From Israels inception, God commanded His people not to worship idols or any other false gods (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). What we need is a living encounter with God. (Keller, Counterfeit Gods, 155). Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. Reassessment of Asherah: A Study According to Textual Sources of the First Was this something present within their own communities that they would have to abandon once they reached the land, or would this be a new temptation for them upon coming into contact with these nations? In the Authorized Ackerman, Susan. He cut down her obscene pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley (1 Kings 15:1213, NLT; see also 2 Chronicles 15:16). The Asherah pole was often mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the ways the Israelites sinned against the Lord and worshiped other gods. Nearly all instances of Asherah in the Bible refer to a sacred pole constructed by human hands and erected in honor of the fertility goddess. Tradition has it that Abraham chased the calf until it led him to the Cave of Macpelah which he later purchased from the Hittites, and they also worshipped a storm god that they borrowed from the Hurrians, Teshub. As much as the ruling elite tried to inhibit Asherah and Yahwehs marriage, their union appears solidified in an ancient blessing seen with some regularity at a number of excavation sites in the region. Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. In their mythology, the Canaanites (or Israelites of a certain Canaanite cult) sometimes paired Asherah with Yahweh, as though she was Yahwehs wife. Baal, the chief of the Canaanite pantheon, was the god of storm and bringer of rain. He was recognized as the sustainer of the fertility of crops, animals, and people. One possibility is that in royal circles, especially in the southern capital city of Jerusalem, the cult of Asherah was particularly attractive to the kings mother. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. Nefer Say Nefer - Was Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? Information and translations of asherah pole in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. He (Abraham) saw a light radiating from the cave, so there he prayed, and there the blessed Holy One spoke with him. How then did they worship? : Monotheism in Ancient Israel and the Veneration of the Goddess Asherah (Biblical Seminar ) by Bob Becking, Meindert Dijkstra, Marjo C. A. Korpel, Karel J. H. Vriezen, Sheffield Academic Press 2001, p. 117. The account of the visitation by angels at the terebinth of Mamre (cult shrine centered on a sacred tree) has its parallel in the Tale of Aquat, who like Isaac, was blessed by a divine entity. I am reading aerato lamo assuming: (a) an original r got corrupted to d (see Cross-Freedman ibid. Thus Asherahs children at Ugarit can be called her pride of lions; the goddess is called lady of the serpent in second-millennium B.C.E. (Nick Thompson/ CC BY NC SA 2.0 ), In fact, this phrase Yahweh and his Asherah was so quotidian that it actually appears in the Hebrew Bible itself. WebIts symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of its boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Examine the Core Theme of Reconciliation in the Bible, General Biblical Studies, Interdenominational Christian Training Center, The term Asherah appears 40 times in the. (Ex 34:13; De 12:3) They may have simply been uncarved poles, perhaps even trees in some instances, for Gods people were instructed: You must not plant for yourself any sort of tree as a sacred pole.De 16:21. The Canaanite association of Asherah with sacred trees is also found in Israelite tradition. God says that their wickedness was the same as sticking that idol (and what they were doing) right in His noseright in His face. ]. Webwhat does an asherah pole look like. WebSummary: An Asherah pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother goddess Asherah, consort of El. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. And the prophets began to exalt the fullness of the Lord and they would do so at the idols expense. WebMeaning of asherah pole. If a correspondence holds, then the trees of life and of knowledge in the Eden narrative may also reflect Asherah imagery. He rebuilt the high places and set up altars for Baal and an Asherah pole. However Asherah (as wikipedia said) was wife of sumerian god Anu, whileAstarte is known from the mythic Baal Cycle, which is a story of Baal fighting with Yam, god of the sea in cannanite mythology. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/asherah-in-the-bible-6824125. Whether as Asherah, Astarte, or any other name, feminine manifestations of the godhead were systematically and sometimes violently opposed by the religious authorities of the Kingdom of Judah and its Temple. But is removal and uprooting all that is required? This is always the remedy for idolatry. Like a pole or tree, they can be said to be planted, stood up, or erected. But the gospel teaches something different. