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Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropology
The Hebrew Goddess
The Hebrew Goddess demonstrates that the Jewish religion, far from being pure monotheism, contained from earliest times strong polytheistic elements, chief of which was the cult of the mother goddess. Lucidly written and richly illustrated, this third edition contains new chapters of the Shekhina.
548 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1967
74 people are currently reading
1040 people want to read
About the author
Raphael Patai
83 books24 followersRaphael Patai (Hebrew רפאל פטאי; born Ervin György Patai, was a Hungarian-Jewish ethnographer, historian, Orientalist and anthropologist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael...
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 9, 2014
Having read the Myths of Genesis book coauthored with Robert Graves, I was atuned to Patais' name and approach. Finding a copy of his Hebrew Goddess therefore led to its purchase at a local bookstore.
Contrary to some reviewers, the Hebrew bible is replete with contradictions. It's just that people don't read very carefully. Indeed, one could tell the story of Israel as do many of the prophets as one of continual efforts to regularize worship, belief and behavior among restive, polyglot populations. The story of the final redactors, of course, is paradigmed by the reforms of King Josiah, a centralizer who, taking up the origin stories associated with Exodus, "found" new texts, the deuteronomic, "by" Moses which conveniently and anachronistically emphased the importance of unitary ritual worship and rulership. Monotheism arose from the desire of some to create a state with ideological and taxing authority.
The people, naturally, resisted. Again and again the biblical texts talk of reforms, of good kings and true prophets who, after divinely sanctioned disasters, "restore" orthodoxy and drive out idolaters and "the worship on the high places" of the countryside. And, again and again, the story is repeated: disaster, retoration, disaster, restoration...
In point of fact, there never was a golden age and it is no surprise that that latter-day prophet, Jesus, came from the multiculturally heterodox hinterlands to suggest his own reformations in this ever-contested context.
Contrary to some reviewers, the Hebrew bible is replete with contradictions. It's just that people don't read very carefully. Indeed, one could tell the story of Israel as do many of the prophets as one of continual efforts to regularize worship, belief and behavior among restive, polyglot populations. The story of the final redactors, of course, is paradigmed by the reforms of King Josiah, a centralizer who, taking up the origin stories associated with Exodus, "found" new texts, the deuteronomic, "by" Moses which conveniently and anachronistically emphased the importance of unitary ritual worship and rulership. Monotheism arose from the desire of some to create a state with ideological and taxing authority.
The people, naturally, resisted. Again and again the biblical texts talk of reforms, of good kings and true prophets who, after divinely sanctioned disasters, "restore" orthodoxy and drive out idolaters and "the worship on the high places" of the countryside. And, again and again, the story is repeated: disaster, retoration, disaster, restoration...
In point of fact, there never was a golden age and it is no surprise that that latter-day prophet, Jesus, came from the multiculturally heterodox hinterlands to suggest his own reformations in this ever-contested context.
September 20, 2018
A close reader of the Old Testament will notice that throughout the Israelites were worshiping goddesses in addition to Yahweh their national God. Known variously as Asherah, Ashtoreth/Astarte, Anath, the Queen of Heaven etc., they entered Israelite religion at least as early as the period of the Judges (ca. 12th century B.C.). As the book of Judges indicates, while the Israelites conquered most of Canaan, they did not drive the Canaanites out, let alone exterminate them. Over time the Israelites absorbed an awful lot of Canaanite religion, and there were statues of Asherah in the Jerusalem Temple for long periods of its history before it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Asherah was considered to be Yahweh's consort.
In post exilic times monotheism displaced these goddesses but nevertheless there remained a tendency to explore the feminine side of God. His presence, the Shekhina, was understood as feminine in nature and the medieval Jewish mystics who developed the Kabbala, a system of mysticism, conceived of God as the Sephirot, which had both masculine and feminine entities, including the Matronit. There are also chapters on the Cherubim and on Lilith. Finally, there is a chapter on the Sabbath, who was personified as a female entity, and an appendix on the murals found in the excavated ruins of a 3rd century A.D. synagogue at Dura Europos in northeastern Syria, which Dr.Patai argues, shows the baby Moses with the Shekhina, portrayed as a nude female in the manner of a Hellenistic Greek goddess.
