Yahweh had a Wife Named Asherah?
As I’m sifting through the pile of work on my desk, I came across this Time Magazine News Blog: “Fertility Goddess Asherah: Was ‘God’s Wife’ Edited Out of the Bible?” by Christy Choi.1 The article reports that the research of Francesca Stavrakopoulou, a senior lecturer in the department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter, allegedly, unearthed ancient texts, amulets, and figurines in an ancient Canaanite costal city that is presently part of modern Syria, which present Asherah, a powerful fertility goddess, as the wife of Yahweh. Other clues to this include inscriptions on pottery found in the Sinai desert, and a passage in the Book of Kings mentioning the goddess being housed in the temple of Yahweh (cf. 2 Kings 23). J. Edward Wright, president of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies and The Albright Institute for Archeological Research, indicates that several Hebrew inscriptions mentioning “Yahweh and his Asherah” backs Stavrakopoulou’s research. Why is God’s wife not mentioned in the Bible? According to Stavrakopoulou, “heavy-handed male editors of the text all but removed her from the sacred book.”
The very idea that Yahweh had a wife is most provocative, particularly in light of the fact that the traditional Judeo-Christian understanding that the Old Testament writers were monotheists. One need not conclude that the ancient Israelites were initially polytheists before becoming monotheists simply on the basis of archeological evidence depicting Yahweh with a wife named Asherah. There is another possible explanation of these finds.
Moses is considered to be the author of the first five books of the Old Testament, which is called the Torah or Pentateuch. God spoke to Moses, and Moses wrote down God’s Words (Exod. 34:27-28; Deut. 31:24-27). The theology of Moses was certainly monotheistic. Hence the creed: “Here, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut. 6:4). The archeological evidence on Yahweh having a wife actually corroborates what the Old Testament writers wrote concerning the Israelite’s struggles with the Asherah cult, which persisted from the days of Moses up to the exile (cf. Deut. 16:21; Judges 6:25-27; 1 Kings 16:33-34; 2 Kings 23:4ff).
Whether or not “heavy-handed male editors” corrupted out biblical text in taking out all references to Asherah as Yahweh’s wife is doubtful. The Old Testament writers depicted Israel to be the wife of God. (Keep in mind that this is really an anthropomorphism and God does not literally possess a gender.) Isaiah prophesied, “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth” (Isa. 54:4). Hosea marriage to Gomer becomes the living parable of God’s relationship to unfaithful Israel. Just as Hosea would redeem his unfaithful wife Gomer from slavery, so Yahweh would redeem a remnant of His people from exile. Paul considered the church to be the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22-33). John received a vision of the bride of Christ as a beautiful adorned city that brought light to the nations (Rev. 21:1ff).
1. Christy Choi, “Fertility Goddess Asherah: Was ‘God’s Wife’ Edited Out of the Bible?” Time Magazine, http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/22/fertility-goddess-asherah-was-gods-wife-edited-out-of-the-bible/
The very idea that Yahweh had a wife is most provocative, particularly in light of the fact that the traditional Judeo-Christian understanding that the Old Testament writers were monotheists. One need not conclude that the ancient Israelites were initially polytheists before becoming monotheists simply on the basis of archeological evidence depicting Yahweh with a wife named Asherah. There is another possible explanation of these finds.
Moses is considered to be the author of the first five books of the Old Testament, which is called the Torah or Pentateuch. God spoke to Moses, and Moses wrote down God’s Words (Exod. 34:27-28; Deut. 31:24-27). The theology of Moses was certainly monotheistic. Hence the creed: “Here, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut. 6:4). The archeological evidence on Yahweh having a wife actually corroborates what the Old Testament writers wrote concerning the Israelite’s struggles with the Asherah cult, which persisted from the days of Moses up to the exile (cf. Deut. 16:21; Judges 6:25-27; 1 Kings 16:33-34; 2 Kings 23:4ff).
Whether or not “heavy-handed male editors” corrupted out biblical text in taking out all references to Asherah as Yahweh’s wife is doubtful. The Old Testament writers depicted Israel to be the wife of God. (Keep in mind that this is really an anthropomorphism and God does not literally possess a gender.) Isaiah prophesied, “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth” (Isa. 54:4). Hosea marriage to Gomer becomes the living parable of God’s relationship to unfaithful Israel. Just as Hosea would redeem his unfaithful wife Gomer from slavery, so Yahweh would redeem a remnant of His people from exile. Paul considered the church to be the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22-33). John received a vision of the bride of Christ as a beautiful adorned city that brought light to the nations (Rev. 21:1ff).
1. Christy Choi, “Fertility Goddess Asherah: Was ‘God’s Wife’ Edited Out of the Bible?” Time Magazine, http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/22/fertility-goddess-asherah-was-gods-wife-edited-out-of-the-bible/
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