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

Originally posted by Lynda101

Originally posted by JamesMayorOfJerusalem
it's well known that idols were worshipped alongside The Lord all through Israel's history. almost every prophet in the Old Testament speaks out against it. I think it's stretching it somewhat to say that it was the norm up until the Babylonian Captivity though, or that monotheistic Jews were a special interest group... besides the prophets going back to the time of Moses, the first prophet of the biblical Nevi'im was Amos (8th century BC) and Isaiah was his contemporary, although he came later. Amos was a shephard, Isaiah was counciller to kings - men from completely different backgrounds both prophecying in the name of YHWH, warning the people to turn from idols. The Babylonian Captivity happened in 586 BC. But these higher criticsm/ feminist criticism types want people to believe, based on some inscriptions that actually confirm the biblical account, that the Israelites were basically Wiccans that became monontheists after going to a place like Babylon, known as the 'mother of harlots' in the ancient world, the birthplace of astrology and grimiores. The theory doesn't hold up well in my opinion.

edit on 25-3-2011 by JamesMayorOfJerusalem because: (no reason given)

Do you know anything about Wicca - tell you one thing, Wicca teaches "be it harm none do it". If we compare that to "An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth etc." which one do you think should be followed? I am not saying to you I am Wiccan, but unless one looks at the principles behind the different belief systems its hard to think one is 'higher' than another,

You cannot get away from archaelogical proof backing up (sometimes) what the bible has been manipulated to acknowledge but not state clearly. Asherah had statues in the temple and what she represented to the people was sacred. Mind you why should you be bothered with the feminine side of creation as you say, "feminist criticism and Harlots eh?

I don't think either should be followed. I think that 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you' is greater than either teaching. when I was younger I learned about Wicca through a girlfriend and a book by Ray Buckland....I got handfasted and everything. I did a lot of searching before I repented. I've always found it interesting that people tend to automatically assume someone is ignorant of other belief systems if they are Christian.

' Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.' (2 Kings 21:1-9)

The gender issue is a sensitive subject, and I didn't mean to offend you. It's not that I am bothered by the feminine, I love women... If there was somebody writing an article about Jesus being a Communist or something, I would have written 'higher criticism/ Marxist criticism types' but we are on the topic of God and gender so it seemed appropriate. The thing about higher criticism is that its called 'higher' because it has a low view of Scripture - the different critical schools such feminist, deconstructionist, etc. only critique in order to advance their particular agenda, not to try to understand what a thing is in itself. you can see in the quote above what the Bible has to say about the worship of Asherah. The archeological findings appear to confirm the biblical account rather than refute it, but people with a low view of Scripture interpret the evidence according to their own agenda. Also, consider that Christ was the second, spiritual Adam, whose atonement freed men and women from original sin....the commandment of God immediately following the Fall that Adam would 'rule over' Eve should be null and void in the New Covenant of Christ, as evidenced by the huge role women played in the early Church...it's really institutionalism from the early days of Catholicism that is to blame for the marginalization of women, not the Gospel of Jesus. Tolstoy wrote something to the effect that judging the Gospel by it's outward, institutional aspects (Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant) is like judging a peice of music by watching the movements of the musicians. I hope this clarifies.

reply to post by lisa2012


Have you read the Apocryphon of John? This "lost" book contains a description of creation from the beginning, and not just the creation of the earth.

In this book, what we call God, is described as not being what we would think of as a deity, but as the energy in which everything exists. And His first creation, Barbelo, the womb of everything, Is His "wife."

A very interesting read!! After studying the bible pretty much my whole life, this one book changed everything I thought about God, life, the universe, everything.

reply to post by IAMIAM


This is a great way to view God. Not as a being in the glass of water, but the whole glass of water. We, as humans, have been separated from this knowledge ie: the sleep Adam was put into still affects us now.

Ever read the Apocryphon of John?

I believe people are looking at this topic with much too esoteric eyes.
If one wants to know the actual Nature of God, then all one has to do is to read the Old Testament. There, it is made blatantly clear that God was not a omniprescent force, but an actual being.
In time, however, he was transformed by religion into the historically more modern concept of a omniprescent actual force that was everywhere and saw and knew everything, although that is a direct contradiction to the actual descrpition of him in the Old Testament- The original Biblical text. Or rather, the original texts in the Bible. A bunch of those texts, as most of you know, are based upon much older Mesopotamian texts.

Anyway, God simply had a broad- No need to mystify it if there is no need to.

Originally posted by Nightchild
Anyway, God simply had a broad- No need to mystify it if there is no need to.

Pray, tell, who was that "broad"???

Originally posted by Lazarus Short

Originally posted by Nightchild
Anyway, God simply had a broad- No need to mystify it if there is no need to.

Pray, tell, who was that "broad"???

