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Jewish answer:
Asherah was part of the Canaanite idolatry (Deuteronomy ch.12), forbidden to the Israelites (ibid). There were some Israelites who strayed after it (1 Kings 16:33), while others strove to prevent this (Judges ch.6, 1 Kings ch.18, 2 Kings ch.18 and ch.23).
Asherah is a Canaanite goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the earth. She was often depicted as a symbol of divine feminine power and a consort to the god El in ancient Near Eastern religions. Historically, her worship was widespread in the ancient Near East before being gradually suppressed by the rise of monotheistic religions like Judaism and Christianity.
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What happened to the Asherah prophets that were also mentioned in 1 kings 18?
A:1 Kings chapter 18 does not mention prophets of Asherah, but rather those of Baal. According to this passage, Elijah tricked them into a contest he would win, then murdered all of them. One would expect from this that worship of the god Baal would have ceased forever in Israel, but archaeologists find evidence that he continued to be worshipped throughout Israelite history, up until the final destruction of Israel in 722 BCE. Asherah was the Hebrew fertility goddess and very different from Baal and the other Israelite gods. Thousands of figurines associated with the goddess have been found throughout Israel and Judah prior to the Babylonian Exile, but none from that time onwards. It seems that the Babylonian Exile brought an end to her worship.
What god did Amalekites worship?
The Amalekites likely worshiped a variety of Canaanite deities, such as Baal and Asherah, along with other gods of the region. Their religion would have included rituals and practices common to the ancient Near East.
In which indigenous religion is the supreme being female?
In some indigenous religions, such as Native American traditions like Cherokee or Iroquois, the supreme being is often portrayed as female. These belief systems emphasize the dualistic balance of male and female energies in the universe.
What was the difference between Yahweh and Baal worship?
Yahweh worship centered around the monotheistic belief in one God who is the creator and ruler of the universe. Baal worship, on the other hand, focused on polytheistic beliefs with Baal as a god of storms and fertility. Additionally, Yahweh worship was practiced by the Israelites, while Baal worship was common among the Canaanites and other ancient Near Eastern cultures.
What god and goddess did Ahab and Jezebel worship?
Ahab and Jezebel worshiped the Canaanite god Baal and the goddess Asherah, as well as other deities from the region. They promoted these polytheistic beliefs in Israel, leading to conflicts with the prophet Elijah and a decline in the worship of the Israelite God Yahweh.
Does Yahweh the Creator have a female consort?
AnswerYes, God once had a female consort, the goddess Asherah. Archeological evidence of this is in inscriptions found in ancient Israel and Judah during the Hebrew period, as well as the presence of numerous figurines of Asherah found in the same areas. The worship of Asherah seems to have ceased during the Babylonian Exile, when the veneration of Lady Wisdom (Sophia) seems to have begun. One two storage jars found at Kuntillet Ajrud contains a dedicatory inscription that reads, in part, "I bless you by Yahweh, our guardian, and by his Asherah." A second jar at the same site also contains a script that includes, "Amaryau says: Say to my lord X: I bless you by Yahweh [our guardian], and by his Asherah." Another artefact associated with the Makkedah site says, "Blessed be Uriyahu by Yahweh and by his asherah; from his enemies he saved him!" or possibly, "May Uriyahu be blessed by Yahweh my guardian and by his Asherah. Save him."
Where was Asherah worshiped?
A:Asherah was worshipped in and around Palestine, from Bronze Age times down until the Babylonian Exile. Israelite inscriptions at Kuntillet 'Ajrud and elsewhere indicate that she may have been the consort of Yahweh (God), at least during part of the Iron Age II period. As the fertility goddess, Asherah was typically associated with a stylised tree, called an 'asherah' in the Bible, and the Bible indicates there was an asherah in the Jerusalem Temple for most of the monarchical period.
How do you pronounce Asherah?
Emphasize the second syllable: Ash-ER-ah.
What is the asherah pole mentioned in the Old Testament?
Until the Ugaritic tablets were deciphered from the 1930s onwards, most scholars did not even imagine that the biblical "asherahs" might symbolise a goddess. They interpreted "the asherahs" as either wooden poles, cult objects from Baal worship, or groves of trees. Very few linked "the asherahs" to a goddess found in passages such as I Kings 18, in which "prophets of Asherah" served Queen Jezebel. The first detailed study of Asherah in the Hebrew Bible after the Ugaritic discoveries concluded that "the asherah" represented both a wooden cult object and a goddess. It is now evident that Asherah was the Hebrew fertility goddess. Numerous small statuettes of an erotically pregnant female have been found all over Israel and identified with Asherah. Inscriptions have even been found at two different sites, describing Asherah as the consort of Yahweh (God). The "asherahs" were usually upright wooden objects, often standing beside altars, and in at least eight instances they are described as carved. So it seems they were not merely wooden poles, but probably quite large carved images. According to the Bible, an image of Asherah stood in the Temple in Jerusalem for about two-thirds of its existence.
Does God have a wife?
