codex of Justinian, First Book, 1.6-1.7, page 24, Letter of Emperor Justinian to Patriarch Epiphanius of Constantinople, March 26, AD 533. (Greek text)

In a letter to Pope John II, Emperor Justinian stated he made the Eastern churches subject and united to the Papacy, again stating the Papacy is "the head of all holy churches."

Rendering honor to the Apostolic See and to Your Holiness, which has always been and remains Our wish, as it ought to be, and honoring Your Blessedness as a father, We hasten to bring to the notice of Your Holiness everything concerning the status of the churches, since We have always greatly desired to preserve the unity of Your Apostolic See and to maintain the status of the Holy Churches of God, as it has heretofore prevailed and continues undisturbed without the interference of anything to the contrary. 9. We have therefore hastened to make all priests of the whole Orient subject to the See of Your Holiness and to unite them with it. 10. And We therefore deemed it necessary to bring to the notice of Your Holiness what action presently has been taken here, although it is clear and unquestioned and has ever been resolutely observed and preached by all priests in accord with the teaching of Your Apostolic See. For We permit no action to be taken concerning the status of the churches, however clear and unquestioned it may be, but that it should come to the notice of Your Holiness, because You are the head of all holy churches. For in all ways, as stated, We strive to increase the honor and authority of Your See.--The Codex of Justinian, First Book, 1.8, page 34-35, Letter of Emperor Justinian to Pope John II, June 6, AD 533. 

Reddentes honorem apostolicae sedi et vestrae sanctitati, quod semper nobis in voto fuit et est, ut decet, patrem honorantes vestram beatitudinem omnia, quae ad ecclesiarum statum pertinent, festinamus ad notitiam deferre vestrae sanctitatis, quoniam semper magnum nobis fuit studium unitatem vestrae apostolicae sedis et statum sanctarum dei ecclesiarum custodiri, qui hactenus obtinet et incommote permanet nulla intercedente contrarietate. 9. Ideoque omnes sacerdotes universi orientalis tractus et subicere et unire sedi vestrae sanctitatis properavimus. 10. Et in praesenti ergo quae hic commota sunt, quamvis manifesta et indubitata sint et secundum apostolicae vestrae sedis doctrinam ab omnibus semper sacerdotibus firme custodita et praedicata, necessarium duximus, ut ad notitiam vestrae sanctitatis perveniant. 11. Nec enim patimur quicquam, quod ad ecclesiarum statum pertinet, quamvis manifestum et indubitatum sit, quod movetur, ut non etiam vestrae innotescat sanctitati, quia caput est omnium sanctarum ecclesiarum, per omnia enim, ut dictum est, properamus honorem et auctoritatem crescere vestrae sedis. --The Codex of Justinian, First Book, 1.8, page 34-35, Letter of Emperor Justinian to Pope John II, June 6, AD 533. (Latin text)

In the same letter it states he follows the Roman church "in all things":

This then is Your true faith, this Your unshakeable religion; this all the fathers of blessed memory, as We have said, and the heads of the Roman Church, whom We follow in all things; this the Apostolic See has preached to this day and unshakeably guarded. Every opponent of this confession, of this faith, has declared himself alien to Holy Communion, alien to the Catholic Church--The Codex of Justinian, First Book, 1.8, page 38, Letter of Emperor Justinian to Pope John II, June 6, AD 533.

Haec est igitur vestra vera fides, haec certa religio, hoc beatae recordationis, ut diximus, patres omnes praesulesque Romanae ecclesiae, quos in omnibus sequimur, hoc sedes apostolica praedicavit hactenus et inconvulse custodivit: huic confessioni, huic fidei quisquis contradictor extiterit, alienum a sancta communione, alienum se ipse ab ecclesia indicavit esse catholica. --The Codex of Justinian, First Book, 1.8, page 37, Letter of Emperor Justinian to Pope John II, June 6, AD 533.

 In the same codex Justinian contained Pope John II's letter to the Emperor, where the pope asserts he is the read of the churches:

Amid the glowing praise of the wisdom of Your Mildness, Most Christian of Emperors, there shines with an especially pure light, like that of a star, the fact that You, in Your zeal for the faith and Your Christian charity, well instructed in the teachings of the Church, keep (Your) reverence of the See of Rome, submit everything to it, and lead everything to its unity; to whose founder, that is, the First of the Apostles, Our Lord gave this precept: "Feed my sheep.”[John 21] That this See is truly the head of all churches, both the regulations of the fathers and the statutes of emperors declare, as the most reverent utterances of Your Piety also attest.--Letter of Pope John II to Emperor Justinian, First Book, 1.7-8, page 31

Inter claras sapientiae mansuetudinis vestrae laudes, christianissime principum, puriore luce tamquam aliquod sidus irradiat, quod amore fidei, quod caritatis studio, edocti ecclesiasticis disciplinis, Romanae sedis reverentiam conservatis et ei cuncta subicitis et ad eius deducitis unitatem, ad cuius auctorem, hoc est apostolorum primum, domino loquente praeceptum est: ‘pasce oves meas’. i. Quam esse omnium vere ecclesiarum caput et patrum regulae et principum statuta declarant et pietatis vestrae reverentissimi testantur affatus --Letter of Pope John II to Emperor Justinian, First Book, 1.7-8, page 30

To be continued... 

Leavened vs Unleavened bread, Does artos always mean leavened bread?

On the issue of leaven bread vs unleavened bread, some claim artos always means leavened bread and cannot mean unleavened bread, and since Christ used artos in the last supper, therefore leavened bread was used.

