Table of Contents
Names:
- Queen of Heaven
- Mother of the Gods
- Athirat, especially in Ugaritic texts
- Assyria
- Ashtaroth (plural)
- Ashtoreth (OAHSPE)
- Elat
- The Lion Lady
- Hathor
- Anat
- Ishtar of the Accadians
- Astarte of the Greeks
Yes, the Jerusalem Guard really will break the altars of the other Jewish temples, tear down their standing stones, confiscate and break off the heads of their clay figurines, in a desperate attempt to erase the memory of the Elat / The Lion Lady / Hathor / Anat / Astarte / Asherah. But no, in the end they will not succeed. Ultimately, they will fail because the memory of Asherah in all her incarnations is simply too pervasive throughout Judea, as well as in countries beyond, such as Syria, Cyprus and Phoenicia.
The Eden Conspiracy
Asherah in Ancient Near Eastern Religion:
Asherah is a prominent goddess in the ancient Canaanite religion, where she is often considered the consort of the chief god, El. She is associated with fertility, motherhood, and the nurturing aspects of nature, symbolized by trees and groves.
She is sometimes called Athirat, especially in Ugaritic texts, where she is portrayed as the wife of El and the mother of seventy gods.
Asherah was represented by wooden poles or trees, known as Asherah poles (Hebrew: אשרה), which were often placed near altars.
Her worship included rituals and offerings aimed at ensuring fertility and prosperity.
Ashtaroth
The moon goddess of the Phoenicians, representing the passive principle in nature, their principal female deity; frequently associated with the name of Baal, the sun-god, their chief male deity ( Judges 10:6 ; 1 Samuel 7:4 ; 12:10 ). These names often occur in the plural (Ashtaroth, Baalim), probably as indicating either different statues or different modifications of the deities. This deity is spoken of as Ashtoreth of the Zidonians. She was the Ishtar of the Accadians and the Astarte of the Greeks ( Jeremiah 44:17 ; 1 Kings 11:5 1 Kings 11:33 ; 2 Kings 23:13 ). There was a temple of this goddess among the Philistines in the time of Saul ( 1 Samuel 31:10 ). Under the name of Ishtar, she was one of the great deities of the Assyrians. The Phoenicians called her Astarte. Solomon introduced the worship of this idol ( 1 Kings 11:33 ). Jezebel’s 400 priests were probably employed in its service ( 1 Kings 18:19 ). It was called the “queen of heaven” ( Jeremiah 44:25 ).
Oahspe’s Interpretation
Ashtaroth (also spelled Ashtoreth in Oahspe) is explicitly named as one of the major false gods/goddesses operating in the lower heavens (atmospherea) during this exact period.
- She is listed as one of the four chief gods under Osiris (alongside Baal, Dagon, and Ashdod) who ruled over the region of Arabin’ya (the Middle East/Canaan area).
- Her dominions extended jointly with Baal over Western and Southern Arabin’ya — the precise territory the Israelites were entering.
- She actively sent familiar spirits (inspiring angels) to tempt the Israelites, especially through intermarriage with Canaanite women, in order to corrupt the Faithists and draw them away from Jehovih.
- She is repeatedly grouped with Baal, Dagon, and Haughak as one of the false gods whose worship the Israelites were later pressured to accommodate (e.g., when the commandments were altered under Saul).
Asherah in the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible mentions Asherah several times, often in a negative context. She is associated with idolatry and foreign worship practices that the prophets condemned.
Asherah poles are frequently mentioned as objects to be destroyed in efforts to purify Israelite worship (e.g., Exodus 34:13, Deuteronomy 16:21, Judges 3:7).
“Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.”
Exodus 34:13
“Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 16:21
“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.”
Judges 3:7
King Solomon is said to have built high places for Asherah and other deities due to the influence of his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:5).
“And the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused the Lord’s anger by making Asherah poles.”
1 Kings 14:15
“Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.”
1 Kings 16:33
“Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
1 Kings 18:19
“But they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit; they continued in them. Also, the Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria.”
2 Kings 13:6
“He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)”
2 Kings 18:4
“The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.”
2 Kings 23:4-7
“The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.”
Jeremiah 7:18
Relationship with Yahweh
Asherah may have been considered a consort of Yahweh in early Israelite religion, based on archaeological findings and ancient inscriptions.
Inscriptions from Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom (8th century BCE) mention “Yahweh and his Asherah,” suggesting that she might have been venerated alongside Yahweh.
The presence of Asherah in Israelite worship reflects the syncretism that occurred as Israelite religion evolved, influenced by surrounding Canaanite and other Near Eastern cultures.
As monotheism became more firmly established, efforts were made to eradicate these syncretic elements and focus exclusively on the worship of Yahweh.
Prophetic Condemnation
Prophets such as Jeremiah and Hosea condemned the worship of Asherah and other deities, calling for a return to the exclusive worship of Yahweh.
These condemnations often highlight the conflict between the older polytheistic practices and the emerging monotheistic faith.
Archaeological Evidence
Numerous artifacts, such as figurines, inscriptions, and temple remains, provide evidence of Asherah’s worship in ancient Israel and Judah.
These findings illustrate the widespread nature of her veneration and the complexity of early Israelite religion.
Asherah vs YHWH
| Asherah | YHWH |
|---|---|
| Worshiped alongside Baal | Worshiped as the sole deity of Israel |
| Associated with fertility | Associated with law, justice, and covenant |
| Represented by Asherah poles | Represented by the Ark of the Covenant |
| Condemned by prophets | Supported by prophets |
| Rituals involving trees and groves | Rituals involving altars and sacrifices |
| Venerated as the “Queen of Heaven” | Called the “Lord God” or “YHWH” |
| Influenced by Canaanite religion | Central to Israelite monotheism |
| Linked to consort imagery with El | Emphasized as singular, without consort |
| Destroyed during King Josiah’s reforms | Centralized worship in Jerusalem Temple |
| Found in Ugaritic texts as Athirat | Found in Hebrew scriptures |
| Female figurines and idols | Prohibition against idols (Second Commandment) |
In this same vein, the redactor of II Kings gives us a clear feeling for what C7th-C6thBCE Jewish believers thought and felt about Yahweh. It is not what I expected. They disparaged him. The New Jerusalem Bible says, “They spoke slightingly of Yahweh their Powerful One.” They defamed him. They did not respect him. “They rejected his decrees.” To spell it out, the mainstream Jewish memory of Yahweh at this point, in the C8th-6thBCE, was essentially negative. The regime of Yahweh’s laws had largely been dispensed with. Yahweh was seen, in essence, as their former ruler, and good riddance. By contrast, as the people’s devotional practices reveal, the mainstream Jewish memory of Asherah was positive.
The Eden Conspiracy
