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  • From: Kevin Riley <klriley AT alphalink.com.au>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] asherah (purim???)
  • Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:29:32 +1100

Or, as many would argue, the events in Genesis revolving around Abraham, Isaac and Jacob occurred centuries before the Amarna letters were written. Therefore there is no reason at all why Jacob could not call his son Asher for a number of reasons, a connection with Asherah being only one possiblity. I think you forget at times that you seem to be the only one convinced that your theory is correct.

Kevin Riley

On 20/03/2012 1:10 PM, jimstinehart AT aol.com wrote:
Nir Cohen:

You quoted the Jewish Encyclopedia as follows: “Asherah was also the name of
a Syrian goddess. In the El-Amarna tablets of the fifteenth century B.C. her
name appears with the determinative for deity as a part of the name
Arad-Ashirta (or 'Ebed-Asherah).”

The early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives hated Abdi-Ashirta,
because his successor, Aziru [Biblical “Amraphel” at Genesis 14: 1] of
Amurru, iniquitously sold out the Amorite state of Amurru [northern Lebanon]
to the dreaded Hittites in Year 14. That’s “the iniquity of the Amorites” at
Genesis 15: 16.

Accordingly, there’s zero chance that Jacob’s son Asher at Genesis 30: 13 is
named after Asherah, the namesake of the predecessor of the iniquitous
Amorite Aziru!

Jacob’s son Asher at Genesis 30: 13 has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do
with the goddess Asherah.

I don’t believe the Hebrew dalliance with that pagan goddess is documented
prior to the mid-1st millennium BCE, about 700 years or so after Jacob’s son
Asher was named.

It’s O.K. to talk about the pagan goddess Asherah in a mid-1st millennium BCE
context regarding the Hebrews, but that goddess played no role whatsoever in
the genesis of the truly ancient Patriarchal narratives.

Yes, the early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives liked trees, and
he was prone to thinking of them as being sacred. But he had no time
whatsoever for the pagan goddess Asherah. Not.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois



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