Did " God" have a female Partner ? Yahweh and his consort Asherah !!!!!

Originally posted by Akragon
For milenia people have always used "him" when they explain God...

Why shouldn't "he" have a counterpart...Ying&Yang?

Why do we need God to have a gender?

It all comes back to that old man in a white robe sitting in the clouds, waiting to spike i lightning bolt at you if you sin...

edit on 6-3-2011 by Akragon because: (no reason given)

Well I really did not want to put a gender to this to be honest. From my point of view it could be a" HE" or a "SHE" what matters is that I hope the future will prove all the faults that this character had and people will see Yahweh for what it is .....

reply to post by lisa2012

How many of you heard of Asherah?

Apparently it´s known from 1975. I have run a quick search here what i found. Source

Figurines identified with Asherah are strikingly common in the archaeological record, indicating the popularity of her cult from the earliest times to the Babylonian exile.[5] More rarely, inscriptions linking Yahweh and Asherah have been discovered: an 8th century BCE ostracon inscribed "Berakhti etkhem l’YHVH Shomron ul’Asherato" (Hebrew: בירכתי אתכם ליהוה שומרון ולאשרתו‎) was discovered by Israeli archeologists at Kuntillet Ajrud (Hebrew "Horvat Teman") in the course of excavations in the Sinai desert in 1975. This translates as: "I have blessed you by YHVH of Samaria and His Asherah" (or perhaps "... by YHVH our guardian and His Asherah", if "Shomron" is to be read "shomrenu"). Another inscription, from Khirbet el-Kom near Hebron, reads: "Blessed be Uriyahu by Yahweh and by his Asherah; from his enemies he saved him!".[6] Tilde Binger notes in her study, Asherah: Goddesses in Ugarit, Israel and the Old Testament (1997, p. 141), that there is warrant for seeing an Asherah as, variously, "a wooden-aniconic-stela or column of some kind; a living tree; or a more regular statue." A rudely carved wooden statue planted on the ground of the house was Asherah's symbol, and sometimes a clay statue without legs. Her cult images— "idols"— were found also in forests, carved on living trees, or in the form of poles beside altars that were placed at the side of some roads. Asherah poles are mentioned in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, Judges, the Books of Kings, the second Book of Chronicles, and the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah. The term often appears as merely אשרה, Asherah; this is translated as "groves" in the King James Version and "poles" in the New Revised Standard Version, although there is disagreement about the translation of the ancient Hebrew as "poles."

Both the archaeological evidence and the Biblical texts document tensions between groups comfortable with the worship of Yahweh alongside local deities such as Asherah and Baal and those insistent on worship of Yahweh alone during the monarchal period.[7] The Deuteronomistic source gives evidence of a strong monotheistic party during the reign of king Josiah during the late 7th century BCE, but the strength and prevalence of earlier monotheistic worship of Yahweh is widely debated based on interpretations of how much of the Deuteronomistic history is accurately based on earlier sources, and how much has been re-worked by Deuteronomistic redactors to bolster their theological views.[8] The archaeological record documents widespread polytheism in and around Israel during the period of the monarchy.[9]

Asherah by Britannica

Asherah, Asherah, detail from an ivory box from Mīnat al-Bayḍāʾ near Ras Shamra … [Credit: Giraudon/Art Resource, New York]ancient West Semitic goddess, consort of the supreme god. Her principal epithet was probably “She Who Walks on the Sea.” She was occasionally called Elath (Elat), “the Goddess,” and may have also been called Qudshu, “Holiness.” According to texts from Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra, Syria), Asherah’s consort was El, and by him she was the mother of 70 gods. As mother goddess she was widely worshiped throughout Syria and Palestine, although she was frequently paired with Baal, who often took the place of El; as Baal’s consort, Asherah was usually given the name Baalat. Inscriptions from two locations in southern Palestine seem to indicate that she was also worshiped as the consort of Yahweh.

Asherah is mentioned in Ugarit, Egypt, Arabia. Quite known godess actually.

Other Sources : Hebrew Goddess , Ashera

Hope that helps

Peace

reply to post by lisa2012

Just as other deities worshiped in ancient Israel were relegated to become angels, or rejected as 'abhorrent', so too Asherah was done away with. Consequently, two of the world's biggest monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity, now have at their heart a solitary male deity. I can't help but wonder what the world would be like had the goddess remained.

