Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ian Hutchesson" <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

I can't see how a text mentioning yhwh and '$rth needs be syncretistic at all.

If I point to the el-Qom inscription which again talks of yhwh and his 
asherah, then I guess we must 
conclude that that was also an "admittedly syncretistic" inscription. Then 
again, the yhw of Elephantine 
also had a consort (and perhaps a son).

Does anyone know of any text securely datable to before the exile which talks 
of yhwh without talking 
of a consort?

We are left only with evidence for yhwh and a consort from the earliest of 
periods, so I would guess that 
that was the status quo. Wouldn't you?


Ian

------------------
Well, I guess I was assuming that the reference to "Yahweh and his
Asherah", heading a drawing of a god and a goddess, wasn't exactly up to
the standards of prophetic monotheism :-).  I know that phrase has been
interpreted in different ways, but isn't the most straightforward to
understand it as a reference to Yahweh and his consort Asherah, who are
pictured in the drawing below the inscription?

Still, I'm no expert on these matters, and if there's good reason not to
understand the phrase that way, I'm quite open to learning more.

Ken