In post exilic times monotheism displaced these goddesses but nevertheless there remained a tendency to explore the feminine side of God. His presence, the Shekhina, was understood as feminine in nature and the medieval Jewish mystics who developed the Kabbala, a system of mysticism, conceived of God as the Sephirot, which had both masculine and feminine entities, including the Matronit. There are also chapters on the Cherubim and on Lilith. Finally, there is a chapter on the Sabbath, who was personified as a female entity, and an appendix on the murals found in the excavated ruins of a 3rd century A.D. synagogue at Dura Europos in northeastern Syria, which Dr.Patai argues, shows the baby Moses with the Shekhina, portrayed as a nude female in the manner of a Hellenistic Greek goddess.
January 16, 2021
Patai presents a vast lore of the Hebrew goddess in all her names and legends - Shekhina, Sophia, the Matronit, the Shabhat Bride. As a classical scholar in Hebrew legends, he shows us a mythology rich in female powers. What does it mean, for example, that a traditional term for the Hebrew goddess was "the neglected cornerstone", and then Jesus spoke of building on the cornerstone which the builders neglected?
The book touches on numerous sides of Jewish heritage. For example, concerning the underworld of old fashioned demonology he explains:
"At night, the female Liliths join men, and the male Lilin women, to generate demonic offspring. Once they succeed in attaching themselves to a human, they acquire rights of cohabitation, and therefore must be given a get, or letter of divorce, in order that they may be expelled. Jealous of the human mates of their bedfellows, they hate the children born of ordinary wedlock, attack them, plague them, suck their blood, and strangle them. The Liliths also manage to prevent the birth of children, causing barrenness, miscarriages, or complications during childbirth." (p. 225.)
This old myth suggests a certain equality of male and female evil spirits. The spirits are of both sexes, and afflict both men and women equally. The human hosts of evil are innocent victims, who must be somehow saved from harm. This is roughly what Jesus believed about demonic possession.
Patai's work gives an enriched view of the biblical heritage, exposing the massive contribution of Jewish mothers through the ages.
The book touches on numerous sides of Jewish heritage. For example, concerning the underworld of old fashioned demonology he explains:
"At night, the female Liliths join men, and the male Lilin women, to generate demonic offspring. Once they succeed in attaching themselves to a human, they acquire rights of cohabitation, and therefore must be given a get, or letter of divorce, in order that they may be expelled. Jealous of the human mates of their bedfellows, they hate the children born of ordinary wedlock, attack them, plague them, suck their blood, and strangle them. The Liliths also manage to prevent the birth of children, causing barrenness, miscarriages, or complications during childbirth." (p. 225.)
This old myth suggests a certain equality of male and female evil spirits. The spirits are of both sexes, and afflict both men and women equally. The human hosts of evil are innocent victims, who must be somehow saved from harm. This is roughly what Jesus believed about demonic possession.
Patai's work gives an enriched view of the biblical heritage, exposing the massive contribution of Jewish mothers through the ages.
May 25, 2012
An excellent, in-depth examination of the female goddesses influences on the Yahweh worship and the Jewish religion. The author integrates detailed, scholarly material that gives any reader, not just Jews, insights into the roles of Asherah, Astarte-Anath, the Cherubim, the Shekhina, The Matronit and, yes, even Lilith. Astonishing in breadth and depth, I recommend this to any serious religious scholar and particularly to women seeking the feminine in their spiritual lives.
May 5, 2018
Way more mythology than I was expecting. I have several Greek/Roman mythology and literature classes under my belt, but I was still struggling to keep up. A healthy dose of Chaim Potok novels helped me a bit.
Something that was really exciting for me to notice was that the Granny / Macha character in "Song of the Sea" was Lilith. Child killing (well, selkie killing). And she had the owls and everything, plus the eyebrows and nose straight from this relief (also pictured in "The Hebrew Goddess"):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith#...
Some really interesting ideas and information here, some really weird stuff too. (Orgies when the temple cherubim were displayed on festival days--who knew?)
A couple quotes I liked:
"Thus it appears that of the 370 years during which the Solomonic Temple stood in Jerusalem, for no less than 236 years (or almost two-thirds of the time) the statue of Asherah was present in the Temple and her worship was a part of the legitimate religion approved and led by the king, the court and the priesthood, and opposed only by a few prophetic voices crying out against it at relatively long intervals." p.50
"the female divinities occupied a position in relation to God which was similar in one respect to that of Satan: they were capable of independent thought and action...The independence of Satan's will from that of God was the result of his rebellion against his Master, and his opposition to God was always that of evil to goodness. Not so the Female divinities, whose every independent act, even if it brought them into conflict with God, stemmed from their own, different, but equally valid, will to good." p. 271
Something that was really exciting for me to notice was that the Granny / Macha character in "Song of the Sea" was Lilith. Child killing (well, selkie killing). And she had the owls and everything, plus the eyebrows and nose straight from this relief (also pictured in "The Hebrew Goddess"):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith#...
