AZOTE, or NITROGEN, the phlogisticated air of Priestley, was discovered by Dr Rutherford in 1772. It constitutes 4-5ths of atmospherical air, the other 5th being oxygen. See CHEMISTRY. (j) or BEL, a word of Hebrew origin, de noting ruler, was the mune by which several of the eastern nations worshipped the solar fire, which they supposed to be the governing principle of the universe. At first, indeed, this appellation seems to have been given to JlillOVAII. But as idolatry be gan to prevail, and the supremacy of the true God to be forgotten, his attributes were ascribed to those objects in nature whose appearance was most splendid and overpowering, or whose influence was most sen sibly felt. The sun, accordingly, became an object of general adoration, and was supposed to hold the highest rank among those divinities with which the wild imaginations of eastern idolators had peopled the hea vens. The author of the Phenician theology, which has been preserved in the writings of Eusebius, in • forms us, " that the Phenicians supposed the sun to be the only Lord of heaven, styling him Beelsamen, which, in their language, signifies Lord of hea ven." A becve or bull was the emblem of this di vinity; and as this idol was represented in different places with various insignia, hence arose the dcnomi . nations, Baal-berith, Baal-gad, Baal-moloch ; and these diversified Beals, says Parkhurst, seem to be what the Scriptures call in the plural Baaliin. There can be no doubt, however, that the appellation Baal was not always restricted to the sun, but was fre quently given to those distinguished personages, who, in different nations, were exalted for their achieve ments to the rank of deities. Among the Phenicians,
in particular, there were several divinities besides the sun honoured with this name. BAAL, BEL, or_BELuss, was the principal god of the Carthagi nians, Sidonians, Babylonians, and Assyrians ; and as he was supposed to delight in human sacrifices, he was probably the same as the Moloch of the Ammo nites, the Kgoy.; (Chronus) of the Greeks, and the Saturn of the Latins.
High places were always chosen for the temples and altars of Baal, • in which was preserved a perpe tual fire. His priests and prophets were extremely numerous ; and the manner in which they conducted the worship of their god was at once frantic and fe rocious. While the victims smoked on the altar, they danced around it with the most violent gesticu lations, cut their bodies with knives and lancets, and raved and prophesied as if immediately under the in spiration of Baal. Bel, Bal, or Beal, was likewise the name of the principal deity of the ancient Irish, derived, according to Valiancy, from the Punic my thology. On the tops of many hills in Scotland there are heaps of stones called, by the vulgar, Bel's Cairns, where it is supposed sacrifices were offered by our Pa gan ancestors. See Eusebius, Preparat. Evang. lib. 1. cap. 10. 2 Kings xxiii. 5. Collcctanea de Rebus Ilibernicis, vol. 2. p. 263. And Parkhurst's Lexicon, 2rticle 53,72. (“)