Jesus refers to the showbread simply as artous:

how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread (ἄρτους) of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?”--Luke 6:4

Ὡς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔλαβεν, καὶ ἔφαγεν, καὶ ἔδωκεν καὶ τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ, οὓς οὐκ ἔξεστιν φαγεῖν εἰ μὴ μόνους τοὺς ἱερεῖς;--Luke 6:4

The bread is found in the book of Exodus and called lehem (bread) in Hebrew, artous in Greek:

 And thou shalt set upon the table showbread (לֶחֶם פָּנִים) before Me alway--Exodus 25:30

וְנָתַתָּ עַל-הַשֻּׁלְחָן לֶחֶם פָּנִים, לְפָנַי תָּמִיד.--Exodus 25:30 MT

 And you shall place upon the table facing loaves (ἄρτους), in front me always.--Exodus 25:30 NETS translation of LXX

καὶ ἐπιθήσεις ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν ἄρτους ἐνωπίους ἐναντίον μου διὰ παντός--Exodus 25:29 (30) LXX

The Bread of the Presence is referred to by Josephus as both artous (bread) and azymous (unleavened).

Upon this table, which was placed on the north side of the temple, not far from the most holy place, were laid twelve unleavened loaves of bread, six upon each heap, one above another: they were made of two tenth-deals of the purest flour, which tenth-deal [an omer] is a measure of the Hebrews, containing seven Athenian cotyloe; and above those loaves were put two vials full of frankincense. Now after seven days other loaves were brought in their stead, on the day which is by us called the Sabbath; for we call the seventh day the Sabbath. But for the occasion of this intention of placing loaves here, we will speak to it in another place.--Josephus Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3.142 

ἐπὶ ταύτης, ἐτίθετο γὰρ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τετραμμένη πρὸς ἄρκτον οὐ πόρρω τοῦ μυχοῦ, διετίθεσαν ἄρτους τε δώδεκα ἀζύμους κατὰ ἓξ ἐπαλλήλους καθαροῦ πάνυ τοῦ ἀλεύρου ἐκ δύο ἀσσάρων, ὃ μέτρον Ἑβραίων ἑπτὰ κοτύλας Ἀττικὰς ἔχει. --Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book 3.142

Continuing on the same subject, Josephus simply referred to it as simply arton/artoi

and above those loaves (ἄρτων) were put two vials full of frankincense. Now after seven days other loaves (ἄρτοι) were brought in their stead, on the day which is by us called the Sabbath; for we call the seventh day the Sabbath. But for the occasion of this intention of placing loaves here, we will speak to it in another place. 

ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν ἄρτων ἐτίθεντο φιάλαι δύο χρύσεαι λιβάνου πλήρεις, μετὰ δὲ ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ πάλιν ἄλλοι ἐκομίζοντο ἄρτοι ἐν τῷ καλουμένῳ ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν Σαββάτῳ: τὴν γὰρ ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν Σάββατα καλοῦμεν: τὴν δ᾽ αἰτίαν ἐξ ἧς ταῦτα ἐπενοήθησαν ἐν ἑτέροις ἐροῦμεν.  

 Josephus saw no issue in calling unleavened bread as ἄρτους. This undermines the claim artos always means leavened bread.

In addition, Jews regard the bread as matzah, unleavened bread like that used for passover.

This Jewish article states the temple show bread was unleavened:

It was called bread, but it was matzah. It stood in the open air for a full week and didn’t become stale. And its preparation required special expertise.--The Showbread: The How and Why of the Temple Bread Offering

The Talmud says:

it is written here bread’,14 and it is also written in connection with the Two Loaves ‘bread’;15 as there there was one tenth [of an ephah] for each loaf, so here there must be one tenth for each cake. Or perhaps argue thus: it is written here ‘bread’, and also there in connection with the Shewbread it is written ‘bread’;16 as there there were two tenths for each loaf, so here there must be two tenths for each cake. Let us then see to which of the two is this case most similar. We may infer a meal-offering which is leavened and offered with an animal-offering17 from another meal-offering which is leavened and is offered with an animal-offering,18 but let not the Shewbread enter into the argument seeing that it is neither leavened nor offered with an animal-offering.--Talmud, Tractate: Menachoth 77b 

In a long debate about over Leviticus 2:11 and when and how the prohibition of leaven is applied, one rabbi mentioned:  

R. Akiba says, It includes the Shewbread, so that it too comes within the prohibition of leavening.--Talmud, Tractate: Menachoth 57b 

As a side note, the Talmud says also:

they used to lift it [shewbread table] up and exhibit the Shewbread on it to those who came up for the festivals, saying to them, Behold, God's love for you!--Menachoth 29a

Reminiscent of "behold the lamb of God" when the eucharistic host is lifted up by the priest in the Roman rite.

One reason for why it's unlikely leavened bread was used for the showbread was because Leviticus banned its use:

No grain offering that you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven (חָמֵץ), for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the LORD.--Leviticus 2:11

כָּל-הַמִּנְחָה, אֲשֶׁר תַּקְרִיבוּ לַיהוָה--לֹא תֵעָשֶׂה, חָמֵץ:  כִּי כָל-שְׂאֹר וְכָל-דְּבַשׁ, לֹא-תַקְטִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה.--Leviticus 2:11 MT 

You shall not prepare any sacrifice that you may bring to the Lord, with leaven (ζυμωτόν), for you shall not present any leaven (ζύμην) and any honey to offer of it to the Lord.--Leviticus 2:11 (NETS translation of LXX)

πᾶσαν θυσίαν ἣν ἂν προσφέρητε κυρίῳ οὐ ποιήσετε ζυμωτόν πᾶσαν γὰρ ζύμην καὶ πᾶν μέλι οὐ προσοίσετε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ καρπῶσαι κυρίῳ --Leviticus 2:11 LXX

For this reason, it seems unlikely the Eucharist would use leavened bread. 