Some really interesting ideas and information here, some really weird stuff too. (Orgies when the temple cherubim were displayed on festival days--who knew?)
A couple quotes I liked:
"Thus it appears that of the 370 years during which the Solomonic Temple stood in Jerusalem, for no less than 236 years (or almost two-thirds of the time) the statue of Asherah was present in the Temple and her worship was a part of the legitimate religion approved and led by the king, the court and the priesthood, and opposed only by a few prophetic voices crying out against it at relatively long intervals." p.50
"the female divinities occupied a position in relation to God which was similar in one respect to that of Satan: they were capable of independent thought and action...The independence of Satan's will from that of God was the result of his rebellion against his Master, and his opposition to God was always that of evil to goodness. Not so the Female divinities, whose every independent act, even if it brought them into conflict with God, stemmed from their own, different, but equally valid, will to good." p. 271
Read
July 28, 2011Many people may not know it but the Jewish religon through out it's history worshipped a Goddess or at least a feminine life force. First it started out with the worshiping of a Canaanite Goddess Ashera. THrough out the Bible there are constant references to the Israelite worshipping Ashera in the high places and at trees. THis was especially prevalent during Biblical times up until the the Babylonian Exile. THe Israelites have constantly had a debate about worshipping other Gods beside Yahweh. THe prophets have veighed against the worship of Canaanite Baals. However,Asherah cults were never persecuted like the Baals were. THe Israelites also paid Homage to another Goddess from the Canaanite Pantheon, Anattu. She was called Ashtoret in the Bible and reference was made to her in the book of Jeremiah. THe Israelites used to bake cakes as an offering to the Queen of Heaven. They blame their calamity on the fact that they discontinued their worship of Ashtoret. Goddess worship was first introduced into Jerusalem from his idol worshipping wife. Other kings brough it into the temple. The qwueen of Heaven was alaso worshipped in Egypt on the Elephantine Fortress.
THe idea of the femeinine divine evolved with the Cherubim in the Temple who were guarding the Ark of the covenant. Some reports say that the Cherubim were in a sexual embrace. THis would be emabarrasing for the Jews to admit. Their were Cherubim on the curtains of the temple. THe motif of two angels facing eachother is used in Northern Israelite art work, Egyptian ad Phoenicain. It is widely believe that the Israelites got the idea from the Phoenicains. One of the Cherubim was male and the other was female. THe Cherubim faced other when the Israelites were peaceful but when the Israelites engaged in sin the Cherubim faced away from each other. THwe Cherubim also represented the cloud of glory which their God rode upon. It should be noted that Baal was the storm God who rode on clouds. THese attributes later went to the Israelite God.
In Canaanite literature and mythology G Deities oftern had two names which would make for some confusion. Anattu was at time called Ashtoret. Ashera was also called Elath. Ashera was at times mistakenly called Ashtoreth and also took on characteristics of Anattu. Baal was called Hadad. THe Canaanite Gods and Goddesses also had counter parts and equivalent in other Far Eastern and Middle Eastern Religions. Annattue corresponded with Ishar and Isis from Babylon and Egypt. Inanna was her Sumerian name and Anahita was her Persian Armenian name.
Like other pantheons the ISraelites had what was called a tetrad or family of Gods. The sacred name of God called Yud Hay Vav Hay was broken apart when the Israelites sinned. yod hay were broken away from vav and hay. Yod corresponded to El the father god while the first Hay corresponded to Ashera. Vav qwas the son of the two and the second hay correspondded to the daughter. In most pantheon the mother and father Goddess bear offspring and then retreat into the higher heaven. Baal and Anattu then took over the direct affairs of the earth.
Even after the Israelites went strictly monotheist in ANcioent time it was realiozed that Ashera was the consort of Elohim. THe faemale life force know as matronite came together from the Kabballists. She was Anattu in another form the divine wife of Ball. In Kabbalistic terms she was called the matronite or mother. She could be warlike, wanton, mothering and viginal. She went with the ISraelites into their exile.
According to legend when the Israelite sinned excessively they were exiled. The Israelite God sent his wife away with them. Since she was sent away Samael the prince of evil ANgels captured hder and had his way with her. In the mean time God chose to take on a hand made an her name was Lilitith. To the end the exile the Israelites had to atone for there sins and bring the Matronite back to unity with the God Head.