A pithos or storage jar found at Kuntillet Ajrud s this question. On it, was inscribed "I bless you by Yahweh, our guardian, and by his Asherah". A second pithos at Kuntillet Ajrud reads: "Amaryau says: Say to my lord X: I bless you by Yahweh [our guardian] and by his Asherah". Again, on the base wall of a tomb dated to between 750-700 BCE: "Blessed be Uriyahu by Yahweh and by his Asherah; from his enemies he saved him!"Archaelogists see these as saying that Asherah was the wife of Yahweh.So, if God had a wife she would be the goddess Asherah.
Did God the Father have a best friend?
Two quite separate archaeological finds from the period of the early monarchy refer to the goddess Asherah, who is also quite frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. In those archaeological finds, Asherah appears to be the consort of God.
What does an asherah pole look like?
An Asherah pole was a sacred wooden pole or tree that was used in the worship of the goddess Asherah in ancient Near Eastern cultures. It was often carved or adorned with decorations and placed in locations where people gathered to worship. The exact appearance could vary depending on the region and time period.
Solomon built a temple to which goddess?
Unfortunately we still know very little about the beliefs of the early Hebrews, at the time attributed to Solomon or even centuries afterwards. It is known that many deities were worshipped in theJerusalem Temple that was believed to have been built by Solomon, and that one of these was the goddess Asherah but possibly not the only goddess worshipped there.According to the Bible, a statue of Asherah stood in the Solomonic temple in Jerusalem for much of its existence. That Asherah was at least the most important Hebrew goddess is shown by two large pithoi or storage jars discovered at Kuntillet Ajrud during the 1970s . One reads, in part: "I bless you byYahweh [God], our guardian, and by his Asherah." The other similarly reads, "Amaryau says: Say to my lord X: I bless you by Yahweh (our guardian), and by his Asherah." Andanother inscription found on the base wall of a tomb dated to between 750-700 BCE has been translated by the French epigraphist André Lemaire as, in part: 'Blessed be Uriyahu by Yahweh and by his asherah; from his enemies he saved him!'
What is the Statue of two gods?
There are many - one is Jehovah and his Astarte (Yahweh and his Asherah) 7th C BCE.
What was the importance of sacred groves?
A:Until the twentieth century, no one imagined that the early Israelites were polytheistic, or that the Hebrew people once worshipped a pantheon of gods that included several goddesses, including Asherah. So, when the Hebrew scriptures were translated into English the translators looked for meanings for references to Asherah and her totems, also known as asherahs. In the Hebrew Bible, 1 Kings 18:19 speaks of the '400 prophets of Asherah', but the King James Bible gives this as '400 prophets of the groves', which is a meaningless translation. Deuteronomy 16: 21, written at a time when Judah was moving towards monotheism, warns: 'You shall not set up a sacred post (asherah) any kind of pole beside the altar of the Lord your God that you may make.' According to the Bible, an asherah had stood in the Solomonic temple in Jerusalem for about two-thirds of its existence.Discovery and decipherment of the Ugaritic tablets in the 1930s identified Asherah as a West Semitic goddess. Further research, and archaeological discoveries have shown that Asherah was an important goddess in both Israel and Judah, possibly until the end of the monarchy. Among the many objects discovered at Kuntillet Ajrud were incribed pithoi that identified Asherah with Yahweh (God) and seem to portray her as God's consort. A further inscription found on a tomb wall seems to confirm this relationship.The asherahs often seem to have been set up in high places, where Asherah could be worshipped. There is some debate whether 'high places' simply meant high ground, in which cases the asherahs could certainly have been groves of trees, or whether these were temples.Worship of Asherah had ceased by the time of the Return from the Babylonian Exile, although it is possible to imagine that the post-Exilic spirit/goddess known as Wisdom took her place.
Is Asherah the consort of Yahweh of Judah?
One of the principal female goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon, familiar equally from Canaanite mythology and from biblical references. Her name first appears at the time of the First Dynasty of Babylon as Ashratum, consort of Amurru. She is thus a goddess of the Semitic Amorites. In the Canaanite myths found in the city of Ugarit in northern Syria, Asherah appears in several roles. Most often she is known as the Lady of the Sea. As such she is consort of the chief god El and mother of the gods. She also plays the role of interceder in the myth of Baal and the Waters. In her role as mother goddess, Asherah is often confused with another Canaanite goddess - Ashtoreth (Astarte), who seems to have replaced Asherah in the 1st millennium B.C. As goddess of fertility, Asherah takes the form of a tree, symbolizing the Tree of Life on which the animal kingdom feeds. Her sacred emblem in this role is a tree or a wooden post which is a stylized form of a Tree of Life. Such a post is called Asherah in the Bible. The cult of Asherah as goddess of fertility connected with sacred trees was pervasive in ancient Israel. It was already practiced in the times of the Judges (Judg 6:25-28) together with the cult of Baal, and continued under the direction of some of the kings of Israel themselves (I Kgs 16:33; 18:19, II Kgs 12:6; 13:6; 17:10). During the religious reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah, kings of Judah, the trees of Asherah were cut down (II Kgs 18:4) including the one installed by King Manasseh inside the Temple (II Kgs 21:7; 23:6). The cult of Asherah probably had elements of divination and was quite promiscuous (Hos 4:12-13).
What has the author Walter A Maier written?
Walter A. Maier has written: '' Aserah' -- subject(s): Asherah (Semitic deity)