I also wonder why? What colossal nerve could make a people tell such a lie? How did they get away with it? Why did the women stand for it? All this is troubling to me. And of course....What would the world be like today if the godess had remained?

Guys, you do know these other gods were the reason why the God of the Bible killed so many of his own people right? Israel was worshiping these other gods and the one true God slaughtered many of them for it.

Just read the Bible for crying out loud!!!!!

You all run to BBC and wikipedia when the answers to most of your questions are most likely sitting on your coffee table!!! and if not yours, then maybe your parents, hopefully.

Originally posted by rusethorcain
I also wonder why? What colossal nerve could make a people tell such a lie? How did they get away with it? Why did the women stand for it? All this is troubling to me.

It troubles me too. I suspect, at the root of it all, we'll find jealousy. For every Wendy, there is also a Tiger-Lily and a Tinkerbell. Men, poor fools, are easily lead by a beautiful green eyed monster.

Originally posted by KilgoreTrout
The fertility cult that preceded Judiasm, or the Proto-Judaics if you will, made ritual sacrifices of semen to this goddess at a cave (representative of the womb of the Earth) somewhere that I can't recall off the top of my head and my books are upstairs...but the whole business of which is well outlined in John Allegro's 'Chosen People'. A much disputed documentation though...very little grounds in those disputes. It seems to really upset everyone to suggest that the Jews once held ceremonial circle wanks.

edit on 6-3-2011 by KilgoreTrout because: reducing qualifyers

What

What.................Well.............So delicately put!

One is tempted to say you are right - in essence.............

Isn't she symbolic in a way of monotheism establishing itself by trying to destroy its rival paganism which had a very different approach to creation, life and death?

The problem Moses (and 'Yahweh') had when they started was that Yahweh was part of the 12 member Canaanite pantheon and worshipped as the husband of Ashterah. As one of 12 he was obviously not unique and not especially popular either although I think there were a number of shrines to Ashtereh.

Moses' problem was the people he wanted to turn to monotheism preferred Baal (also in the pantheon) whose symbol was the Golden Calf and we know how irritated Moses and Yahweh got, finding that after telling the people to worship Yahweh, they got straight on to making a golden calf in honour of Baal. and worshipped that..

Hence the explanation behind the first two commandments - I am the only God NO other Gods before ME and the second No craven images, meant precisely that you will not worship Baal or his symbol or any of the rest of them. If he had been the original God as we see him today, he would never have been neurotic or needed to force the first two commandments.

We know from the bible that the conversion to monotheism took time and from other sources we know Ashterah was worshipped in the Temple. Unless she was very important to the people she would never had been given that reverence.

She didn't immediately disappear from history but she obviously didn't fit the new 'business model' So they employed their usual little tricks against inconvenient women. She was downgraded when her name was subtly altered to Ashteroth - derided and disappeared much like -. Mary Magdalen whom miraculously waltzed into the High Priest Caiphus's house, had she been a whore as is inferred, she could never have done that however, as a high born woman from the House of David, she did, because she could..

A very unpleasant and uncomfortable possibility at that time is, was spirituality hi-jacked basically by politics and then used to create new religions. So was loosing Ashtereh in a way the start of the worship of materialism today?

reply to post by Lynda101


Did you not read my above post?? Read your Bible people! My lord....

Originally posted by KingKeever1611
Guys, you do know these other gods were the reason why the God of the Bible killed so many of his own people right? Israel was worshiping these other gods and the one true God slaughtered many of them for it.

Just read the Bible for crying out loud!!!!!

You all run to BBC and wikipedia when the answers to most of your questions are most likely sitting on your coffee table!!! and if not yours, then maybe your parents, hopefully.

How many people do you think have read through the bible? I find it a bit of a selective concoction that contradicts itself in odd parts. Take heaven as a prime example, we have angels etc going up and down to heaven then we have Christ telling us that heaven is within. No one can actually say who wrote it. One of our few means of checking its authenticity is by archaelogical investigation. Another is by comparison to other texts, some recently discovered such as from Nag Hammadi or The Dead Sea Scrolls.

However as a book it is flawed badly because the God of the Old Testament, whom perhaps we should remember sent a flood to destroy our ancestors and at times is darn right nasty, bears no resemblance to the God Christ describes. Then we have the so-called blessed Trinity - God, His Son and..... a holy Ghost,- what on earth does that mean? I have never ever been given an explanation I am happier actually thinking of God, His Wife and His Son simply because that is how the planet he created works. All three religions that are linked to the Bible insist on marriage so why should it be such a weird scenario for God?