Bringing them back together was the Job of the Israelites and they had a strategy called Yichudiim. This basicaly was bringing the masculine and feminine aspects of Godhead togthere again. This could be done by doing good deeds or saying an intention that you act of dvinity was designed to bring the Godhead back to unity. Yichudim also had otrher functions. One was an exorcsims to drive away Dybbuks who possesed people. Even a husband and wifen coupling in holiness could be a yichud.
Lilith herself has a long history dating back into Sumerian times. She was part of a demon race called Lilin which had both male and female demons. Theywere vampiric and vistied people in the night. From these unions came demon offspring. Her treehouse was destroyed by Gilgamesh and she fled into the desert.
In Hebrew mytrhology she started off as Adam's wife. Supposedly she was created before him and from inferior elements. She refused to submit to Adam caliming herself as equal. She later went into the desert and coupled with demon and animals. All sorts of perverted offspring came of that union. She later forced Adam against his will. In other legend she came back as the queen of Sheba and tried to trcik Solomon.
Other aspects of femeione divinity are the Sabbath who is the odd day out. Every other day is coupled wioth another day. The Sabbath is coupled with the ISraelites. THE Ethipion Jews give the Sabbath a seperate consoiusness and save those sinner who at least keep the Sabbath. In Safed religiousd men would greet the Sabbath quenn and then couiple with their wives.
In conclusion it must be said that real or not the feminine went into exile and guarded the Jewsih [people during their exile. Some times mystics heard her in mediations and dreams dreams. Other times she hung out in Babylonian synagogues. Even in art work it was expres often times borrowing motifs from surrounding idolatrous religions.
THe idea of the femeinine divine evolved with the Cherubim in the Temple who were guarding the Ark of the covenant. Some reports say that the Cherubim were in a sexual embrace. THis would be emabarrasing for the Jews to admit. Their were Cherubim on the curtains of the temple. THe motif of two angels facing eachother is used in Northern Israelite art work, Egyptian ad Phoenicain. It is widely believe that the Israelites got the idea from the Phoenicains. One of the Cherubim was male and the other was female. THe Cherubim faced other when the Israelites were peaceful but when the Israelites engaged in sin the Cherubim faced away from each other. THwe Cherubim also represented the cloud of glory which their God rode upon. It should be noted that Baal was the storm God who rode on clouds. THese attributes later went to the Israelite God.
In Canaanite literature and mythology G Deities oftern had two names which would make for some confusion. Anattu was at time called Ashtoret. Ashera was also called Elath. Ashera was at times mistakenly called Ashtoreth and also took on characteristics of Anattu. Baal was called Hadad. THe Canaanite Gods and Goddesses also had counter parts and equivalent in other Far Eastern and Middle Eastern Religions. Annattue corresponded with Ishar and Isis from Babylon and Egypt. Inanna was her Sumerian name and Anahita was her Persian Armenian name.
Like other pantheons the ISraelites had what was called a tetrad or family of Gods. The sacred name of God called Yud Hay Vav Hay was broken apart when the Israelites sinned. yod hay were broken away from vav and hay. Yod corresponded to El the father god while the first Hay corresponded to Ashera. Vav qwas the son of the two and the second hay correspondded to the daughter. In most pantheon the mother and father Goddess bear offspring and then retreat into the higher heaven. Baal and Anattu then took over the direct affairs of the earth.
Even after the Israelites went strictly monotheist in ANcioent time it was realiozed that Ashera was the consort of Elohim. THe faemale life force know as matronite came together from the Kabballists. She was Anattu in another form the divine wife of Ball. In Kabbalistic terms she was called the matronite or mother. She could be warlike, wanton, mothering and viginal. She went with the ISraelites into their exile.
According to legend when the Israelite sinned excessively they were exiled. The Israelite God sent his wife away with them. Since she was sent away Samael the prince of evil ANgels captured hder and had his way with her. In the mean time God chose to take on a hand made an her name was Lilitith. To the end the exile the Israelites had to atone for there sins and bring the Matronite back to unity with the God Head.
Bringing them back together was the Job of the Israelites and they had a strategy called Yichudiim. This basicaly was bringing the masculine and feminine aspects of Godhead togthere again. This could be done by doing good deeds or saying an intention that you act of dvinity was designed to bring the Godhead back to unity. Yichudim also had otrher functions. One was an exorcsims to drive away Dybbuks who possesed people. Even a husband and wifen coupling in holiness could be a yichud.