Cleanse out the old leaven (ζύμην) that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened (ἄζυμοι). For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.--1 Corinthians 5:7

Ἐκκαθάρατε τὴν παλαιὰν ζύμην, ἵνα ἦτε νέον φύραμα, καθώς ἐστε ἄζυμοι. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ Πάσχα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη χριστός·--1 Corinthians 5:7 Byzantine Majority

St Paul says to cast out the leaven and be unleavened, and that Christ is our passover. For the passover, leaven was strictly forbidden.

Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. --Exodus 12:15

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, מַצּוֹת תֹּאכֵלוּ--אַךְ בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, תַּשְׁבִּיתוּ שְּׂאֹר מִבָּתֵּיכֶם:  כִּי כָּל-אֹכֵל חָמֵץ, וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל--מִיּוֹם הָרִאשֹׁן, עַד-יוֹם הַשְּׁבִעִי.--Exodus 12:15

The Greek translation of the LXX reads:

For seven days you shall eat unleavened (ἄζυμα) bread, but from the first day you shall remove leaven (ζύμην) from your houses. Everyone, whoever eats leaven (ζύμην), that soul shall be destroyed from Israel, from the first day until the seventh day.--Exodus 12:15 (NETS translation of LXX)

ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἄζυμα ἔδεσθε ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς πρώτης ἀφανιεῖτε ζύμην ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν ὑμῶν πᾶς ὃς ἂν φάγῃ ζύμην ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐξ Ισραηλ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς πρώτης ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς ἑβδόμης--Exodus 12:15 LXX

The main argument that Christ used leavened is based on the assumption that the Last Supper was not a Passover meal, regardless, Paul certainly believed Christ was the Passover sacrifice.

We see St Cyril of Jerusalem believed the showbread was a foreshadow of the eucharist:

5. In the Old Testament also there was show-bread; but this, as it belonged to the Old Testament, has come to an end; but in the New Testament there is Bread of heaven, and a Cup of salvation, sanctifying soul and body; for as the Bread corresponds to our body, so is the Word appropriate to our soul.--St Cyril of Jerusalem. Catechetical Lectures: chapter 22

Likewise, St Basil of Caesarea:

He proclaims the renewal of the Temple, the observance of the worship of the Law, a typical high priest over again after the real High Priest, and a sacrifice for sins after the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. [John 1:29] He preaches partial baptisms after the one baptism, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the Church which, through its faith in Christ, has not spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; [Ephesians 5:27] cleansing of leprosy after the painless state of the resurrection; an offering of jealousy when they neither marry nor are given in marriage; show-bread after the Bread from heaven; burning lamps after the true Light. In a word, if the law of the Commandments has been done away with by dogmas, it is plain that under these circumstances the dogmas of Christ will be nullified by the injunctions of the law. --St Basil, Letter 265

St John of Damascus when writing about the eucharist states:

With bread and wine Melchisedek, the priest of the most high God, received Abraham on his return from the slaughter of the Gentiles. [Genesis 14:18] That table pre-imaged this mystical table, just as that priest was a type and image of Christ, the true high-priest. [Leviticus xiv] For you are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek. Of this bread the show-bread was an image. This surely is that pure and bloodless sacrifice which the Lord through the prophet said is offered to Him from the rising to the setting of the sun [Malachi 1:11] . --St John Damascene, An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV: chapter 13

Likewise, when discussing the traditional practice of abstinence from sex prior to receiving communion (along the same lines Roman priestly celibacy is linked to this too), St Jerome, St Augustine, and St Gregory the Great cite the passage in the gospel about the show bread:

I am out of order in violating historical sequence, but I may point out that the same thing was said by [1 Samuel 21:4] Ahimelech the priest to David when he fled to Nob: "If only the young men have kept themselves from women." And David answered, "of a truth about these three days." For the show-bread, like the body of Christ, might not be eaten by those who rose from the marriage bed.--St Jerome, Against Jovinianus (Book I)

Hence also it is said through the priest to David concerning his servants, that if they were pure from women they might eat the show bread; which they might not receive at all unless David first declared them to be pure from women. Still a man who after intercourse with his wife has been washed with water may receive even the mystery of sacred communion, since according to the opinion above expressed it was allowable for him to enter the church.--Pope Gregory the Great, Registrum Epistolarum: Book XI, Letter 64 

The argument that leavened bread should be used for the eucharist mostly only works within the framework of Byzantinized Christianity that sees the leaven as symbolic of life and resurrection. The Biblical symbolism largely favors the unleavened bread.

Shared title of God and gods in the OT

Also see part II on Bible characters.