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I was thinking about posting a similar thread but you beat me to it. I came across the idea of gods wife when I read
Robert Wrights The Evoultion Of God. He claimed that Yahweh was a chief God amongst a pantheon and had a wife named Ashera. Apparently during a political move by the priesthood Isreal switched from polytheism to monotheism and the switch was successful. Robert in his book claimed that Egypt under Akhenaten tried to change to Monotheism but the reforms did not stay after his death. Something similar might have happened in Isreal but the switch from polytheism to monotheism stuck and history usually goes to the victors.

The question of Yahweh’s sex life is part of a larger question that has high stakes: How mythological was Yahweh? Not “mythological” in the sense of not being true, but rather in the sense that Greek gods were mythological: Were there stories about Yahweh’s dramatic dealings with other extraordinary beings? Did he fight some gods or demigods and pal around with others? Was he part of a supernatural soap opera?

www.evolutionofgod.net...

Originally posted by Tinman67
Doesn't the creation story refer to the making of man in "our" image??? This would clarify that plural usage.
Interesting stuff. What else have we forgotten?

The plural usage is already clear. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Where is yahweh mentioned in ancient sumerian texts, or is this just one of those assumptions that are assumed correct on ATS.

Originally posted by Lynda101

How many people do you think have read through the bible?

Not many, not on this site at least. And if they do read the Bible, its probably the wrong one

I find it a bit of a selective concoction that contradicts itself in odd parts. Take heaven as a prime example, we have angels etc going up and down to heaven then we have Christ telling us that heaven is within.

Jesus never said such. He even ascended up into heaven after he arose from the dead. Didn't say he ascended into himself now did it. Jesus did say the "Kingdom of God" was within, showing outward observance of the mosaic law had come to an end with Jesus Christ's last sacrifice on the cross.

No one can actually say who wrote it.

I can, God did, so did John, Paul, Moses, Joshua, David, etc. As for the King James Bible, they didn't write it, they just translated the previous copies of the scripture, while using William Tyndale, the Bishop Bible, great Bible, German Bible, and Martin Luther's Bible as references.

One of our few means of checking its authenticity is by archaelogical investigation. Another is by comparison to other texts, some recently discovered such as from Nag Hammadi or The Dead Sea Scrolls.

Or by how the Bible has never been proven wrong...not even once. I know all the "problem texts" too, please bring something up, I will be happy to dispute it. Also, prophecy proves the Bible correct, backed up with your "archaelogical investigations".

However as a book it is flawed badly because the God of the Old Testament, whom perhaps we should remember sent a flood to destroy our ancestors and at times is darn right nasty, bears no resemblance to the God Christ describes.

This want be the last time God destroys man. Read my signature for a taste. Ever read the last book in the Bible? Look how it begins: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass"
Once again, you know not of what you speak. This is much deeper than your "equal rights of man" mind can handle.

Then we have the so-called blessed Trinity - God, His Son and..... a holy Ghost,- what on earth does that mean? I have never ever been given an explanation

And you probably never will. Do you know YOUR a three part individual as well? Soul, spirit, and body? Think about it.

I am happier actually thinking of God, His Wife and His Son simply because that is how the planet he created works. All three religions that are linked to the Bible insist on marriage so why should it be such a weird scenario for God?

Most people are happier being ignorant, and I don't blame you, I really don't. Much learning doth make you mad! lol. But you really did play your hand with this statement, in the fact that regardless of what the the Bible says, you will believe what is most pleasing to yourself. Wish I could do the same with TAXES!

Originally posted by ELahrairah
I was thinking about posting a similar thread but you beat me to it. I came across the idea of gods wife when I read
Robert Wrights The Evoultion Of God. He claimed that Yahweh was a chief God amongst a pantheon and had a wife named Ashera. Apparently during a political move by the priesthood Isreal switched from polytheism to monotheism and the switch was successful. Robert in his book claimed that Egypt under Akhenaten tried to change to Monotheism but the reforms did not stay after his death. Something similar might have happened in Isreal but the switch from polytheism to monotheism stuck and history usually goes to the victors.

