Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>]

dear jim,

>  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).”

just to clarify, i was just citing internet sources and not expressing any 
opinion.

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

i was referring to the connective ASHER ("which") and not to the name ASHER. 
as to the name, who knows? after all, according 
to the sources i quoted ASHERAH was mentioned also with regards to the 
temple, and perhaps was originally not exclusively 
associated with pagan practices.

nir cohen

On Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:10:09 -0400 (EDT), jimstinehart wrote
> 
> Nir Cohen:
>  
 
> 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!
>  
>  
> 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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