Lilith herself has a long history dating back into Sumerian times. She was part of a demon race called Lilin which had both male and female demons. Theywere vampiric and vistied people in the night. From these unions came demon offspring. Her treehouse was destroyed by Gilgamesh and she fled into the desert.
In Hebrew mytrhology she started off as Adam's wife. Supposedly she was created before him and from inferior elements. She refused to submit to Adam caliming herself as equal. She later went into the desert and coupled with demon and animals. All sorts of perverted offspring came of that union. She later forced Adam against his will. In other legend she came back as the queen of Sheba and tried to trcik Solomon.
Other aspects of femeione divinity are the Sabbath who is the odd day out. Every other day is coupled wioth another day. The Sabbath is coupled with the ISraelites. THE Ethipion Jews give the Sabbath a seperate consoiusness and save those sinner who at least keep the Sabbath. In Safed religiousd men would greet the Sabbath quenn and then couiple with their wives.
In conclusion it must be said that real or not the feminine went into exile and guarded the Jewsih [people during their exile. Some times mystics heard her in mediations and dreams dreams. Other times she hung out in Babylonian synagogues. Even in art work it was expres often times borrowing motifs from surrounding idolatrous religions.
December 13, 2009
The academic parts were well researched and well presented - very insightful and full of interesting details about the history of several religions, not just the Abrahamic ones, and what the religious landscape looked like a few thousand years ago before people started to put things down in stone and edit the more interesting parts out.
However, the book often strayed away from the academic and researched and tries to convert the reader to some sort of Neo-Pagen Goddess cult. No thank you, I'm, um, full?
August 23, 2018
This was excellent. Having all the research on the different Goddesses of the area put together in one narrative, in reference to the early Hebrews, was honestly a dream come true. No more trawling through contradictory webpages! The beginning of the book up to the Yihudim (Unifications) was a great read; my favourite chapter was that on the Tetrad, with the concept of a Mother-Father, Son-Daughter divine quartet being more fully explored than I had yet found; but the chapter on the Unifications was so interminably long. Unless you're really into that section of Jewish history and religious practice, it's incredibly boring.
It picks back up again with the chapter on Lilith, yet another chapter I loved for being a comprehensive look at her from her earliest historical roots to how she was incorporated into Jewish myth - again, no more trawling through the internet! It was interesting to see how she has seemed to always be a minor she-demon; I wonder if the current neo-pagan ideas about her being a misunderstood goddess grew out of the Kabbalistic idea that she became God's wife in the exile of the Shekina (but Lilith was ever an evil creature, and her marriage to God was what was wrong with the world). Perhaps the idea of her being a goddess grew out of the different Kabbalistic ideas being misunderstood by modern pagans, coupled with the idea that anything demonized in monotheistic religions must simply have been a prior deity of an earlier people slandered in the effort to convert the locals. It's an interesting theory anyway!
It picks back up again with the chapter on Lilith, yet another chapter I loved for being a comprehensive look at her from her earliest historical roots to how she was incorporated into Jewish myth - again, no more trawling through the internet! It was interesting to see how she has seemed to always be a minor she-demon; I wonder if the current neo-pagan ideas about her being a misunderstood goddess grew out of the Kabbalistic idea that she became God's wife in the exile of the Shekina (but Lilith was ever an evil creature, and her marriage to God was what was wrong with the world). Perhaps the idea of her being a goddess grew out of the different Kabbalistic ideas being misunderstood by modern pagans, coupled with the idea that anything demonized in monotheistic religions must simply have been a prior deity of an earlier people slandered in the effort to convert the locals. It's an interesting theory anyway!
May 17, 2019
I LOVED this book. Raphael's grasp of ancient languages, cultures, religions, etc., allows him to create a historic narrative that is fascinating and well documented. My favorite chapter - The Goddess Asherah - is simply amazing! He does an excellent job demonstrating Asherah was worshiped in Israel for at least 600 years and a representation of her was in Solomon's temple most of that time. The well documented Deuteronomist reform attempted to remove traces of her, but weren't completely successful. He goes into details on her other names in other cultures, Astarte, Anath, Inanna, Ishtar, etc., fascinating insights into Cherubim and Shekhina and then a deep dive into Jewish Kabbalistic teachings, elucidating the mother goddess teachings. The chapters on the Kabbalah Yihudim (unifications - four different types of rituals) really brought deep understanding to me in an area where I had only surface knowledge. One of the most fascinating books I've read that covers these topic areas from the first scholar to really bring Asherah into the light.
