Queen of Heaven?
Did the Israelites worship the "Queen of Heaven"? The answer is "yes," since the Bible clearly states that it was so. Does this make the "Queen of Heaven" God's wife?The recent claim that God had a wife was made by a Francesca Stavrakopoulou, admitted atheist at the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. The claim is not new, but was revived in time to promote the upcoming BBC series, "Bible's Buried Secrets."You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. Although the claim seems ridiculous on the surface, there is actually a fair amount of evidence that groups of ancient peoples of the Middle East worshipped different gods and goddesses, one of whom was named "Asherah." However, contrary to the claims of many scholars, the Bible does not try to cover up these facts, but brings them to light as the idol worship they were. This page examines this evidence and the ways it has been interpreted.
Asherah in archeology
Fueling the claim that God had a wife was an inscription found at Kuntillet Ajrud, an 8th centuries B.C. site in the northeast Sinai peninsula, that said, "Yahweh of Samaria and his Asherah" and "Yahweh of Teman and his Asherah." Yahweh is the Hebrew word for God. A similar inscription has been found at a tomb from the same time period at Khirbat El-Qôm. Other religious artifacts, such as horned altars, small altars, ashes, animal bones, scepter heads and terra cotta female figurines, have been found scattered about the Middle East, primarily in isolated homes of individuals rather than sites of official worship (e.g., Jerusalem). William G. Dever, who did much of the research on these artifacts, believed they represented a cult of Asherah,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. as he had suggested over 20 years ago. During the 8th and 9th centuries, these female figurines were common throughout the Middle East, suggesting their widespread use.Asherah in the Bible
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.Contrary to the claims of scholars, the Bible does not attempt to cover up the existence of Asherah or that she/it was worshipped in Israel. In fact, Asherah is mentioned in the Bible books of Exodus,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. Deuteronomy,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. Judges,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. 1 Kings,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. 2 Kings,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. 2 Chronicles,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. Isaiah,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. Jeremiah,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. and Micah.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. Most of the descriptions suggest the Asherah was a carved tree or pole, probably representative of the goddess known as Asherah, Ashira or Athirat. Most often in the Bible, Asherah was associated with the god Baal.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.-You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. The Bible also describes a "queen of heaven,"You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.-You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. which would presumably be God's "wife." However, in one of Jeremiah's accounts, it is God Himself who told Jeremiah that He was grieved by the idol worship of the "queen of heaven."You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. The women who were making offerings to the "queen of heaven" admitted doing so out of their own superstitions.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. God was not keeping them safe enough, so they were covering their bases by making offerings to other gods and goddesses of the surrounding peoples.
According to biblical history, about half of the kings of Israel worshipped other gods and built altars and Asherah to them. The Bible even indicates that some of the Asherah were made in Samaria,You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. which is where archeologists have found them. So, the fact that archeologists have found Asherah in Samaria is not surprising. It would be more surprising if they didn't find them! Was the Bible trying to keep this worship of other gods and goddesses secret? No!
God has a wife!
The Bible actually says outright that God has a wife. Yes, I admit it! However, that "wife" is not Asherah or any other cultic goddess. The wife is none other than God's people:- For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. (Isaiah 54:5)
- As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5)
- "Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I am your husband. I will choose you--one from a town and two from a clan--and bring you to Zion. (Jeremiah 3:14)
Conclusion You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
Yes, the atheists are at it again, just in time to promote their upcoming Bible bashing series, "Bible's Buried Secrets," on the BBC. It is the same tired allegations - the Israelites were really polytheists and Yahweh, the God of the Bible was just one of many players. Accordingly, the Bible tried to cover up the fact that all the Israelites were polytheists. The problem with the claim is that the Bible readily admits that the kings would go astray and worship other gods. The fact that archeology confirms such examples of idol worship in Israel is no surprise. It would be surprising if such evidence were not found. And just to set the record straight, the Bible does say that God has a wife - consisting of none other than His people.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.