The Wife of God

The Wife of God

Curious about goddess worship in ancient times and personally having loyalties with Tiamat I wanted to find out more about different evidences of female deities. It is apparent that the standard worship of just one particular 'male' deity has certainly skewed the spiritual lessons one attains from reading modern bibles. Sure there's Mary and other females mentioned throughout the bible but their roles have been diminished quite drastically and their 'power' devalued.

In the tradition of 'pics or it didn't happen' I have provide lots of sources to avoid the 'links please or its not true' crowd of ATS members.

Her name is Asherah and is referenced 40 times in the Hebrew Bible in conjunction with the definite article. She is also known as Lady Asherah of the Sea/She who walks on the sea. And as Athirat from Arabian inscriptions she is the mother of 70 children (the Jewish idea of the 70 guardian angels of the nations perhaps) and is known as a sun goddess. Further evidence in Akkadian texts names her as Asratum and consort of Amurru.
www.biblicalarchaeology.org... licalarchaeology.org

Asherah has appeared paired with Yahweh in positive ways. Furthermore, the early eighth century BCE prophets do not condemn Asherah worship. The worship of Asherah was evidently acceptable before the Deuteronomistic reform movement gained momentum in the seventh century BCE, but since the text of the Bible was significantly composed or edited by the Deuteronomistic school or even later, this fact is not immediately apparent.
www.bibleinterp.com...

1. References to the Goddess:

Her "image" is mentioned in the Old Testament (1 Kings 15:13 2 Kings 21:7 2 Chronicles 15:16), as well as her "prophets" (1 Kings 18:19) and the vessels used in her service (2 Kings 23:4).

2. Assyrian Origin of the Goddess:

Like so much else in Canaanite religion, the name and worship of Asherah were borrowed from Assyria. She was the wife of the war-god Asir whose name was identified with that of the city of. Assur with the result that he became the national god of Assyria. Since Asirtu was merely the feminine form of Asir, "the superintendent" or "leader," it is probable that it was originally an epithet of Ishtar (Ashtoreth) of Nineveh.

3. Her Symbol:

The trunk of the tree was often provided with branches, and assumed the form of the tree of life. It was as a trunk, however, that it was forbidden to be erected by the side of "the altar of Yahweh" (Deuteronomy 16:21; see Judges 6:25, 28, 30 2 Kings 23:6). Accordingly the symbol made for Asherah by his mother was "cut down" by Asa (1 Kings 15:13). So, too, we hear of Asherim or symbols of the goddess being set up on the high places under the shade of a green tree (Jeremiah 17:2; see 2 Kings 17:10). Manasseh introduced one into the temple at Jerusalem (2 Kings 21:3, 7).
biblehub.com...

Lady Asherah of the Sea is also known as Atargatis or Derketo, and one of her symbols is a fish. However, in the Old Testament we see Asherah in the form of a tree, or of a tree trunk, or a wooden pole (possibly the origin of our own May Pole). This was set in high places, in green groves, and there the festivals of moon and season took place with rejoicing and sexual celebration. These are the "high places" that Israel's monotheistic male prophets were most keen to destroy, although they never entirely succeeded.

Time and time again we read of the Hebrew people "backsliding" into worshipping Her, and even as late as the period into which Jesus was born, we have the figure of the Lady Wisdom, still divine, a creatrix figure, which he eventually took over. Atargatis, another aspect of Asherah, was called "Lady of Life"; she is usually shown with a spindle and a fish. A spindle because she is also "goddess of useful appliances", and a fish because as lady of water she produced life. She was also worshipped as "Universal Mother Earth." It is interesting that a fish is the cuneiform symbol of the city of Nineveh - this is the place to which the biblical Jonah was sent, and on the way was swallowed by a whale and stayed "in the belly of the fish" for three days. There seem some connections there.
www.asphodel-long.com...

Tiamat's name is recalled in Genesis 1:2 where the Hebrew 'Tehom' is usually translated as 'the deep'; it will be recalled that Tiamat is the sea goddess living in the deep. It was her home and in it life itself was waiting to be born. She was slain by Marduk and her body was seperated to make the heavens and the earth. In addition to the Genesis resonance, there are many passages in the Bible where God celebrates his victory over the dragon, the sea monster and the abyss.7 Indeed, there is a school of thought which believes that the Babylonian New Year Festival which celebrated Marduk's triumph over Tiamat was the origin of the Hebrew and then Jewish New Year Festival where God in the liturgy for the occasion still celebrates his victory over chaos.
www.asphodel-long.com...

Asherah is particularly important in the Judeo-Christian tradition, where she is portrayed as a pagan deity whose images and sacred pillars must be rejected and destroyed.
However, there is evidence that in the early history of Israel, she may have been seen not only as the consort of El but also as the wife of the Israelite God Yahweh. El was recognized by the Canaanites as the supreme deity and by the Israelites as synonymous with Yahweh.
www.newworldencyclopedia.org...