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? In a related sense, an asherah could refer to a wooden pole, effectively an indoor stand-in for a tree. For perhaps hundreds of years before Abraham migrated to what would become known as Israel, Asherah was revered as Athirat, Earth Mother and Fertility Goddess. Conversely, when destroyed, these cult symbols can be described as being cut down, hewn down, or uprooted; they can also be said to be burned, overturned, or broken. Put simply, an Asherah pole is a wooden idol (likely in the shape of a tree) used to worship the goddess Asherah. Both Israel and Judah disregarded Gods express command not to set up sacred pillars and sacred poles; they placed them upon every high hill and under every luxuriant tree alongside the altars used for sacrifice. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. She was removed as queen mother and Asa cut down the Asherah and burned it in the river. Asherah is not Eve, nor is she the wife of God for God does not have a wife ( Jesus has a Bride ie the Church) . 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Olyan, Saul M. Asherah Literature has been divided into two camps as a result of the relation between literary allusions to an asherah and archaeological discoveries of Judaean pillar-figurines. Asherah worship was deeply sensual, involving illicit sex and ritual prostitution. This is because southern royal ideology typically described the kings metaphorical father as YHWH. Asherah cannot provide what she promises. Asherah poles were erected at sacred sites and alongside altars throughout the land of Canaan on every high hill and under every green tree (1 Kings 14:23, ESV). WebThe branch He mentions is probably an Asherah, a tree or a wooden pole that stood for the fertility goddess. Asherah worship turned good people into sex addicts. Lachish ewer dedicated to Asherah is decorated with images of sacred trees. In the Scriptures, the Hebrew word for Asherah is used both for the goddess herself and for the poles erected in her honor. It was essentially a phallic symbol. WebPut simply, an Asherah pole is a wooden idol (likely in the shape of a tree) used to worship the goddess Asherah. Perhaps surprisingly, Asherah is mentioned in the early Hebrew Bible some forty separate times, although most often as an object of derision. (NLT). The relation of the literary references to an asherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has engendered a literature of debate. The Lord God Jehovah is perfect, man is not. Archaeologists argue that these statues depict the goddess Asherah. That's why God got angry and for the record Jesus said that the Unpardonable Sin is Sinning against the Holy Spirit there is no coming back from that blunder. They forgot about the LORD their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles (Judges 3:7, NLT ). It could be that Astarte was a wife of Baal, or they are just praised together. Who is Asherah? He was offended by what was going on. Canaanite goddess Asherah, 13th century BCE. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. It was closely associated with the worship of Baal: The Israelites did evil in the LORDs sight. Kevelaer, Germany: 1993. 31 December 1999. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. WebIf you look at the Statue of Liberty you will notice that near her feet the robe resembles a tree trunk. During the reign of Josiah, the priest Hilkiah purged the images of Asherah from the Temple (2 Kings 23:6). Hezekiah also cut down the Asherah but Manasseh, his wicked son, rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed andmade an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done (2 Kings 21:3). There are other Hera, also known by her Latin title as Juno, is best known in Western culture as the wife of Zeus, king of the gods. Likewise, these writers do not always make a clear distinction between references to the goddess Asherah and the objects dedicated to her for worship. If you only try to uproot them, they grow back; but they can be supplanted. The 4.What Is an Asherah Pole and Does it Have Biblical Significance? You bet. Scripture does tell us however that the Asherah or groves were usually set up near Baal images, and that Asherah and Baal together symbolized both male and female sexual properties. Ahab introduced his wife Jezebels pagan gods into Jewish worship by importing 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:146). Also, vessels in the temple were used to make sacrifices to Asherah (2 Kgs 23:4), and in a compound within the temples walls, women cult functionaries wove garments used to clothe Asherahs cult statue (2 Kgs 23:7). A small votive statue of the Mother Goddess of Asherah. A number of modern Bible translations, though, have rendered the original-language word as sacred pole(s) [or post] but transliterated it when the reference is apparently to the goddess. For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. The tale of our creation we know