Well, according to the researchers and News in the Opening Post, her name was apparently Asherah.*Points to the Thread-start with a gentle knod*

Originally posted by Nightchild

Originally posted by Lazarus Short

Originally posted by Nightchild
Anyway, God simply had a broad- No need to mystify it if there is no need to.

Pray, tell, who was that "broad"???

Well, according to the researchers and News in the Opening Post, her name was apparently Asherah.*Points to the Thread-start with a gentle knod* [/quote

Oh yes, that. There seems to be an endless supply of "researchers" who cook up novel theories (how else do you get that PhD?) but who lack understanding.

reply to post by lisa2012
I,heard about this story,long time ago..But since its brought back up. I,Decided to go find as much information I, could on this. I,hope this helps,out, this is from their sites,and books you can get................
,also....
,now personal from what I, read,it is a cult. Now,its because of one of the sentences,it said,

The goddess Asherah was the consort of El ("god"), the supreme god of Canaan and father of the popular Baal.

.......Baal means:Archaeology and Scripture

Ba`al is a title meaning "lord" that was applied to a number of West Semitic gods.[1]
Baal Hadad, probably the most widely-worshiped Baal, was worshiped by Arameans who brought his worship to other parts of the Mediterranean. Early demonologists, unaware of Hadad or that the instances of the term "Ba`al" in the Bible referred to any number of local deities, few to none of them referring to Hadad, came to regard the term as referring to but one personage. Until archaeological digs at Ras Shamra and Ebla uncovered texts explaining the Syrian pantheon, the Ba‘al Zebûb (or Beelzebub) was frequently confused with various Semitic gods Ba‘al, and in the New Testament might refer to a high-ranking devil or to Satan himself.[2][3]
The Biblical and historical evidence shows that the Moabites worshiped a Baal. The pre-Islamic and Muslim sources show (a) that the Meccans took over the idol Hubal from the Moabites
,also ,CONSORT MEANS:A consort refers to a spouse, that is, either a husband or wife. The term is used especially to refer to the partner of a monarch or ruler........ALSO IT MEANS:To consort also means to keep the companionship of someone.....So,in this term relationships,i feel it was a cult.
Then the christains,belief at that time:Christian demonology

Baal is a Christian demon.[4] According to Christian demonology, Baal was ranked as the first and principal king in Hell, ruling over the East. According to some authors Baal is a Duke, with sixty-six legions of demons under his command. The term "Baal" is used in various ways in the Old Testament, with the usual meaning of master, or owner. It came to sometimes mean the local pagan god of a particular people, and at the same time all of the idols of the land. It is also found in several places in the plural Baalim, or Baals (Judges 2:11, 10:10). There were many variations, such as the sun god, the god of fertility, and Beelzebub, or the "lord of flies".
During the English Puritan period, Baal was either compared to Satan or considered his main assistant. According to Francis Barrett, he has the power to make those who invoke him invisible, and to some other demonologists his power is stronger in October. According to some sources, he can make people wise, speaks hoarsely, and carries ashes in his pocket.
While his Semitic predecessor was depicted as a man or a bull,[5] the demon Baal was in grimoire tradition said to appear in the forms of a man, cat, toad, or combinations thereof. An illustration in Collin de Plancy's 1818 book Dictionnaire Infernal rather curiously placed the heads of the three creatures onto a set of spider legs.
The idea of Baal as a demon was created when Christianity turned ancient gods into demons and demonology divided the demonic population of Hell in several hierarchies. Baal, the Semitic god, did not escape, becoming a separate entity from Beelzebub.[citation needed]
[edit]....I, hope this helps..........Also here is some more information,I, found...Asherah:One of the principal female goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon, familiar equally from Canaanite mythology and from biblical references. Her name first appears at the time of the First Dynasty of Babylon as Ashratum, consort of Amurru. She is thus a goddess of the Semitic Amorites. In the Canaanite myths found in the city of Ugarit in northern Syria, Asherah appears in several roles. Most often she is known as the Lady of the Sea. As such she is consort of the chief god El and mother of the gods. She also plays the role of interceder in the myth of Baal and the Waters.

In her role as mother goddess, Asherah is often confused with another Canaanite goddess – Ashtoreth (Astarte), who seems to have replaced Asherah in the 1st millennium B.C. As goddess of fertility, Asherah takes the form of a tree, symbolizing the Tree of Life on which the animal kingdom feeds. Her sacred emblem in this role is a tree or a wooden post which is a stylized form of a Tree of Life. Such a post is called Asherah in the Bible.

The cult of Asherah as goddess of fertility connected with sacred trees was pervasive in ancient Israel. It was already practiced in the times of the Judges (Judg 6:25-28) together with the cult of Baal, and continued under the direction of some of the kings of Israel themselves (I Kgs 16:33; 18:19, II Kgs 12:6; 13:6; 17:10). During the religious reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah, kings of Judah, the trees of Asherah were cut down (II Kgs 18:4) including the one installed by King Manasseh inside the Temple (II Kgs 21:7; 23:6). The cult of Asherah probably had elements of divination and was quite promiscuous (Hos 4:12-13).