Brett Folkman, Doctor of Ministry
Brett Folkman, Doctor of Ministry
November 11, 2015
This was a fantastic book. Patai traces the goddess throughout time from ancient biblical times to more modern Kabbalism. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is his analysis of how the goddess simultaneously embodies opposite characteristics. She is the chaste virgin and the wanton seductress, the goddess of love and the goddess of bloodthirsty violence. Patai offers a very fascinating insight into the human psyche and discusses how the goddess fulfills a need, especially in the male mind.
August 16, 2011
This is one of the best books on this subject that I have ever found. An insightful glimpse into the early beliefs of Judaism.
February 16, 2016
The book was a great walk through esoteric history of the feminine in Judaism. I especially enjoyed the walk through Kabbalist from 1100-1700s with the clearly defined meaning of the maggid.
October 29, 2015
Fue Goodreads quien me sugirió esta lectura y me parece, además de bien documentada, muy instructiva. los neófitos como yo en la religión de los hebreos, hemos creído que a pesar del "becerro de oro"de Aarón, los judíos nunca practicaron el politeísmo. Sin embargo, esta investigación muestra que, desde que penetraron tierra cananea, los hebreos del "Ëxodo", incorporaron a su religión una serie de diosas como compañeras de Yavé y Yavé Elohim. Entre ellas está Asheráh la más antigua de todas y fue la diosa madre venerada en todo el Antiguo Medio Oriente. Una estatua de la diosa se encontraba en el mismo Templo de Jerusalén. Su culto duró durante los períodos de los Jueces y Reyes.
Anath, también conocida como Astarté en Siria y Palestina, fue introducida en tiempos de Salomón en honor a su esposa de Sidonia. También menciona entre otras a la Shekina, personificación femenina del Dios; a la Matronit, diosa de la Kábbala y de la Lilith talmúdica.
Anath, también conocida como Astarté en Siria y Palestina, fue introducida en tiempos de Salomón en honor a su esposa de Sidonia. También menciona entre otras a la Shekina, personificación femenina del Dios; a la Matronit, diosa de la Kábbala y de la Lilith talmúdica.
January 30, 2021
This book provides an excellent primer to the various ways Judaism has historically embraced a feminine divinity. This ranges from periods of worshipping more gods than one might think to the Kabbalistic visions of feminine aspects to God to darker demonic feminine presences such as Lilith. It is an undeniably interesting read.
August 22, 2008
This has been recommended from several sources, most notably, Patricia Monaghan, and the members of the yahoo group Jewitch. Need to find it first.
Just got it in the mail, my sister bought it for me for my birthday!! Yippeeeeeee! Too much to read, not enough brain cells!
Just got it in the mail, my sister bought it for me for my birthday!! Yippeeeeeee! Too much to read, not enough brain cells!
August 13, 2014
An interesting read. Traces the feminine aspects of God in Judaism and how they were affected by other religions. At times a little bit shocking honestly. The book also seems aware that some of its assumptions could be a little bit of a stretch. Overall a cool and thought provoking read.
January 22, 2022
Ten out of ten out of ten! While there are many books out there which claim knowledge of the "Hebrew Goddess," Patai is the REAL DEAL! Patai's scholarship is exemplary and rooted in authentic source material. If you are interested in the Hebrew Goddess - READ THIS BOOK!
April 5, 2022
This text is absolutely mind blowing and answers so many questions. Some questions I never even realized I had.
3/28 I’m still working on it! Very dense writing but worth the effort!
This book took me an entire month and was completely worth the read.
3/28 I’m still working on it! Very dense writing but worth the effort!
This book took me an entire month and was completely worth the read.
June 13, 2008
Fascinating!
May 27, 2016
Like a dub version of hebrew school.
January 20, 2022
Interesting introduction to the Kabbalah.
December 4, 2019
I learned SO much about the Shekhina. Incredible.
January 4, 2020
The chapter on Lilith is the most thorough thing I've ever read.
August 27, 2023
The Hebrew Goddess – Raphael Patai
Patai brings a wise examination of the Old Testament revealing a recurring theme wherein the Israelites engaged in the veneration of goddesses alongside their national deity, Yahweh. These goddesses, identified by various names such as Asherah, Ashtoreth/Astarte, and Anath, according to some, became integrated into Israelite religious practices as early as the era of the Judges, around the 12th century B.C. While the Israelites gained dominion over much of Canaan, they did not fully displace the indigenous population, resulting in the gradual assimilation of Canaanite religious elements. From my study of the goddess, I would ask, has she not been around long before the 12th century, even among believers in the Hebrew masculine god? This is a question worth examination, but just by asking it I am drawing fire.