from the Bible is only half the storyone which has been heavily edited. Asherah in the Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitic Literature. Unfortunately, we do not know what place these held within the worship of Asherah, nor do we have any lasting depiction of these idols. If nobody could see them doing it, they thought, "Hey, I'm getting away with the perfect crime. An Asherah pole was a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the pagan goddess Asherah, also known as Astarte. Unfortunately, our sources do not provide enough information to identify definitively which Israelites were particularly attracted to the worship of Asherah or the reasons for this attraction. The Bible also connects sacred poles with the high places (open-air cult sites?) When northern Israel was dispersed into the nations by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, they carried this "tree" custom with them. She is often placed beside the chief male deity. In Hebrew, she is known as Asherah. The prophets, like Isaiah, would look to a day when the worship of Gods people would be pure and there would be no Asherim to remain standing. Micah 5:14 spoke of the work of God in rooting out your Asherah images from among you. Which, according to Jeremiah, would have been a mighty task as there was Asherim beside every green tree and on the high hills (Jeremiah 17:2). For example, one of Asherahs sacred poles stood next to YHWHs altar at Bethel, one of the two great cult sites of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kgs 23:15). Happy Womens History Month! No where in the Bible does it say God had a wife.. Do not take what great people have written in books and say it is right. In Judges 6, Gideon was called to tear down the altar to Baal and to cut down the Asherah that is beside it. Again, we see Asherah almost as a sidekick to the prominent male deity. It was essentially a phallic symbol. Upon entering the region, the ancient Israelites soon adopted her and gave her the Hebrew equivalent name of Asherah. I can go to the Temple and look like I'm really somebody in the community. Ancient Cults Do Not Shed Light On The OT http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/asherah-and-the-asherim-god… [], [] http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/asherah-and-the-asherim-god… [], Oops! Even the angle at which she holds the torch is extraordinarily parallel much like a pole. It's kind of like Seatlle, but windier and with more trees. Required fields are marked *. The ancient city of Eleusis in Greece was the site of one of the most mysterious and revered religious rites of ancient Greece, the Eleusinian Mysteries. https://www.learnreligions.com/asherah-in-the-bible-6824125 (accessed March 4, 2023). The Israelites also worshiped Asherah from as early as the time immediately following the death of Joshua (Judges 2:13). [8] This role gave her a similarly high rank in the Ugaritic pantheon. Root them out of the land. (b) a construction similar, to the admittedly much later, Song of Songs 1:6 karmi elli. Asherah is represented many times in various forms scattered throughout the region. Would the Israelites have known of this worship before entering the Canaanite areas? : Why Do We Need to Be Crucified with Christ? Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? The cryptic blessing is in an early rendition of Deuteronomy 33.2-3, when Asherahs influence had not yet been fully subordinated. [The goddess Asherah (Astarte) is the name of the wife of the God of Israel? There is some biblical evidence that does see women as particularly attracted to goddess cults (for example, womens role in the cult of the queen of heaven, according to Jer 7:18 and 44:1719, 25), and the various female figurines found in domestic contexts at multiple Israelite sites might also suggest this, assuming, as many scholars do, that women played an especially important role in family-centered religious activities. But there is more than removal of idols (more than keeping yourself from temptation) that must take place if real holiness and dedication are to be the result. (From Forerunner Commentary). 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(2Ki 13:6, ftn) However, it is not always possible to determine whether a particular scripture is to be understood as referring to the idolatrous object or to the goddess. Archaeological discoveries from the late 1970s and early 1980s have further indicated that, at least in the opinion of some ancient Israelites, YHWH and Asherah were appropriately worshipped as a pair. What they sowed earned captivity. In older translations, it will often be interpreted as grove. Their appearance in the Old Testament, as to be expected, is always in the negative. How do we know? For those ancient Israelites who saw Asherah as YHWHs consort, this should suggest a correspondence between the queen mother, the wife of the kings biological father on earth, and Asherah, the wife of YHWH, who was the kings metaphorical father in the heavens.