The Mystery of Asherah

Asherah

Before the Babylonian exile in 587 B.C., polytheism was a common practice throughout ancient Israel. While the religion of Judaism began with Abraham and his Hebrew descendants, it was only after the exile that worship of one god, Yahweh, alone became established and, by the time of the Maccabees (2nd century B.C.), monotheism soon became an universal thought among the ancient Jews.       

Depiction of Josiah
 "cutting down the statue of Asherah"

Among the polytheistic gods was included a goddess named Asherah. In the Books of Kings there are many references to the worship of numerous gods. King Solomon built temples to many gods and King Manasseh [of Judah] erected a statue of Asherah in the temple Solomon built for Yahweh. King Josiah, grandson of Manasseh, was quoted as "cutting down the statues of Asherah" in Yahweh's temple. (2 Kings 23:14) Yet, who she exactly was remains a subject of debate among the religious scholars. Some biblical theologians believe that Asherah was worshiped as the consort of Yahweh (God).      

Did God Have A Wife?        

Dictionary.com defines "consort" as: 1. husband or wife; spouse, especially of a reigning monarch. Was it possible that Yahweh had a wife? According to William G. Dever, a Syro-Palestinian archaeologist, the evidence for the Israelite god of antiquity [Yahweh] having a consort named Asherah (aka: Ashtoreth) is very feasible. 

Dever, who is Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Archeology and Anthropology at the University of Arizona, claims this ancient goddess was a part of the Canaanite pantheon before 600 B.C.  

Depiction of Asherah

holding court

In his book, Did God Have A Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel, he approaches the question with tenacity. His thesis contends that religion portrayed in the Jewish and Christian Bibles was an elitist religion practiced by only a select few, mainly priests and wealthy merchants. The majority (90%) of the Hebrew nation worshiped many gods, chiefly Yahweh and his consort, Asherah.

For more information, please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_G._Dever      

Ancient Israel Worshiped Asherah?

Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou

The first historian to mention and bring to light the subject of the ancient Israelites worshiping both Yahweh and Asherah was Raphael Patai in 1967. The theory gained new prominence in the 21st century when Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou, a senior lecturer in the department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter, presented her research which discussed the Yahweh-Asherah connection. The information presented in Stavrakopoulou's books and lectures has become the basis of a three-part series on the BBC entitled, The Bible's Buried Secrets. Stavrakopoulou is quoted as saying:

"You might know him as Yahweh, Allah or God. But on this fact, Jews, Muslims and Christians, the people of the great Abrahamic religions, are agreed: There is only one of Him," writes Stavrakopoulou in a statement released to the British media. "He is a solitary figure, a single, universal creator, not one God among many … or so we like to believe."

Dr. Stavrakopoulou, a self-proclaimed atheist, claims that God had a wife and her assertions are backed up by archaeological evidence including 8th century B.C. inscriptions, figurines and ancient texts that were discovered at Kuntillet Ajrud in the northern Sinai desert. These texts are known as the Ugaritic texts (written before 1200 B.C.) and refer to "Yahweh... and his Asherah".  The inscriptions found not only invoke Yahweh, but El and Baal and include the phrases, "Yahweh of Samaria and his Asherah" and "Yahweh of Teman and his Asherah". Samaria was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Israel and Teman was located in the ancient land of Edom. It remains unclear the association with Edom, considering the national god of Edom was Qaus, but some scholars believe such a connection was most likely cultic in nature. In the Bible, Asherah is represented by the symbol of  a tree.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364018/Atheist-Dr-Francesca-Stavrakopoulout-BBC-face-religion.html#ixzz3LSJR8i15     

Asherah: Symbol of a Tree

Depiction of Asherah
tempting Eve

The goddess known as Asherah was represented by a limbless tree trunk which was carved into a symbolic representation of the deity and planted in the ground. Throughout the centuries this association with carved trees were commonly places of Asherah worship. The Hebrew word "asherah" could also refer to a grove of trees... hence the connection. Some scholars even claim that it was Asherah, not Satan, that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Christian Bible has many references to "Asherah poles", in which case, most were destroyed after 600 B.C. The biblical references include: 2 Chronicles 33:3; Exodus 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3; 16:21; Judges 3:7; 6:25-26; 6:28; 6:30; I Kings 15:13; 16:33; 18:19; 2 Kings 13:6; 17:10; 17:16;18:4; 21:3; 21:7; 23:4; 23:6-7; 23:14-15.

For more information, please visit:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah_pole     

Further Evidence Reveals...

Depiction of
Baal

Asherah was often presented as a consort of Baal, the sun god (1 Samuel 7:4 & 12:10) and was considered a moon-goddess. She was worshiped as the goddess of love and war and was oftentimes linked with Astarte and Anath, other Canaanite goddesses of antiquity. The worship of Asherah was noted for its sensuality, which also involved ritual prostitution; the priests and priestesses of Asherah practiced fortune-telling and divination. It was during the time of Moses that God forbade the worship of Asherah. The Law was specific: 

"Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God," - Deuteronomy 16:21   

Depiction of Jezebel

Despite the precise instructions from the Creator, Asherah-worship was a perpetual problem in ancient Israel. King Solomon slipped into idolatry by bringing pagan deities into the kingdom, namely Asherah or "the goddess of the Sidonians" (1 Kings 11:5; 33). Jezebel, the Phoenician wife of King Ahab [of northern Israel], made Asherah-worship more prevalent when she convinced the king to abandon the worship of Yahweh and put 400 prophets of Asherah on the royal payroll! (1 Kings 18:18-19). Yet, there were various crusades led against the worship of Asherah; most notably, was the battles led by Gideon (Judges 6:25-30), King Asa (1 Kings 15:13) and King Josiah (2 Kings 23:1-7). Asherah is known in the scriptures as the "Queen of Heaven", and is referred to as "Artemis" by the Ephesians in the Book of Acts (chapter 19). Today, the Wiccan religion still includes this female deity in their worship practices.

For more information, please visit: 
http://www.compellingtruth.org/asherah-pole.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Early_History_of_God

Asherah, while referred to in the Nevi'im/Old Testament as a "pole", she was once revered as a high deity, the wife of the Most High God. Regardless of her sketchy connection in the Tanakh/Old Testament, Asherah is celebrated as the "Queen of Heaven" by those who believe.

Some theologians contest the validity of Asherah being an actual deity, instead implying that she was a sacred, wooden object employed in the cult of Yahweh during the early ancient history of the Israelites and later decried by reformers [such as Josiah] and destroyed. In the Hebrew Bible, there are 40 references to "Asherah" being a notable object (a pole)... hence the theory of "Asherah" being a cultic item. Even though a handful of those verses imply her being a "goddess" and ancient Canaanite literature refers to Asherah as a proper noun (name), the actual function of the word (Asherah) remains a subject of much debate among the scholars.

Only one question can sum up this incredible story.... Who's ? Right