Asherah is one of the most popular goddesses from the ancient world. She appears everywhere from the Bible to novels and comic books. The facts about Asherah, however, are often overlooked. In this edition of Wiggins’ 1993 study of the goddess, the author’s articles and book reviews concerning the goddess have been added to his original book. To date, this monograph contains the only full-length treatment of the Ugaritic material on Asherah in addition to a comprehensive examination of the textual sources from the Hebrew Bible, ancient Mesopotamia, Epigraphic South Arabian and Hittite sources, as well as the intriguing Hebrew inscriptions that perhaps mention the goddess. The original text of the monograph is supplemented by articles that update the ever-expanding bibliography on the goddess and that deal with iconographic representations and Asherah’s supposed associations with trees, snakes, and lions. Gorgias Press is pleased to bring back into print this study on a timely subject.
Steve A. Wiggins earned his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in 1992. He taught Hebrew Bible at Nashotah House Episcopal Seminary from 1992 to 2004, and Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2005-2006.
Preface to the Second Edition..............................................................................xi
Preface to the 1993 Edition.................................................................................xv
Acknowledgments...............................................................................................xvii
Abbreviations ........................................................................................................xxi
1 Preliminary Considerations and Review of Previous Scholarship..........1
Introduction ....................................................................................................1
Method.............................................................................................................3
The Primacy of the Ugaritic Information on Athirat ...............................4
Review of the State of Scholarship..............................................................7
M. B. Brink ....................................................................................................10
W. Louie.........................................................................................................13
V. L. Piper......................................................................................................15
J. M. Hadley...................................................................................................16
M. S. Smith ....................................................................................................17
M. Dietrich and O. Loretz ..........................................................................19
Iconography ..................................................................................................22
2 Athirat in the Elimelek Tablets of Ugarit .................................................25
Keret ( KTU 1.14-1.16)................................................................................25
The Baal Cycle (KTU 1.1-6)........................................................................33
Baal and Yam ................................................................................................34
The Palace of Baal........................................................................................42
Baal and Mot .................................................................................................75
Conclusions ...................................................................................................83
3 Other Ugaritic Texts Referring to Athirat................................................85
Shachar and Shalim and Mythological Fragments ..................................86
Shachar and Shalim (KTU 1.23) .................................................................86
KTU 1.8..........................................................................................................92
KTU 1.12........................................................................................................92
KTU 1.114......................................................................................................94
RIH 78/20.....................................................................................................96
Texts associated with Ritual........................................................................98
KTU 1.39........................................................................................................98
KTU 1.41 and 1.87 .......................................................................................99
KTU 1.46 and 1.65 .....................................................................................101
KTU 1.49......................................................................................................102
KTU 1.112....................................................................................................102
KTU 1.47, 1.118 and 1.148........................................................................103
Conclusions .................................................................................................103
4 Old Testament Asherah ............................................................................105
Preliminary Considerations.......................................................................105
The Pentateuch ...........................................................................................113
Exodus 34.13...............................................................................................113
Deuteronomy 7.5........................................................................................114
Deuteronomy 12.3 .....................................................................................115
Deuteronomy 16.21 ...................................................................................116
The Deuteronomistic History: Judges ....................................................118
Judges 3.7.....................................................................................................118
Judges 6. 25-30............................................................................................118
The Deuteronomistic History: Kings......................................................122
1 Kings 14.15 ..............................................................................................123
1 Kings 14.23 ..............................................................................................124
1 Kings 15.13 // 2 Chronicles 15.16.......................................................124
1 Kings 16.33 ..............................................................................................127
1 Kings 18.19 ..............................................................................................127
2 Kings 13.6.................................................................................................129
2 Kings 17.10 ..............................................................................................129
2 Kings 17.16 ..............................................................................................130
2 Kings 18.4.................................................................................................130
2 Kings 21.3.................................................................................................132
2 Kings 21.7.................................................................................................133
Josiah’s Reform: 2 Kings 23.4–15............................................................134
Summary of the Deuteronomistic References.......................................137
The Chronicler’s References.....................................................................138
2 Chronicles 14.2 (Eng. 3).........................................................................139
2 Chronicles 15.16......................................................................................140
2 Chronicles 17.6 ........................................................................................140
2 Chronicles 19.3 ........................................................................................141
2 Chronicles 24.18......................................................................................141
2 Chronicles 31.1 ........................................................................................141
2 Chronicles 33.3 ........................................................................................142
2 Chronicles 33.19......................................................................................142
2 Chronicles 34.3, 4 and 7.........................................................................143
The Prophetic References.........................................................................144
Isaiah 17.8 ....................................................................................................144
Isaiah 27.9 ....................................................................................................145