Another way to look at this question is to ask whether the Israelites were actually Canaanites, something other scholars have examined, notably Dever and Brettler. According to the text of Kings, a representation of Asherah existed in the Holy of Holies for much of the early temple period, only to be removed by the religious reforms of Hezekiah in the 8th century and Josiah in the 7th (apparently Asherah kept coming back!). Asherah, or the tree that represented her, was sometimes associated with a divine consort of God, whether Yahweh or El depending on who you believe. See the Kuntillet Ajrud inscription regarding “Yahweh and his Asherah” so commonly discussed in biblical scholarship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuntill...
In the post-exilic period, monotheism emerged as a dominant theological stance, leading to the displacement of these goddesses from the forefront of worship. However, an inclination to explore the feminine aspect of the divine endured. The concept of the Shekhina, the divine presence, exhibited feminine attributes, and medieval Jewish mystics who formulated the Kabbala introduced the notion of Sephirot, a framework incorporating both masculine and feminine entities, including the Matronit. Patai discerns correspondences between these anthropomorphic embodiments and the archaic Canaanite goddess archetypes. While he concedes that the authors attributed allegorical connotations to this linguistic framework, he contends that a demographic segment less learned may have interpreted these connections more literally. Some (see Fontenrose, The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 93, No. 369, p. 346-348) have seen his case for continuity lacking real substance, as there is a gap of over a 1,000 years between these ideas, but I am open to such an argument. Ideas have withstood longer tests of time!
Further explorations include discussions on Cherubim, Lilith, and the personification of the Sabbath as a female entity. An appendix analyzes murals from the excavated ruins of a 3rd century A.D. synagogue at Dura Europos in northeastern Syria, where the portrayal of the baby Moses alongside the Shekhina, depicted as a nude female figure reminiscent of Hellenistic Greek goddesses, is examined by Raphael Patai.
There are some spoilers coming up (but not many)...
I must begin by expressing my admiration for his chosen methodological approach. In the realm of religious discourse, there tends to be a prevailing inclination towards adopting a unilaterally subjective stance, often rooted in a personalized and overly literal interpretation of textual content. This perspective, though embraced with conviction, is not without its inherent complexities and a certain cognitive narrowness. Patai, in his earnest pursuit to illuminate the remnants of ancient Hebrew religiosity, overtly declares his intention to navigate a multifaceted methodological trajectory aimed at unraveling the intricate inquiry before us. He tells us how he will approach this:
1. The evidence of the Bible, which, in spite of the efforts of its monotheistically oriented authors and/or editors, contains incidental information as to the court ritual and popular religion which a few judges and kings and all the prophets strove to suppress, eliminate, and replace by monotheistic Yahwism.
2. Local archaeological evidence, admittedly limited, but nevertheless useful and, with the intensive work going on in Israel, daily increasing in volume and variety.
3. The considerably more ample data contained in Canaanite, Syrian, Mesopotamian, Iranian, Anatolian, and Egyptian archaeology and mythology, with their detailed information about the deities who, according to Biblical evidence, were worshiped by the Hebrews.
4. Literary sources of post-Biblical Judaism, which flow richly especially in the first few centuries of the Christian era; which, because of their less sacred character were not subjected to the same meticulous scrutiny as the Holy Book; and in which, therefore, many references and recollections of early Hebrew polytheism were able to pass muster. (p. 36)
Chapter 1 deals with Asherah and chapter 2 discusses Anat, both goddesses of Israel’s neighbors. Patai gives an overview of the reforms where the Asherim were destroyed and removed from Judah’s sacred places (p. 48-49). He notes that for 2/3 of the time period where Israel had a temple, Asherah was part of their religious experience. His summation of her history on 50 is an excellent overview for those who have never heard of this before.
In chapter 2 in the discussion of Anat, Patai explains that “it is a typically feature of Ancient Near Easter and Mediterranean religions that the divinities who people their pantheons form family groups and belong to at least two successive generations.” (p. 54) With this in mind, Patai explains that the pair of El and Asherah gave birth to Baal and Anat. Anat's consort was typically Baal, the Canaanite storm god. Baal and Anat were often portrayed as a divine couple in Canaanite mythology, reflecting their roles as powerful deities associated with various aspects of nature and cosmic phenomena.
