Asherah, the wife of god?

[JimL]

Are not Elohim and Yahweh two names for one and the same god in the Hebrew bible? If so, wasn't Asherah the wife of Elohim, ergo the wife of Yahweh. Was the more ancient understanding of the Hebrew god one of a god that had a wife named Asherah? If not, who was she, and why was she a figure of worship in 1 and 2 Kings?

[One Bad Pig]

Elohim is a title, not a name (and a plural word form, to boot). Asherah was a Canaanite fertility goddess, and a figure of worship in 1 and 2 kings because the Hebrews had a predilection for assimilating the practices of those around them despite explicit prohibition of doing so.

The views of the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule have always struck me as seeing what one wants to see.

[rogue06]

Elohim is a title, not a name (and a plural word form, to boot). Asherah was a Canaanite fertility goddess, and a figure of worship in 1 and 2 kings because the Hebrews had a predilection for assimilating the practices of those around them despite explicit prohibition of doing so.

The views of the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule have always struck me as seeing what one wants to see.

Yahweh is a proper noun and the personal name of God whereas Elohim is a common plural^[1] noun and can mean several things such as plural "gods" (Exodus 12:12; Deuteronomy 5:7; I Samuel 28:13) as well as God in the singular (Genesis 1:1)^[2]. Many of the former uses, appear to reflect the fact that throughout much of their history the early Israelites were not strictly monotheistic but ranged from also worshiping false gods to worshiping only Yahweh but according (often lesser) divine status to these false gods.






1. the "im" suffix gives it away.

2. usually associated with Yahweh but not always such as in I Kings 11:33 when used to describe Moab's god Chemosh.

[Christianbookworm]

The word "elohim" refers to any powerful entity. Not just YHWH. Yahweh is the personal name for the omnipotent Elohim that makes finite elohim look as weak as an embryo by comparison.

[mikewhitney]

Are not Elohim and Yahweh two names for one and the same god in the Hebrew bible? If so, wasn't Asherah the wife of Elohim, ergo the wife of Yahweh. Was the more ancient understanding of the Hebrew god one of a god that had a wife named Asherah? If not, who was she, and why was she a figure of worship in 1 and 2 Kings?

Are you reading through the Hebrew scriptures?

[JimL]

Are you reading through the Hebrew scriptures?

Read them. But I came across a book claiming evidence that EL and Yahweh were basically synonomous and that Asherah was a goddess and the wife of EL. There were also ancient sculptures found on the which were etched things such as Blessed was so and so who was saved (or something to that effect) by Yaweh and his Asherah.

[mikewhitney]

Such writings would not be unexpected within Israel's history. The Bible mentions many times when people fell into idolatry. Though, somehow they still maintained the testimony against their behavior, as found in the enduring scriptures. The ancient history was full of expectation that the neighbors had something better going on -- and the tribes of Israel were no exception to this. Even today, we have people who have lived as Christians but got attracted to idolatry.

[DesertBerean]

Read them. But I came across a book claiming evidence that EL and Yahweh were basically synonomous and that Asherah was a goddess and the wife of EL. There were also ancient sculptures found on the which were etched things such as Blessed was so and so who was saved (or something to that effect) by Yaweh and his Asherah.

And we should.be surprised because? Israel did fall into idolatry many times...

[DesertBerean]

Such writings would not be unexpected within Israel's history. The Bible mentions many times when people fell into idolatry. Though, somehow they still maintained the testimony against their behavior, as found in the enduring scriptures. The ancient history was full of expectation that the neighbors had something better going on -- and the tribes of Israel were no exception to this. Even today, we have people who have lived as Christians but got attracted to idolatry.

Yeah...that.

[Bill the Cat]

Several scholars believe Israel just assimilated the names Elohim and Yah from other cultures to make it easier to assimilate them into monotheistic belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

[rogue06]

As an aside, yesterday I saw a car in front of me that was festooned with bumper stickers saying things like "Jesus is my Lord" and the like except one that read "God's Princess Olami."

Anyone know anything about that?

[Starlight]

Was the more ancient understanding of the Hebrew god one of a god that had a wife named Asherah?

Until around the 6th century BC, polytheism was normal in Israel. Yahweh, El, and Ba'al were commonly worshiped, as was Yahweh's wife Asherah.

King Josiah (7th cent BC) instituted massive religious reforms during which the book of Deuteronomy was "discovered" (i.e. written to give authority to the new organisation of the religion) and the previous polytheism was massively streamlined toward monotheism. Various pre-existing scriptural writings (Genesis through Numbers, and others) were gradually merged and worked over to conform more closely to the new orthodoxy, and the gods that were kept (Yahweh and Elohim) were identified as the Same God. The Old Testament as we know it today took shape during Josiah's reign and the century that followed.

[One Bad Pig]

Until around the 6th century BC, polytheism was normal in Israel. Yahweh, El, and Ba'al were commonly worshiped, as was Yahweh's wife Asherah.

King Josiah (7th cent BC) instituted massive religious reforms during which the book of Deuteronomy was "discovered" (i.e. written to give authority to the new organisation of the religion) and the previous polytheism was massively streamlined toward monotheism. Various pre-existing scriptural writings (Genesis through Numbers, and others) were gradually merged and worked over to conform more closely to the new orthodoxy, and the gods that were kept (Yahweh and Elohim) were identified as the Same God. The Old Testament as we know it today took shape during Josiah's reign and the century that followed.

That's quite the imaginative theory.

[Starlight]

That's quite the imaginative theory.

It's just the standard view based on archaeological remains and surviving texts.

[Rushing Jaws]

Are not Elohim and Yahweh two names for one and the same god in the Hebrew bible? If so, wasn't Asherah the wife of Elohim, ergo the wife of Yahweh. Was the more ancient understanding of the Hebrew god one of a god that had a wife named Asherah? If not, who was she, and why was she a figure of worship in 1 and 2 Kings?