Jeremiah 17.2...............................................................................................146
Micah 5.13 (Eng. 14)..................................................................................146
Rabbinic Sources ........................................................................................148
Conclusions .................................................................................................149
5 Mesopotamian, Hittite and South Arabian Evidence...........................151
Sumero-Akkadian Evidence .....................................................................152
Sumerian Votive Inscription.....................................................................155
God Lists .....................................................................................................159
AN = Anum.................................................................................................159
The Weidner List........................................................................................160
Nippur God List (CBS 13889) .................................................................161
The Series Tintir = Bbilu.........................................................................162
Cylinder Seals ..............................................................................................163
Ritual Texts..................................................................................................164
The Uruk Temple Ritual ...........................................................................164
The Reisner Texts.......................................................................................165
Mystical Text (B.M. 34035).......................................................................166
Theophoric Names ....................................................................................168
The Marriage of Martu ..............................................................................169
The Taanach Letter ....................................................................................170
Conclusions from the Sumero-Akkadian Materials ..............................171
The Hittite Evidence: The Myth of Elkunirsa.......................................172
Epigraphic South Arabian Sources..........................................................175
RES 856 .......................................................................................................177
RES 2886.....................................................................................................178
RES 3306.....................................................................................................179
RES 3534 B and RES 3550 ......................................................................180
RES 3534 bis...............................................................................................181
RES 3689.....................................................................................................181
RES 3691 and RES 3692 ..........................................................................182
RES 3902, pl. xiii, fig. 5, 1.........................................................................182
RES 4203.....................................................................................................182
RES 4274.....................................................................................................183
RES 4330.....................................................................................................183
Jamme 852 ...................................................................................................183
Theophoric Names ....................................................................................185
Conclusions from the Ancient South Arabian Evidence.....................186
Conclusions to the Chapter ......................................................................186
6 Hebrew, Phoenician and Aramaic Epigraphic Evidence ......................189
Khirbet el-Qôm ..........................................................................................190
Kuntillet Ajrûd...........................................................................................197
Tel Miqne.....................................................................................................208
Arslan Tash (TSSI 3, no. 23 = KAI 27) ..................................................209
Phoenician Inscriptions Mentioning šrt.................................................212
Tema (TSSI 2, no. 30 = KAI 228) ...........................................................214
Sefire I,B ......................................................................................................215
Conclusions .................................................................................................215
7 Conclusions .................................................................................................217
Conclusions .................................................................................................217
Etymology....................................................................................................221
8 The Myth of Asherah: Lion Lady and Serpent Goddess .....................223
History of the Associations.......................................................................225
Qedeshet ......................................................................................................228
Tanit..............................................................................................................233
Conclusions .................................................................................................236
9 Of Asherahs and Trees: Some Methodological Questions..................239
Introduction ................................................................................................239
Biblical Asherahs ........................................................................................243
Verbal Evidence..........................................................................................245
trk..............................................................................................................245
(dg ..............................................................................................................246
Pr#&, r(b, (+n and #$tn........................................................................247
Deut 16.21 ...................................................................................................248
Mic 5.13 (14)................................................................................................250
Summary ......................................................................................................251
Nominal Evidence......................................................................................251
Summary ......................................................................................................252
BiblicalTree Worship .................................................................................253
Isa 44.14-17 .................................................................................................254
Ezek 20.32 ...................................................................................................256
Hab 2.19.......................................................................................................257
Hos 4.12.......................................................................................................257
Gen 12.6.......................................................................................................259
Gen 21.33 ....................................................................................................260
Summary ......................................................................................................260
Extra-Biblical “Asherahs”.........................................................................261
Iconography ................................................................................................263
Summary ......................................................................................................268
Conclusions .................................................................................................268
10 Book Reviews..............................................................................................271
Asherah Again: T. Binger’s Asherah and the State of Asherah
Studies .................................................................................................271
The Cult of Asherah in Ancient Israel and Judah: Evidence for a Hebrew
Goddess .................................................................................................278
Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel ......281
Figures...................................................................................................................285
Bibliography .........................................................................................................291
Index......................................................................................................................361
