Ancient Near Eastern Context
Common things that the Divine Feminine was associated with in the Ancient Near East:
- Motherhood, fertility, birth, breastfeeding, abundance, Queenship
- Earth (as fertilized by rain)
- War, rage, vengeance, blood (especially when brothers or children are slain), and on the flip side, peace
- Primal Chaotic destruction/destructive forces
- Wisdom: mothers were thought of as the first teachers
- Craft: weaving, beer making, bread making
- Sisterhood (especially mourning for slain brothers, tears and weeping)
- Sexuality, sacred prostitution, fertility through sexuality
Less common, but still important:
- Death, accompaniment in the underworld
- Water, especially salt water and the ocean
- Sacred trees/posts where people went to worship
- Birds, cows, lions, wolves
The big Goddesses:
- Ishtar/Ashtarte/Inanna: Mesopotamian/Canaanite, goddess of sexuality, freedom, war, rage, lust. The most prominent goddess in Mesopotamia
- Asherah: Mother/Queen goddess, associated with sacred poles/trees
Condemned Images Within the Tanach
(ו) וַיֹּצֵ֣א אֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרָה֩ מִבֵּ֨ית יי מִח֤וּץ לִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ אֶל־נַ֣חַל קִדְר֔וֹן וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף אֹתָ֛הּ בְּנַ֥חַל קִדְר֖וֹן וַיָּ֣דֶק לְעָפָ֑ר וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ֙ אֶת־עֲפָרָ֔הּ עַל־קֶ֖בֶר בְּנֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃ (ז) וַיִּתֹּץ֙ אֶת־בָּתֵּ֣י הַקְּדֵשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית יי אֲשֶׁ֣ר הַנָּשִׁ֗ים אֹרְג֥וֹת שָׁ֛ם בָּתִּ֖ים לָאֲשֵׁרָֽה׃
(6) [King Josiah] (the author loves this king) brought out the [image of] Asherah from the House of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and burned it in the Kidron Valley; he beat it to dust and scattered its dust over the burial ground of the common people. (7) He tore down the cubicles of the male prostitutes in the House of the LORD, at the place where the women wove coverings for Asherah.
(טו) וַיַּעֲנ֣וּ אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֗הוּ כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הַיֹּֽדְעִים֙ כִּֽי־מְקַטְּר֤וֹת נְשֵׁיהֶם֙ לֵאלֹקִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וְכָל־הַנָּשִׁ֥ים הָעֹמְד֖וֹת קָהָ֣ל גָּד֑וֹל וְכָל־הָעָ֛ם הַיֹּשְׁבִ֥ים בְּאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַ֖יִם בְּפַתְר֥וֹס לֵאמֹֽר׃ (טז) הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֥רְתָּ אֵלֵ֖ינוּ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יי אֵינֶ֥נּוּ שֹׁמְעִ֖ים אֵלֶֽיךָ׃ (יז) כִּ֩י עָשֹׂ֨ה נַעֲשֶׂ֜ה אֶֽת־כָּל־הַדָּבָ֣ר ׀ אֲשֶׁר־יָצָ֣א מִפִּ֗ינוּ לְקַטֵּ֞ר לִמְלֶ֣כֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם֮ וְהַסֵּֽיךְ־לָ֣הּ נְסָכִים֒ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשִׂ֜ינוּ אֲנַ֤חְנוּ וַאֲבֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ מְלָכֵ֣ינוּ וְשָׂרֵ֔ינוּ בְּעָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וּבְחֻצ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וַנִּֽשְׂבַּֽע־לֶ֙חֶם֙ וַנִּֽהְיֶ֣ה טוֹבִ֔ים וְרָעָ֖ה לֹ֥א רָאִֽינוּ׃
(15) Thereupon [the Judeans] answered Jeremiah—all the men who knew that their wives made offerings to other gods; all the women present, a large gathering; and all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt: (16) “We will not listen to you in the matter about which you spoke to us in the name of the LORD. (17) On the contrary, we will do everything that we have vowed—to make offerings to the Queen of Heaven and to pour libations to her, as we used to do, we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty to eat, we were well-off, and suffered no misfortune.
- Why might it have been important to the authors of these texts to condemn Asherah, and those who worshiped her?
- How might common people have related to Asherah and other Gods and Goddesses?
Condoned Images Within the Tanach
(God is speaking in this text) (14) Zion says, “The LORD has forsaken me, My Lord has forgotten me.” (15) Can a woman forget her baby, Or disown the child of her womb? Though she might forget, I never could forget you. (16) See, I have engraved you On the palms of My hands, Your walls are ever before Me.
(6) Hark, tumult from the city, Thunder from the Temple! It is the thunder of the LORD As He deals retribution to His foes. (7) Before she labored, she was delivered; Before her pangs came, she bore a son. (8) Who ever heard the like? Who ever witnessed such events? Can a land pass through travail In a single day? Or is a nation born All at once? Yet Zion travailed And at once bore her children! (9) Shall I who bring on labor not bring about birth? —says the LORD. Shall I who cause birth shut the womb? —said your God. (10) Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, All you who love her! Join in her jubilation, All you who mourned over her— (11) That you may suck from her breast Consolation to the full, That you may draw from her bosom Glory to your delight. (12) For thus said the LORD: I will extend to her Prosperity like a stream, The wealth of nations Like a wadi in flood; And you shall drink of it. You shall be carried on shoulders And dandled upon knees. (13) As a mother comforts her son So I will comfort you; You shall find comfort in Jerusalem. (14) You shall see and your heart shall rejoice, Your limbs shall flourish like grass. The power of the LORD shall be revealed In behalf of His servants; But He shall rage against His foes. (15) See, the LORD is coming with fire— His chariots are like a whirlwind— To vent His anger in fury, His rebuke in flaming fire.