Is it about time Christians begin once again the dual worship and rightfully obtain the perfect spiritual balance they seek.


Further Reading (available free on scribd.com)


From Asherah to Shekinah by Sipporah Y Joseph.

Asherah Goddesses in Ugarit, Israel and the Old Testament by Tilde Binger.

Jehovah And His Queen - author not cited.

Goddesses And The Divine Feminine by Rosemary Radford Ruether.

a reply to: Tindalos2013

Is it about time Christians begin once again the dual worship and rightfully obtain the perfect spiritual balance they seek.

Wouldn't this officially turn Christianity and Judaism into polytheistic religions? I mean Christianity is already a polytheistic religion in denial but hey whatever it's a confusing,complex story line no one's really ever bothered to fact check.

Very interesting OP though thanks for the info.

a reply to: Tindalos2013

The one and only god has no wife, nor is he male or female. He is something our little mushy brains can not comprehend.

a reply to: NateTheAnimator

In the Ten Commandments it states to honour the farther and mother and thinking about it now it could be interpreted to mean show worship to both the god and goddess.

Well since what became Judaism originated in Polytheism, no surprise.

Anyone wonder why the Canaanites (and others) are so demonized in the OT?

Because the Israelites were taking some of their gods and beliefs to form their own. There are a ton of clues and parallels to be found.

S+F

a reply to: Tindalos2013

The great Lady. The lady of the waters, the house of the sun, the tree of life, the Matrix of life. Wisdom.

Elah Yam

Elah Yam, the Great Mother of the ancient Red Sea and Mediterranean trade routes. Holy trees with dragon sap and a ladder for her descent from heaven is shown on this gold ring as she rides the surface of the celestial sea. Marija Gimbutas identified her as Gorgoneion; a terrible face with snakes as hair. This artifact, probably cast in a cuttlebone mold, was found at the pillar temple in Potnia. The name of the goddess, Elah Yam, is translated Holy Tree (Elah) Sea (Yam). She is the "spirit" of Genesis; the original creator before the story was modified by incoming Abrahamic shepherds. In Hebrew, Elohim אֱלֹהִים could be read as Elah Yam אֱלֹהִ ים as no spaces existed to designate words. The most ancient verses of Genesis describe the process of creation by Elah Yam. It is a credit to the scribes that the original name of God has been retained even with later interpolations. Using a plural noun to describe a monotheistic deity is plausible now.

Abraham always set up camp near a terebinth tree, by the Moreh, a priestess

Exploiting the terebinth tree requires knowledge of alchemy and of the night sky. The phases of the moon are connected to the lunar milk cycle of the tree. This milk can be harvested for those that posses the ritual knowledge. It has long been understood that the phases of the moon and the tides of the sea are interdependent. Moreh, myrrh, marrow, Mary.

Some interesting stuff there.

In my sig line thread I explored this topic a bit. Its a very long thread, but there is quite a bit about the Lady. For instance El Shaddai which many see as a protector "God of the mountain", but its actually El of the breasts, or the many breasted El, which gives the dew of life, the dew being what comes down from Mt. Hermon, and is the anointing oil or Myrrh in type

Psalm 133
A song of ascents. Of David.

1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

The anointing oil was what makes a Machiach or messiah, or Christ. Or to be christened was to be anointed with the holy oil, or dew.

The oil came from the tree of life, which symbol was the asherah or menorah. When the Holy Spirit landed on Jesus' head that signifies the christening, Christ-becoming, having been anointed. This was also played out when Mary Magdalene (see hathor Mary, aka Ashera) poured the nard on Jesus. that Nard was the holy anointing oil of the old way (1st temple), when the mother Father, Son(s) reigned prior to Josiah.

originally posted by: ElectricFeel
a reply to: Tindalos2013

The one and only god has no wife, nor is he male or female. He is something our little mushy brains can not comprehend.

By 'He' you mean 'It is'. And I agree that still as of today we still personify the 'invisible forces' of nature, such as giving names to hurricanes etc.

Here is an interesting YouTube playlist about the Old Testament. It's actually a Yale course without all the homework, assigned reading, and credits. Somewhere in one of the lectures the professor talks about some of the origins of Hebrew beliefs. She talks about the origins of Yahweh and touches on how in the Canaanite pantheon he had a wife (iirc). I believe it is lecture number seven, but can't be certain as it has been awhile since I watched the series. Just dropping a link here because I feel it is close enough to the topic at hand.

Introduction to the Old Testament With Christine Hayes

originally posted by: NateTheAnimator
a reply to: Tindalos2013

Is it about time Christians begin once again the dual worship and rightfully obtain the perfect spiritual balance they seek.

Wouldn't this officially turn Christianity and Judaism into polytheistic religions? I mean Christianity is already a polytheistic religion in denial but hey whatever it's a confusing,complex story line no one's really ever bothered to fact check.

