Did Judaism and Christianity Develop from Canaanite Religion?

Not at all.

The ancient Israelites, of whom the Jewish people constituted one of 12 tribes, were strongly opposed to the pagan religion of the Canaanites, as the Book of Joshua starkly details. Indeed, Canaanite religion included various abominations, such as child sacrifice to the god Molech (Lev. 20:1-5, Jer. 32:35), and Israel went to war on various occasions lest God’s people be gravely led astray by the Canaanites’ religious practices.

The religion of Israel—and by extension Christianity, its fulfillment—in no way derives from Canaanite religion. Rather, beginning with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), God uniquely calls a people to serve as his salvific instrument for the whole world. Abraham’s descendants first become a nation, prophesied in Genesis 15 and fulfilled under the leadership of Moses (Ex. 24). His people then become a kingdom, prophesied in Genesis 17 and initially fulfilled in David and his royal descendants (1 Samuel 16ff.).

The Davidic kingdom would fall in 587/586 BC. Yet, as noted, God destined his people to be a “catholic” or universal blessing, i.e., one meant to embrace all nations, prophesied first in Genesis 22 and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the King of kings, who restored and fulfilled the kingdom of Israel in founding the Catholic Church (Luke 1:26-33; Matt. 28:18-20).

For more on the Catholic Church’s role in salvation history, please see our tract “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth.”