Elroy Willis wrote:

Weatherwax <weatherwax@worldnet.net> wrote in alt.atheism

Elroy Willis <elo@airmail.net> wrote in message

Genesis 32:28-32
"Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,
because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."
Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you
ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place
Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life
was spared." The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was
limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do
not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the
socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon."
If you notice the "el" suffix in the names "Israel" and "Peniel,"
you will see that the "el" refers to a specific god named "El."
He was considered or supposed to be part of the El-ohim.

===>EL was the FATHER GOD of the ancient Semites,
with sons such as BAAL, YAHU (YHWH), etc. He is well
represented in the Ugaritic literature. His figure is shown as sitting
on his throne at
http://cc.usu.edu/~fath6/bible.htm
an excellent article clarifying a lot of confusion about the names EL,
ELOHIM, ELYON, YHWH, BAAL, etc.
His wife -- SEE at
http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~tomshoemaker/StudentPapers/canaanite.html
-- was also worshipped as the "QUEEN OF HEAVEN" until
the time of Jeremiah, at least. The sons became tribal gods
and took over the role of that father with many of his characteristics
transferred e.g. to YHWH by the Yahwist Cult that banned the
worship of the Mother Goddess and simply equated YHWH with
"EL'" and "ELOHIM" by removing most plural references to them.