Very interesting OP though

thanks for the info.

no. in reality there are no polytheistic religions. old or less old. all polytheistic labeled religions are actually cutlures which used personification of attributes of the one God. the one God is in Christ consciousness. all pagan religions have been absolved into christianity.

to get the correct picture u need to know history. there was always one God. there were different tribes who served God and the people were taught by priests/shamans who had come into contact with their spiritual consciousness. while the people were learning sometimes they wouldnt get it quite right and corrupt the practices. when their practices in devotion to what was the original God got corrupted and they started misinterpretting statues as God etc, thats when they became pagan. when a culture became pagan, another king from another land would conquer them and correct the teachings. most times by merging it with those of his original lands. the regions previous teachings would then be cast as pagan and banished from practice.

the justification is in that they know it is wrong so they had to enforce the law on making sure ppl didnt practice the wrong thing as their service to God. and further mor, teach their corruption to others and have it spread.

so again. christianity isnt pagan. in fact it is basically the most modern teachings of the way to serve God, designed for a more intelligently evolved race of humans in a new world. christians come under the 'New Covenant' which God set about to create when the jews broke their original covenant. even hinduism which is quite modern is a better instruction tool than some pagan religions and their methods. many dont know that hinduism is a monotheistic religion,.. not polytheistic. same applies to egypt, and to sumeria.

a reply to: John333
Wow. That is one of the most twisted monologues I've ever seen to make Christianity/monotheism the one and only true religion. Applause for that one.

According to Ian Clayton, John Paul Jackson, and Neville Johnson, four of the seven Spirits of God are feminine and three are masculine.

All three teachers individually arrived at the same conclusions concerning the seven Spirits referred to in Isaiah and Revelations.

See post here for more on this...

These 7 Spirits are separate spirits who are in the throne room of God. They are additional spirits to the Holy Spirit. These are our tutors (teach/instruct) in the realms of the kingdom, to present us in the courts of the king in his mountain as mature mandated sons of God. When we have learned all we need to, then God can release us to bring his kingdom to every stratosphere of the kingdom he has set up. This sets up God's nature and light in us. When you manifest all of these, you emit white.

These spirits search to and fro on the earth for men willing to be tutored. They seal us for position, by the ring of the Father. They declare "mature son". They give us a throne. Jesus fully functioned in all these spirits. When Jesus was transfigured, he was a mature son, and was revealed in white. He was glorified - and he had the manifestation of all 7 spirits in him, fully acknowledged as the Son. The 7 spirits manifest the nature of God and his kingdom. We are tutored, equipped, and mandated in our spirit man to become a mature son. This is God's Education System. This whole system is based on spirits educating us. These are teachers. They come to teach us. Teachers under greater teachers under greater teachers under God.

The Seven Spirits of God

God calls the church His bride in the Bible, other religions, well there are plenty of options

2 Corinthians 11:2 - For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.


and yes, its not literal, its spiritual

They got divorced and he was pissed off at her for a long time. Last I heard god took off on a road trip right after she talked to a lawyer Obama to up the support payments.

Some say Jesus was crucified on a pole, the word used in the Greek New Testament speak of a stake or pole rather than a cross. Asherah had a pole or tree that stood in order to honor her. What if Jesus (who is supposedly Yahweh) was crucified on an Asherah pole? She was his consort, she was also the consort of many other pagan gods of the time.

This is just a thought, I could be totally wrong.

a reply to: Tindalos2013
Biblically speaking, God's people Israel is God's wife and he is her husband.
Extended metaphors found in Hosea, Ezekiel and Song of Solomon and continued into the New Testament.

a reply to: ElectricFeel

Ahh sort of like kaitlyn jenner!

a reply to: Tindalos2013

אֲשֵׁרָה Hebrew spelling g of Asherah

A great post!

originally posted by: NateTheAnimator
a reply to: Tindalos2013

Is it about time Christians begin once again the dual worship and rightfully obtain the perfect spiritual balance they seek.

Wouldn't this officially turn Christianity and Judaism into polytheistic religions?...





I mean Christianity is already a polytheistic religion in denial but hey whatever it's a confusing,complex story line no one's really ever bothered to fact check.

Very interesting OP though

thanks for the info.

Who cares about monotheism, one God or a million all anybody should care about is the truth. That includes things that have been " corrected" by the mighty pen of Yahwistic editors.

Anyone who believes in the official account of anything is taking a huge leap of faith.

Yes, Yahweh was known to consort with Asherah, historically.

As was Ba'al and before them/him EL.

One word that explains why God is a bachelor now: Misogyny.

But it was not always so, Asherah worship was not always condemned. So did they get a divorce and now Yahweh doesn't want his children to know their heavenly Mother?

Is Yahweh into guys now?

a reply to: Tindalos2013

That's awesome, you know what, turtles don't get much of a look in, in your religion either.
Really you should worship the turtle God again as well

not teenage turtles but mother turtles

Your religion should embrace turtles and fall on your faces worshiping those little river tanks
Your religion should love and embrace them, you should once again embrace that what is your gods