The question of Yahweh’s sex life is part of a larger question that has high stakes: How mythological was Yahweh? Not “mythological” in the sense of not being true, but rather in the sense that Greek gods were mythological: Were there stories about Yahweh’s dramatic dealings with other extraordinary beings? Did he fight some gods or demigods and pal around with others? Was he part of a supernatural soap opera?

www.evolutionofgod.net...

As you rightly say "history goes to the victors". I think Israel/Palestine at that time was an Egyption Protectorate and at the least there were temples, if not garrisons there. With the Bible perspective one looks from doesn't adequately cover all the environment the biblical

I haven't read the book you mention but will look out for it and as you say "history usually goes to the victors'. It seems here there is a very subtle but decisive victory of politics masquerading as divinity/spirituality. The Gods in the pantheons covered certain areas in man's realm plus aspects of his personality and they have a continuity and history back to the Heroes; however, in Pagan beliefs power was spread around and not concentrated solely into 1 pair of hands which was obviously Yahweh's and Moses intention.

Professor Finklestein's archaelogical evidence at present proves the Exodus never took place simply because huge numbers of people and cattle, with their needs for water and fodda etc would have left a trace. What he did discover was the people were already living in Canaana close to the Canaanites and trading with them. We know they were separate communities because the Canaanites ate pork which the Israelites didn't. But with the Israelites 'going monotheisic' a pantheon, a God with a very popular wife Ashterah, all caused problems which were exacerbated by the people worshipping the calf which was Baal's symbol.

Ashtereh was an inconvenient wife. So she was turned into a whore - Ashteroth was a derogatory version of her name. The same tactic was used against Mary Magdalen. We know this because she had access to Caiphus's house and no whore would have that.

I'd like to propose something many will think as totally of-the-wall. With the archaeological evidence I suspect it was Akhenaten whom came across the water and that was how an experienced army managed to loose one man, or a small group. whereby they would never have lost a huge number of slow moving people. Further there is no record of a Pharoah drowing.Yes he was a God but they recorded when he got into trouble or his army lost a battle.

How we think of God today probably means we never wonder why God never showed his face, Akhenaten had an especially memorable face and would have been recognized as the Egyptian Pharoah pushing monotheism. We know both Moses and Akhenaken were alive during the same time spell and we know Moses came out of Egypt. We also know that the new God was especially demanding he impaled people who disobeyed him and demanded the signing of his covenant. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God he had never demanded such a man-thing as a contract and he didn't impale them - so tactics are changing in the internal workings of divinity. Those tactics wouldn't seem strange to Akhenaten. A possible reason why Yahweh was selected to introduce monotheism was he was known also as King of the Sun which was a natural title the Pharoah's took so it may have subtly been easier for the Israelites to absorb as a link to their old beliefs. We know Moses died and would have been aging but so also would Akhenaten and isn't it from this time that we have no more visits from Yahweh?

Another thing omitted in the bible is that the 'Promised Land' was only fertile and workable in the north, the south was not. Its an important factor to the story and could explain another reason why the Cannaanites would have to be dealt with.

I think any knowledge about Yahweh, which proved controversial or threatened the position in society of the religions that claim him, would have been quietly removed. Professor Finklestein has been subjected to a lot of abuse becaue of his search for the truth and revealing it. People want things to remain as they are, especially if priviledge is gained from that.

I suspect Yahweh was not a popular God in the Pantheon and can't think of any indoctrinate the young, teach that people should marry within their religion, they profess that God is unique, divinely commandin us through them and holds all power over us. Could you maintain that if he needed or was cared for by a wife? Its seems to detract a little and move him down to man. ............. but the above IMHO.

I'd like to propose something many will think as totally of-the-wall. With the archaeological evidence I suspect it was Akhenaten whom came across the water and that was how an experienced army managed to loose one man, or a small group. whereby they would never have lost a huge number of slow moving people. Further there is no record of a Pharoah drowing.Yes he was a God but they recorded when he got into trouble or his army lost a battle.

I thought the Egyptians were renowned for NOT recording their losses?

I am sure I have read this and even seen it on a documentary so will get links when possible..

Other than that I love this thread

reply to post by Lucifer84


Hi

You're quite right bad Egyptian PR to own up to a defeat.

Sorry my ambiguity, I was thinking of a picture of Pharoah in full battle charge with his army behind him, as depicted in my bible I had as a kid. Old conditioning tools take root deep. I really meant the death of a Pharoah by drowning which I wouldn't that thought had the same connotation as a lost battle..



