Interesting read. I look forward to the full series. Asherah was erased. I guess the same misogynistic forces that reduced Mary Magdalene to a repentant whore who was little more than a side note started early. It gives the whole "Let us make man in our image" a new meaning.
I might add that Asherah, often referred to in the Bible as the "Queen of Heaven," was El's consort and hence Yahweh's (and Ba'al's) mother! Later when Yahweh absorbed El, Asherah became Yahweh's consort (talk about an Oedipus complex). The reason Asherah had so much staying power is that she protected women and children in childbirth among other powers. I have read that the most common archeological artifact found in the "Holy Land" is small clay statuettes of Asherah, presumably for in home altars (thousands have survived to the present day). The elites in Jerusalem tried to wipe out her presence but the people in the hinterlands weren't buying that. It seems that her worship lasted well into the first millennium.
And the biggest tell in the Bible is that Yahweh is male (He/Him). Why would a solitary, monotheistic god need sexual reproductive organs if there are no other gods to mate with?
Interesting read. I look forward to the full series. Asherah was erased. I guess the same misogynistic forces that reduced Mary Magdalene to a repentant whore who was little more than a side note started early. It gives the whole "Let us make man in our image" a new meaning.
I might add that Asherah, often referred to in the Bible as the "Queen of Heaven," was El's consort and hence Yahweh's (and Ba'al's) mother! Later when Yahweh absorbed El, Asherah became Yahweh's consort (talk about an Oedipus complex). The reason Asherah had so much staying power is that she protected women and children in childbirth among other powers. I have read that the most common archeological artifact found in the "Holy Land" is small clay statuettes of Asherah, presumably for in home altars (thousands have survived to the present day). The elites in Jerusalem tried to wipe out her presence but the people in the hinterlands weren't buying that. It seems that her worship lasted well into the first millennium.
And the biggest tell in the Bible is that Yahweh is male (He/Him). Why would a solitary, monotheistic god need sexual reproductive organs if there are no other gods to mate with?