A popular charge against Catholics by some more radical and low church Protestants, Seventh Day Adventists (Sunday=pagan--though they ignore evidence pagans also had sabbaths), and Jehovah Witnesses (Trinity=pagan--though they ignore their view of Jehovah and Jesus' relationship resembles pagan gods granting their authority to inferior gods) is that we incorporate elements of paganism. This claim is also sometimes made by Jewish anti-missionaries about the New Testament. What they fail to see is that the Bible, the Old Testament especially, itself incorporates some aspects of paganism, demythologizes and baptizes them. Some or much of these can be explained by the verse:

 For it is precept for a precept, precept for a precept, line for a line... --Isaiah 28:10

Generally, translated "line upon line" but the words for "upon" is not there but rather L' is used which means either to, for, about, or concerning. The explanation provided by those such as the interpreter Rashi is God provides a law to counter the law of a pagan deity. Perhaps, part of God's plan was to rob the idols of their glory by taking away their names for Himself.

This article is not to say that the borrowing of ideas is only one way, in fact there are times where pagans copy the Old Testament verses and Jews and others copy from the New Testament. But this article will mostly focus on the former. 

Titles of God:

El shaddai

וַיְהִי אַבְרָם, בֶּן-תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה וְתֵשַׁע שָׁנִים; וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי-אֵל שַׁדַּי--הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי, וֶהְיֵה תָמִים--Genesis 17:1

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him: 'I am God Almighty (el shaddai אֵל שַׁדַּי); walk before Me, and be thou wholehearted.—Genesis 17:1

 The word "shaddai" has been debated a long time, it seems to be a word used before Bible times, or at least influenced by it.

On the matter of the similar titles:

"A number of scholars believe the name Shadday, usually found as El-shadday, reflects the epithet bel sade, 'Lord of the Mountain', currently carried by Amurru."-- Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, pages 32

"In spite of the absence of the theonym Amurru in the Bible, the god nevertheless plays a significant role in OT scholarship. The reason for this is the interpretation of the Shadday (often occurring in the combination El-Shadday) as "Mountaineer" or "the Mountain One' (first proposed by WF Albright, The Names Shaddai and Abram, JBL 54 [1935] 173-204, esp. 184). Various authors consider this the Canaanite equivalent of Amurru's epithet be-l sade, 'Lord of the Mountain', they draw the conclusion that Shadday (or El-shadday) is to be identified with Amurri (eg E Burrows, The Meaning of El Shadai, JTS 41 [1940] 152-160; L. R. Bailey, Israelite 'El Sadday and Amorite Bel Sade, JBL 87 [1968] 434-438; J OUELLETTE, More on 'El sadday and Bel sade, JBL 88 [1969] 470-471....

"The interpretation of sadday as 'the Mountain One;', however, is far from certain. On the basis of Ug sd(y) and Heb sadeh, a meaning 'of the field' is much more plausible. The equation of (El-)Shadday with Amurru must therefore be regarded as unproven."--Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, pages 33-34 

The ancient near east John Day disputes the conclusion offered and says:

The two most widely accepted views today render the name El-Shaddai either as 'El, the mountain one', relating it to Akkadian Sadii 'mountain' (and Saddd'u, Saddu'a., 'mountain inhabitant'), or as 'El of the field', connecting it with Hebrew sadeh 'field'. It is a disadvantage to the latter understanding that the Hebrew word for 'field' has ś, whereas Shaddai has š. Since the meaning 'mountain' is thought to derive from the word for 'breast', the fact that Hebrew here has š is also appropriate. Further, Cross observes that in a Hurrian hymn El is described as 'El, the one of the mountain' ('II paban-hi-wi-ni). He also notes that an epithet resembling 'el-Sadday, namely, bel šade 'lord of the mountain' is employed of the Amorite deity called Amurru...Since, moreover, this epithet is here applied to the gods in their role as members of the divine assembly, which characteristically met on a mountain, the meaning 'mountain ones' seems very appropriate, much more so than 'those of the field'. judging from such facts as that this deity is also called Ilu-Amurru and has a liaison with Asratum, the counterpart of Athirat (Asherah), El's consort, Cross suggests that Amurru is to be regarded as the Amorite El.--Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan, Chapter 1: Yahweh and El. pages 32-33. John Day

According to worldhistory.org on the section entitled "Amorite" it says they worshipped a god of similar title: 

Amorite. They worshipped their own pantheon of gods with a chief deity named Amurru (also known as Belu Sadi - 'Lord of the Mountains' whose wife, Belit-Seri was 'Lady of the Desert'), which also became a designation for the people as the Akkadians also referred to them as 'the people of Amurru' and to the region of Syria as 'Amurru'-- https://www.worldhistory.org/amorite/

 Concerning their time and place: 

The Amorites were a Semitic people who seem to have emerged from western Mesopotamia (modern-day Syria) at some point prior to the 3rd millennium BCE. --https://www.worldhistory.org/amorite/

 The peak of Amorite civilization was:

From their first appearance in the historical record, the Amorites had a profound impact on the history of Mesopotamia and are probably best known for their kingdom of Babylonia under the Amorite king Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BCE). --https://www.worldhistory.org/amorite/

 As can be seen, Amorite civilization existed before the Patriarch Abraham and peaked before Moses wrote the Torah. 

 The article also notes the Patriarchs came from the same culture as the Amorites:

The scholar Paul Kriwaczek writes:

Terah's family were not Sumerian. They have long been identified with the very people, the Amurru or Amorites, whom Mesopotamian tradition blamed for Ur's downfall. William Hallo, Professor of Assyriology at Yale University, confirms that 'growing linguistic evidence based chiefly on the recorded personal names of persons identified as Amorites…shows that the new group spoke a variety of Semitic ancestral to later Hebrew, Aramaic and Phoenician.' What is more, as depicted in the Bible, the details of the patriarch's tribal organization, naming conventions, family structure, customs of inheritance and land tenure, genealogical schemes, and other vestiges of nomadic life are too close to the more laconic evidence of the cuneiform records to be dismissed out of hand as late fabrications. (163-164) --https://www.worldhistory.org/amorite/

 In fact, if you look at the names of Abraham's ancestors, cities in southern Turkey and Syria still have those names. 

