Jerusalem

According to Plato, the Atlantis story had its origins in the Egyptian city of Sais, in the Nile Delta. A priest Sonchis had spread this story to the world. Sais was later called the City of Hagar. In Galatians 4:25 Jerusalem was also called the city of Hagar. Was Plato’s statement a hint at Jerusalem where the Temple Mount represented the central hill in Kritias 113 on Atlantis?

Jerusalem as a Personified, Feminine Entity:

In the Hebrew Bible, particularly in the book of Isaiah, Jerusalem is personified as a female figure, embodying many of the nurturing, protective, and ordering aspects that were traditionally associated with goddesses like Asherah.

Biblical Verses Supporting the Case (Using Literal Translations):

a. Jerusalem as a Mother (Nurturing and Fertility):

• Isaiah 66:10-13 (Literal Translation):
  “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from the breasts of her consolations; that you may drink deeply and be delighted from her glorious abundance. For thus says YHWH: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon the hip, and bounced upon the knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
• Analysis:
  In this passage, Jerusalem is depicted as a mother who nourishes and comforts her children, a role strongly associated with the nurturing and fertility aspects of Asherah. The imagery of nursing from Jerusalem’s breasts and being comforted by her closely parallels the life-giving and protective roles of a mother goddess. The nurturing qualities traditionally attributed to Asherah seem to be reinterpreted here through the personification of Jerusalem.

b. Jerusalem as a Bride (Protection and Covenant):

• Isaiah 54:5-6 (Literal Translation):
  “For your Maker is your husband; YHWH of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called. For YHWH has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like the wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God.”
• Analysis:
  Here, Jerusalem is portrayed as a wife, emphasizing her role in a covenant relationship with God, akin to the protective and covenantal aspects associated with Asherah. The imagery of Jerusalem as a wife highlights a protective and relational dynamic that echoes the role of a goddess who ensures the stability and continuity of her people. The covenantal language and the depiction of God as a husband provide a framework within which the protective and nurturing roles of Asherah might be reinterpreted.

c. Jerusalem as the Center of Order and Divine Presence:

• Psalm 122:3-4 (Literal Translation):
  “Jerusalem, built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of YHWH, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of YHWH.”
• Analysis:
  Jerusalem is described as a place where divine order is established and maintained. This reflects the ordering function traditionally associated with female deities like Asherah, who were believed to maintain social and cosmic balance. The unity and stability of Jerusalem as a city that “is bound firmly together” mirrors the order and structure that Asherah, as a goddess, would have upheld.

d. Jerusalem as a Source of Comfort and Divine Presence:

• Isaiah 66:13 (Literal Translation):
  “As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
• Analysis:
  The comfort provided by Jerusalem is likened to that of a mother, again drawing on the maternal, nurturing qualities associated with Asherah. This maternal comfort offered by Jerusalem can be seen as a reimagining of Asherah’s role in providing protection and solace to her followers, but now attributed to the personified city within a monotheistic context.