Read more: www.answers.com..., Thank you all for listening and reading.

Groupies :

Most of the Near Eastern 'male' gods had female counterparts (sort of like Wusir & Aset aka Osiris & Isis) in their hierarchy (temple rating of gods in the pantheon).

ASHER (or ASHUR) was the male clan god of the Assyrians (Ashur was Assyria) whose wife was ASHERAH. The Assyrians invaded Eretz Yisroe'l in 722 BCE (and defeated the 10 northern tribelets - all by tiny Benjamin and fast growing Yehduah / Judah) by 701 BCE, and the CULT (temple worship) of the Assyrian invaders was introduced into Yisro'el (anyone who could read or write or work in metals - i.e. foster rebellion against the invading hordes) were rounded up and exiled into Assyria - the main political force of the 10 tribes were all taken to the area around Nineveh (present day Mosul in Iraq) where most of the 10 lost tribes promptly intermingled with their new neighbours and became, ahem, PAGANs. Their descendants became Muslims or Christians, and a few hardliners joined another exiled group from Judah 150 years later in Babylon, and some even managed to return to Eretz Yisroel after 531 BCE (when Persia had taken over the 'promised' land).

Interestingly, ASHUR had FOUR FACES e.g. the face of a LION, the face of a son of MAN, the face of an EAGLE and the face of an OX (referrring to Aldebaron, Regulus, and other POLE stars surrounding Polaris, the Throne Room of the gods) - and we see YHWH the post Exilic clan god of the Judaeans 'borrowing' the same attributes if you read the scroll of the book of the prophet Hezekiel (chapters 1 and 10) you see YHWH having four faces too. Cults often steal from each other, and the archaeology of Canaan and later Israel shows the most shameless borrowing from gentiles ! (and we'll have to leave Moses' infamous borrowed Midiante Snake Idol on a Pole thingy out of the discussion for now, see Numbers 21:7)

We can see that the pre-exilic (pre 587 BCE) CULT of YHWH and the earlier invading CULT of ASHUR were mingled (and his WIFE), and YHWH (at least between BCE 722 and 531) indeed taken over AHERA's wife (ASHERA), but she was later expelled from the toybox (or rather from the 2nd temple cult) when Ezra the Scribe and his 'ultra right wing Yahwistic priestly reformers' newly arrived from Babylon cut her out of existence when they re-wrote the TORAH in the new letters (now familia square Aramaic letters) along with all the other gods (including their son BA'AL, which means THE LORD) mixing all the different preExilic cults into one giant Cult of YHWH.

Now don't tell me any of this stuff is NEW to any of you !!

You were created in his image and likeness, weren't you? Before light, God were two seperate eccentric entities, male and female; but upon their fusion, they became one allpowerful God! When you were formed, you were formed male and female, one bearing the seed of the Spirit/God and the other to engender the seed which the other bears: upon their fusion/marriage as one, they become an allpowerful and impenitrable force after the likeness of God. That fusion cannot be maintained without the light of life, which light is known as Love.

Peace!

Asherah came back again in the 1st century AD, this time as the Gnostic Sophia.

reply to post by lisa2012


Kinda what I always thought...


But I thought it was a male partner named lucifer cause it sounds like such a bad break up story... lucifer is all like "I want equal rights"

and God is like "Get back in the kitchen!"

And lucifer is like no do your own laundry too.

And God was like "Well that's we are getting a divorce I keep the house."

But it does take two. Makes total sense why would God be alone... everything comes in pairs. Positive negative, ying yang, woman man, magnetic field. I kinda feel good knowing god has a lady... I am so going to do more research.

Plus it makes sense for the template we were created in his image.. so obviously there had to be a lady for the lady image in eve.

Wonder if lucifer really got cast out for trying to tap gods lady. God should be respected by the way. It's just my interpretation of history, and I think G-d would have a sense of humor.

reply to post by lisa2012


This in a way balances things. I find the whole of what I know about Genesis deeply homo-erotic. A male God created us from mud without the aid of a woman, woman tempts we men with the tree of KNOWLEDGE and the difference between right and wrong and the homo-erotic priesthood makes this her tempting us with sex. Which in a sense she has to display her sexuality in order for the species to procreate. In every other mammal the female announces her oestrus why should we be any different. Vaginal and maternal envy from a homo-erotic priesthood could be an explanation. Paternalistic society abusing rather than defending it's charges.
I should add a note here that I use the term homo- erotic 'cause if you see it's tied to the notion of a paternalistic society falling down on it's duties not homophobia!