 Baal in Hebrew means Husband/Master. The Bible tends to avoid the word for Baal because of its negative connotation with paganism. Baal was replaced with El…God. We still see some usage of Baal for God:

For thy Maker is thy husband (בֹעֲלַיִךְ vo'alaik), the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer, the God of the whole earth shall He be called.--Isaiah 54:5 

כִּי בֹעֲלַיִךְ עֹשַׂיִךְ, יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ; וְגֹאֲלֵךְ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֱלֹהֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ יִקָּרֵא. --Isaiah 54:5 (Masoretic text)

 The word ba'al means in Hebrew master/husband, 1 Peter makes a point of this double meaning. 

The word/name Ba'al:

Baal (also given as Ba'al) is a Canaanite-Phoenician god of fertility and weather, specifically rainstorms. The name was also used as a title, however, meaning "Lord" and was applied to a number of different deities throughout the ancient Near East. Baal is best known today from the Bible as the antagonist of the Israelite cult of Yahweh.--https://www.worldhistory.org/baal/

 Jastrow on Ba'al says:

בַּעַל m. (b. h.; preced.) 1) husband. Kidd. I, 1 and she becomes her own master בגט ובמיתת הב׳ through a letter of divorce or on the husband’s death; a. v. fr. —2) the idol Baal. Y. Ab. Zar. III, 43ᵃ bot. ב׳ ראש גוייה הוה וכ׳ the Baal was the phallus and had the shape of a bean [read וכאפון]. —3) [the fructifier,] rain (v. Taan. 6ᵇ; cmp. Is. LV, 10). בֵּית בַּ׳ a field sufficiently watered by rain and requiring no artificial irrigation. Tosef. M. Kat. I, 1 שדה (בית) הב׳. B. Bath. III, 1. Tosef. Succ. II, 7 ערבה של ב׳ (sub. בית) a willow in a naturally watered field. Ib. Shebi. II, 4 בשל ב׳ (= בשדה של ב׳), opp. של שוקי. Num. R. s. 16 the Egyptian gods של שקר הם (read שקי) are gods of artificial drainage, but those of Canaan של ב׳ הם are gods of rain; (Tanḥ. Sh’laḥ 13, through misunderstanding, שקר … בעליכח. —4) (mostly in compounds) owner of, master of, possessed of, given to &c.; e.g. ב׳ אבידה owner of a lost object; ב׳ אגדה master of Agadah, lecturer; ב׳ דין opponent in court; v. infra. Pes. 86ᵇ ב׳ השם אני I am so named.—Pl. בְּעָלִים, בְּעָלִין owners; mostly as sing. owner. B. Mets. VIII, 1; a. fr. [Y. Dem. III, 23ᵇ bot. לבלעין, read לבעלין.]

Regardless, El and Ba'al are both names/titles of deities. The Bible is either reusing the title El shaddai from pagan sources, or slightly changed its meaning to fit the Hebraic environment.

 Also, noteworthy is that the Semitic sun god, Shamash, was previously called Utu (see the next section) by the Mesopotamians, and he was referred to as "lord of the mountain": 

Whoever has eaten good bread has also drunk good beer, in the house where the righteous man has filled the bowls with liquor -- the lord of the storehouse, the Great Mountain Enlil; the lady of the storehouse, the great mother Ninlil; youthful Utu, lord of the mountain; Šerida, youthful leader of battle; the Enki and Ninki deities; Enmul and Ninmul. 

Unto distant days, indeed forever, stand by the righteous man who gives you bread, O exalted one, O exalted one, O exalted one -- elalu! Unto distant days, indeed forever, stand by the most righteous of men who gives you bread, O lord of the storehouse, Great Mountain Enlil! O lady of the storehouse, great mother Ninlil! O youthful Utu, lord of the mountain!--The Literature of Ancient Sumer, A šir-namšub to Utu (Utu E), page 260 see also here

Sun of Righteousness/justice:

The title "sun of righteous" is used in the Old Testament, a passage often applied to Christ.

וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם יִרְאֵי שְׁמִי, שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה, וּמַרְפֵּא, בִּכְנָפֶיהָ; וִיצָאתֶם וּפִשְׁתֶּם, כְּעֶגְלֵי מַרְבֵּק

But unto you that fear My name shall the sun of righteousness (שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה shemesh tzakah) arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.—Malachi 3:20

The context of the verse is divine justice/judgement to repay the humans for their works.

The pagan sun god was called "Shamash" (literally sun), and like Malachi's verse was associated with justice and healing:

Shamash was the sun god in the mythology of the ancient Near East. Associated with truth, justice, and healing, he was one of the most active gods in the pantheons of ancient Sumer*, Babylonia*, and Assyria*.-- https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/ancient-religions/ancient-religion/shamash

 The god Shamash was also depicted with wings: 

Utu (also known as Shamash, Samas, and Babbar) is the Sumerian god of the sun and divine justice. He is the son of the moon god Nanna and the fertility goddess Ningal in the Sumerian tradition but was known as Shamash (Samas) to the Akkadians who claimed Anu or Enlil as his father.