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reply to post by NOTurTypical

The plural usage is already clear. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Down here on planet Earth we say, Father, Mother, and Child. We know better than to think three men created all of this, including Women. Not one man alive can truly understand women. Not one. And yet you Christians think a male did all of this! Read your history, friend. "G-D was in fact a Female for some 45,000 years before Christianity came along. Then they proceeded to MURDER about one million Wise women, built your churches on Temples built for the Goddess, book burnings, banning anything Occult, and it goes on and on.

Goddess worship: that real "old time religion?"

The Goddess in History, Religion, and Art...

Goddess worship

To end, doesn't your book warn not to raise Idols before your God, EL? Jesus Christ is a false idol, anyway you look at it. Why do Christians worship idols of Jesus, when in the Bible it says do not worship idols? And why do Christians never, ever honor the Queen of Heaven? One day, all of this will come back to haunt you all, and I hope I am there to see it.

reply to post by autowrench


Well Christians do acknowledge the Goddess, but in an esoteric way. The Holy Chalice, or Grail, is a parable for the sacred feminine. It's like a sock in the face for El.

Also, remember that the Jews worshipped several pagan gods within The First Temple, right across from the Holy of Holies. But born agains don't like to thump that story very much, wonder why??

Most Christians are just to ignorant to argue with, they are scared of the unknown and want a convienent explanation.

Might some be lurking around here.....??

There have always been tribes of Man who worshipped God's and there have always been tribes of Man who have worshipped Goddesses. What has set them apart is the leadership of the Tribes. Those which are particularly matriarchal held Goddesses in high esteem, like wise the patriarchal societies held God's in high esteem.

How did such things come to be? Well let's look at the fateful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot is told to flee the city because it is going to be destroyed. He is warned by God to not look back lest he face the same fate as the cities. So, he rounds up the family, gives them the warning and heads for the hills. On the way out, his wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt. The cities are destroyed and Lot heads off to tell his tale.

Lot never looked back. Did you catch that? Lot never looked BACK! If Lot never looked back, how could he recount what happened to the cities? If he never looked back, how could he know what happened to his wife. Lot was so concerned about his own life that he refused to disobey his God and look back. He was so concerned about his life that he never turned to see what had become of his friends and neighbors. So, he sets off and his God becomes a wrathful God. This is Lot's fate.

His wife though was filled with love for her people. The thought of leaving them to their death broke her heart. She turned to see their fate and became a pillar of salt. What is salt to a nomadic people in the desert? It is precious resource. It is an essential nutrient. It is the staple of LIFE. Without it, your body does not retain water. Lot's wife went back to her people and became their Life. She became the leader and set the people out in search of new land to form a new city elsewhere. You will not read this in the Bible. The Bible tells the story of Man, not woman.

But Jesus knew!

"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife." Luke 17:28-32.

And he follows this with...

33Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 34

Between Lot and his wife, who sought to save their life?

We are in the age of the Son of Man. Can you not see it?

12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14

The Son of Man comes for his Bride. The end of this age is the Bridal Party, it is the union once more of Male and Female. God is neither male nor female. God is one. The two become one.

Worry not of God being male nor female. This is a time of unity and love, the two have become one. They never were separate. Only the mind of Man has made it so.

With Love,

Your Brother

The Project Bluebeam conspiracy came to mind when I read this article. I haven't decided whether or not I believe this conspiracy, but I am keeping an open mind.

The first step in the NASA Blue Beam Project concerns the breakdown of all archaeological knowledge. It deals with the set-up with artificially created earthquakes at certain precise locations on the planet where, supposedly, new discoveries will finally explain to all people the error of all fundamental religious doctrines. The falsification of this information will be used to make all nations believe that their religious doctrines have been misunderstood for centuries and misinterpreted. Psychological preparations for that first step have already been implemented with the film, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey;’ the StarTrek series, and ‘Independence Day;’ all of which deal with invasions from space and the coming together of all nations to repel the invaders. The last films, ‘Jurrassic Park,’ deals with the theories of evolution, and claim God's words are lies.

I got this from: 100777.com...

If this conspiracy turns out to be real, then I will be looking forward to the big light show. In fact I might invite some friends around for wine and a BBQ, so we can all watch it together and have a laugh.