He is usually depicted as an old man with a long beard whose shoulders emanate rays of light but is also represented as the solar disc or, in the Neo-Assyrian Period (c. 912-612 BCE), as a disc with wings. The famous law code of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE) addresses Shamash by name and claims it was he who provided humanity with law.

As the sun sailing across the sky could obviously see everything that transpired on earth, Utu/Shamash was not only the bringer of light but the arbiter of justice. Scholar Jeremy Black notes how Utu/Shamash "represents the brilliant light of the sun which returns every day to illuminate the life of mankind, as well as giving beneficial warmth which causes plants to grow" (182). The light of the sun was thought to be able to penetrate and pierce every level of the earth, even to the underworld, and illuminate the human heart. There was nothing, therefore, which Utu/Shamash did not see. -- https://www.worldhistory.org/Utu-Shamash/

Another description says,

UTU - (also known as Shamash, Samas, Babbar) - The Sumerian god of the sun and justice, one of the oldest deities in the Mesopotamian Pantheon, dating from c. 3500 BCE. See SHAMASH.--World History Encyclopedia, The Mesopotamian Pantheon

Here on page 27 you can see imagery of Shamash with solar rays and holding a saw symbolizing judgement.

Here are instances of Shamash being called (universal) judge and being associated with righteousness.

"O Shamash, thou art the judge of the world. thou directest the decisions thereof."--Man and the Sun, Sun of Justice, Babylonian Hymn to the Sun, page 81

The epilogue of the code of Hammurabi describes the Sun god as "judge of heaven and earth":

The king who ruleth among the kings of the cities am I. My words are well considered; there is no wisdom like unto mine. By the command of Shamash, the great judge of heaven and earth, let righteousness go forth in the land: by the order of Marduk, my lord, let no destruction befall my monument. In E-Sagil, which I love, let my name be ever repeated; let the oppressed, who has a case at law, come and stand before this my image as king of righteousness; let him read the inscription, and understand my precious words: the inscription will explain his case to him; he will find out what is just, and his heart will be glad...--Code of Hammurabi, Epilogue

Hammurabi, the king of righteousness, on whom Shamash has conferred right (or law) am I... If a succeeding ruler considers my words, which I have written in this my inscription, if he do not annul my law, nor corrupt my words, nor change my monument, then may Shamash lengthen that king's reign, as he has that of me, the king of righteousness, that he may reign in righteousness over his subjects....May Shamash, the great Judge of heaven and earth, who supporteth all means of livelihood, Lord of life-courage, shatter his dominion, annul his law, destroy his way, make vain the march of his troops, send him in his visions forecasts of the uprooting of the foundations of his throne and of the destruction of his land. May the condemnation of Shamash overtake him forthwith; may he be deprived of water above among the living, and his spirit below in the earth  --Code of Hammurabi Epilogue also see p 273 here 

Continuing on Malachi 3:20 another near east scholar notes:

"and, later, out of the "sun child" known from the art of Palestine/Israel. In the Book of the Dead, the sun-calf is important as a representation of the rising young sun. Traces of Egyptian sun-calf symbolism can be found in the book of Malachi (Schroer 1998)" where those true to YHWH are told: [quotes Malachi 3:20]-- Creation: Biblical Theologies in the Context of the Ancient Near East by Othmar Keel and Silvia Schroer, p 93

It's noteworthy the Jerusalem King Hezekiah used the sun disk, scarab, lotus and ankh in his coins, seals and buildings, despite being one of the most passionate opponents of paganism in Israel's history per 2 Kings 18. 

 Rider of the Clouds

The Old Testament uses the title "rider of the clouds"

מַשָּׂא, מִצְרָיִם:  הִנֵּה יְהוָה רֹכֵב עַל-עָב קַל, וּבָא מִצְרַיִם, וְנָעוּ אֱלִילֵי מִצְרַיִם מִפָּנָיו, וּלְבַב מִצְרַיִם יִמַּס בְּקִרְבּוֹ

The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud (רֹכֵב עַל-עָב קַל rochev 'al-'av kal), and cometh unto Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt within it—Isaiah 19:1

 Per the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible: 

Rider upon the Clouds רכב בערבות

In Ps 68:5 [4] Yahweh is referred to as the rokeb ba'arabot. Though often translated as 'rider through the steppe; (based on the meaning 'steppe' of Hebr 'araba), the expression is thought to reflect the Ugaritic epithet rkb 'rpt. 'Rider upon the clouds', traditionally given to Baal.--Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Rider upon the Clouds, p 703-704

On the specific point of Psalm 68:5, the Dictionary suggests the Bible is not simply reusing the Ugaritic title, but using a similar title based on the former:

In the context of Ps 68, the word 'arabot makes good sense when translated as 'steppe, desert'. Verses 8-10[7-9] refer to the Exodus, using the word yesimon as a designation of the wilderness in v 8[7]. Though the fact remains that the Israelites imagined Yahweh as being capable of moving about in a nubilous chariot (see in addition to the texts already mentioned Ps 104:3], this by itself is not enough to maintain that 'arabot needs to be understood as 'cloud'. The choice of the word 'arabot should rather be explained as a deliberate attempt to differentiate Yahweh from Baal; the Baal epithet was adopted yet modified in such a way that it came to signify something entirely different.--Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Rider upon the Clouds, p.705

 Returning to the pagan god Baal:

In the Hebrew Bible, the Phoenician Baal appears as the most prominent divine rival to the Israelite god, Yahweh. Indeed, the two gods share many of the same qualities and epithets. Like Baal, Yahweh is depicted as a god of the storm who sounds his voice in thunder and sends lightning (Ps. 18:10–16). Yahweh is the rider of the clouds (Isa.19:1; Ps. 68:5), who dominates the sea (ym ) and vanquishes primordial dragons or sea monsters, including Tannin and Leviathan the Twisting Serpent (Ps. 74:13–14; Isa. 27:1; 51:9–10; Job 26:12–13). Yahweh is also responsible for human and natural fertility, including the "dew of the heavens and the fat of the earth, the abundance of new grain and wine" (Gen. 27:28). https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/ancient-religions/ancient-religion/baal (emphasis mine)

 Concerning the Baal Cycle:

"And Kothar-wa-khasis replied: Let me tell you, Prince Baal, let me repeat, Rider on the Clouds: behold your enemy, Baal, behold, you will kill your enemy, behold you will annihilate your foes. You will take eternal kingship, your dominion forever and ever. --Baal Cycle. Coogan, Stories from Ancient Canaan, 86-115 

Also,

What enemy has risen against Baal, What foe against the Cloud-Rider?   The youths speak up and answer: "No enemy has risen against Baal, No foe against the Cloudrider (lrkb.'rpt)... --Ugaritic Narrative Poetry, The Baal Cycle, page 112, Column IV 2:4-6

 Also, notice the similarity of "you will kill your enemy, behold you will annihilate your foes. You will take eternal kingship, your dominion forever and ever" to the Psalms and Daniel.

Another reference to Baal being called rider of the clouds is:

She lifted up her voice and cried: 

How (is it that) Gupn and Ugar have arrived? What foe rises against Baal, (what) enemy against the rider on the clouds? Did I not destroy Yam the darling of El, did I not make an end of Nahar the great god?--Canaanite Myths and Legends, 2nd edition, by JCL Gibson, The Palace of Baal. page 50

El elyon, God Most High

 וּמַלְכִּי-צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם, הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִן; וְהוּא כֹהֵן, לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן.  וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ, וַיֹּאמַר:  בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן, קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ.וּבָרוּךְ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן, אֲשֶׁר-מִגֵּן צָרֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ; וַיִּתֶּן-לוֹ מַעֲשֵׂר, מִכֹּל...וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם, אֶל-מֶלֶךְ סְדֹם:  הֲרִמֹתִי יָדִי אֶל-יְהוָה אֵל עֶלְיוֹן, קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. Genesis 14:18-20,22

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was priest of God the Most High [לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן el 'el'yon]. And he blessed him, and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High [לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן el 'el'yon], Maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God the Most High [אֵל עֶלְיוֹן el 'el'yon], who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.' And he gave him a tenth of all...And Abram said to the king of Sodom: 'I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth--Genesis 14:18-20, 22

El elyon is typical translated "most high." As we see both Abram and Melchizedek both using the title and Abram specifying that YHVH is El elyon. Also, noteworthy, there is debate about Melchizedek, his name some interpret as more evidence for a god named "zedek" (tzedekah) or 'righteousness,' also the name of the city Salem (Shalem) is the name of a Canaanite god of the Dusk/evening star, one of the sons of the god El in the pantheon (after an absurdly perverted sexual encounter), half-brother of the god shahar (Dawn/morning star) mentioned in Isaiah 14:12, which has made some conclude he worshipped El, Shalem, or Tzedekah. 

We see that the title is used in the ancient world for several gods also:

"...there is a wide range of evidence to suggest that 'Elyon was a common epithet in the West Semitic region, applied at different times and in different cultures to any god thought to be supreme. One example of the fluidity of the epithet is in its application to the Canaanite deities El and Baal"--Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, page 295. El Elyon

 "The fluidity of the epithet 'Elyon is far from restricted to Canaanite tradition alone. The epithet became firmly associated with the Israelite God, Yahweh, for instance. This tradition carries over into later Jewish pseudepigraphic literature and inscriptions and is also found within the NT. The epithet is frequently attested in Greek culture in reference to Zeus as well. We know that the cult of 'Zeus Hypsistos' was recognized at Thebes, Iasos, Mylasa, and Edessa. Further, in Lydia, some form of the Mother goddess was called 'Thea Hypsiste'...Thus, the epithet 'Elyon seems to have enjoyed a rich and widespread usage in the ancient West Semitic world."--Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, page 295. El Elyon

 The goddess Anat says about Baal when he gains control of the pantheon by permission of El:

“Our king is Aliyn Baal Our ruler, there is none above him Let us both drain his chalice Both us drain his cup"--nt:V:40. in Gordon, Ugaritic Literature, 23 (as found here)

The Epic of Kirta contain these verses about Baal being "most high":

Look to the earth for Baal's rain, To the field, for the Most High's ('ly) rain! So good for the earth is Baal's rain, And for the field, the Most High's rain!--Ugaritic narrative poetry, p 35, from Epic of Kirta, Column III:4-8, CAT 1:16.iii.4-8

Addendum: 

Morning Star/Dawn

Updated 3/18/2023. Thanks to David, a Facebook user, for reminding me of the "morning star" image that the NT adopts for Christ. I previously wrote about this here of which I will largely self-plaguarise for.

Most are surprised to know that Lucifer is not a Hebrew name, in fact is not even Greek or Aramaic--its Latin. The reason people associated the name Lucifer as Satan's proper name is because of the King James Version of the Bible, where in Isaiah 14:12 it reads:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

אֵיךְ נָפַלְתָּ מִשָּׁמַיִם, הֵילֵל בֶּן-שָׁחַר; נִגְדַּעְתָּ לָאָרֶץ, חוֹלֵשׁ עַל-גּוֹיִם. --Isaiah 14:12 MT

This is proof of the KJV is influenced by the Latin Vulgate which read in Isaiah 14:12:

quomodo cecidisti de caelo lucifer qui mane oriebaris corruisti in terram qui vulnerabas gentes

The King James Version seems to present it as a his name, the original 1611 KJV puts in in the margins an alternative translation "day starre."It also should be noted the person called Lucifer here is not necessary the devil, but a king being addressed.

Strong's Lexicon for the word translated in the KJV as lucifer states its definition as the following:

From 1984 (in the sense of brightness); the morning star: - lucifer.--H1966

The word Lucifer is Latin means "light-bringing" and "The morning-star, the planet Venus". The reason the word "lucifer" or "day star" or "morning star" is brought up is because these terms are given to the Lord Himself.

The Latin Vulgate, the origin of the word "Lucifer" gave the same title to Christ in 2 Peter 1:19:

et habemus firmiorem propheticum sermonem cui bene facitis adtendentes quasi lucernae lucenti in caliginoso loco donec dies inlucescat et lucifer oriatur in cordibus vestris

The English Translation being:

And so, we have an even firmer prophetic word, to which you would do well to listen, as to a light shining within a dark place, until the day dawns, and the daystar [Lucifer] rises, in your hearts.

Lucifer being translated day star. The King James Version of Isaiah 14:12 and 2 Peter 1:19 are:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!--Isaiah 14:12, KJV 1611 translation based on marginal note

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:--2 Peter 1:19. KJV 1611

Note the King James Bible applies the term "day star" to both a king/Devil (before his fall) and Christ.

Now more modern translations of the bible such as the NASB mention "morning star" in the following:

"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!--Isaiah 14:12

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.-2 Peter 1:19

And I will give him the morning star.--Revelation 2:28

I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.--Revelation 22:16

Isaiah 14:12 uses the term "son of dawn," בֶּן-שָׁחַר ben shahar. Dawn in the pagan context that Isaiah is mocking, is Shahar the god of the morning translated as Dawn. 

Shahar also occurs in Ugaritic mythology as the other half of the divine pair Shahar and Shalim, 'Dawn' or 'Morning Star' and 'Dusk'.--Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Helel, page 393

Apart from mention in sacrificial and pantheon lists, the goddess [Asherah] also appears in two theogonic texts, KTU 1.12 i and 1.23, the former describing the birth of 'the devourers' to the handmaids of Athirat and Yarihu, the latter describing two wives of El (seemingly Athirat and perhaps Shapsh) who consummate their marriage with him, and give birth to Shahar and Shalem, the Dioskouroi. These texts have a bearing on several biblical traditions, such as Gen 16, 19:30-38, Ps 8 etc. (Wyatt 1993).--Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Asherah, page 100 

On the basis of a number of words and phrases used it is now generally accepted that the origin of the myth must be sought specifically in Canaanite mythology, and this has especially become clear in the light of Ugaritic parallels. Thus, Zaphon (Isa. 14.13) is well known from the Ugaritic texts as the mountain which constituted Baal's throne (cf. KTU2 1.5.1.11; 1.6.1.57-9, etc.), and the words 'I shall ascend above the heights of the clouds' (Isa. 14.14a) again recall Baal, one of whose stock epithets was rkb 'rpt, 'Rider of the clouds' (KTU2 1.5.II.7, etc.). Again, the 'Mount of Assembly' (har mo'ed) in v. 13 recalls the Mountain of divine Assembly (phr m'd, KTU2 1.2.I.14,20,31,74 also called gr II, 'Mt. LI', KTU 1.2.1.20) in the Ugaritic texts. Some have thought also that 'the dawn' (sahar) in v. 12 reflects the Canaanite god Shahar. In v. 14 God is called 'the Most High', Elyon,who is attested as a Canaanite god both in Philo of Byblos....and in the Old Testament, where he is the Jebusite god of Jerusalem (Gen. 14.18-20, 22), although he is also equated with Yahweh, as in the passage being discussed here. As an Aramaean deity he also appears as Elyon in the Sefire treaty (KAI 222.A. 11). Although, he appears to have been basically an El figure (cf. the references to his (seventy) sons in Deut. 32.8, his function as a creator god in Gen. 14.19, 22, and his dwelling on the Mount of Assembly like El in Isa. 14.13), he also appears to have absorbed some of Baal's functions (he is enthroned like Baal in Ps. 47.3 [ET 2] and 97.9, he dwells on Zaphon in Isa. 14.13, he thunders like Baal in Ps. 18.14 [ET 13]). The fact that Elyon has features of both El and Baal would indicate that the myth in Isa. 14.12-15 derives ultimately from the mythology of one of these gods, as do the other Canaanite mythological features noted above. The fact that no attempt by a god to usurp El's throne is known,78 whereas Baal was in conflict with various enemies, would suggest that it is in the mythology surrounding the god Baal that one should seek the origin of the myth in Isa. 14.12-15.--Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan, John Day, page 170-171

Note that the other brother "shalem" may in fact be the origin of the name Jerusalem or Salem, at least.

Christ had no issue taking the title that once was given to a pagan deity to Himself as shown in the above verses of Revelation. 

See part II on Bible characters.