Patai acknowledges the confusion regarding Anath and Astarte and explains that they may have at one time been the same goddess, but states that he will simply analyze the data regarding each goddess. The main point I think we can see in Patai’s work here is that the Israelites were in a space where they acknowledged these gods, while also giving honor and respect to Yahweh. Modern readers of the Bible have a hard time with this concept (often referred to as monolatry – the idea that many gods existed, but one was to be held in the highest position) because of the monotheistic lens that many use when reading the Bible. But the ancients were not monotheists. Many scholars acknowledge that in Judaism monotheism wasn’t even pushed to the forefront until the exilic period.
I appreciated Patai’s archaeological evidence:
The Goddess Astarte is mentioned only nine times in the Bible as against the forty times that Asherah is referred to. The Bible thus fails to convey any idea as to the prevalence of the worship of Astarte among the Hebrews. A somewhat better idea can be gained from the archaeological evidence that has come to light in excavations conducted in the last few decades in many parts of Palestine. By the early 1940’s, a total of no less than 300 terracotta figurines and plaques representing a nude female figure had been unearthed. These nudes fall into several distinct types, such as those with arms extended to the sides and holding stalks or serpents, or with hands holding the breasts, or with one hand placed over one breast and the other over the genital region, or with hands crossed before the breasts. Some are figures of pregnant women, other pillar figurines, etc. The persistence and ubiquity of these figurines is remarkable. They have been found in every major excavation in Palestine, and their prevalence extends from Middle Bronze (2000–1500 B.C.E.) to Early Iron II (900–600 B.C.E.), that is, to the end of the period of the divided Israelite monarchy, and even later. The so-called Qadesh-type is clearly associated by its symbolism with a goddess; the other types are assumed by most scholars to have been representations of the goddesses Asherah, Astarte, or Anath, although no direct or definite identification could be made so far. According to a very cautious view, it is still an open question whether the figurines represented “the goddess herself, a prostitute of the cult of the goddess,” or were talismans “used in sympathetic magic to stimulate the reproductive processes of nature.” (p. 58-59)
His evidence from Jeremiah, that the Egyptian exiles longed to acknowledge “The Queen of Heaven” tells moderns that our views of God were probably not the same as theirs (p. 63-64). After his quotation from Jeremiah, Patai explains:
This unique passage allows us a glimpse of the actual ritual of the Hebrew Astarte worship. The rites were led by kings of Judah and her princes; its participants were the men, women, and children of the people; the locale was Jerusalem and the other cities of the realm. About the ritual itself we learn more details from another passage in Jeremiah in which the prophet is addressed by God as follows:
Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out libations to other gods, in order to anger Me! (Jeremiah 7.18)
The two passages together contain the following features of the ritual performed in honor of the Queen of Heaven:
1. The children were sent to gather wood.
2. The fathers lit the fire.
3. The women kneaded dough and made cakes.
4. The cakes were baked over fire.
5. The women, assisted by the men, burnt incense; and
6. Poured out libations.
7. They poured libations to other gods as well.
8. In return for this veneration, the Queen of Heaven was believed to provide the people with
plenty of food and to secure their well-being in general.
9. It can be assumed that the Kings of Judah led the ritual in Jerusalem, and the princes in the
other cities.
10. The burning of incense, the offering up of cakes, and the pouring of libations presuppose
altars, which, in turn, may have stood either in sanctuaries in the cities or on “high places”
in the countryside.
The lighting of fire on altars, the burning of incense, and the pouring of libations are all rites well known from both the Jerusalem Temple and the other ancient Near Eastern rituals. (p. 63-64)
The third chapter discusses the cherubim which were situation on the mercy seat or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. Scholars have long wrestled with this, due to the prohibition of any and all images, yet in the holiest place on earth exist images. These images, at least for a time, depicted a male and female set of heavenly beings in an embrace:
From a Talmudic tradition we learn that the Cherubim, although they were golden statues, were held to have possessed a certain amount of life and mobility: As long as Israel fulfilled the will of God, the faces of the Cherubim were turned toward each other: however, when Israel sinned, they turned their faces away from each other.
As late as the 3rd and 4th centuries C.E., the memory of the original function and the significance of the Cherubim in the Sanctuary survived among the Babylonian Talmudic masters. According to one of them, a certain Rabh Qetina, who flourished in the late 3rd and early 4th century,
When Israel used to make the pilgrimage, they [i.e., the priests] would roll up for them the Parokhet [the Veil separating the Holy from the Holy of Holies], and show them the Cherubim which were intertwined with one another, and say to them: “Behold! your love before God is like the love of male and female!”
Rashi, the 11th-century commentator, explains the passage: “The Cherubim were joined together, and were clinging to, and embracing, each other, like a male who embraces the female.”
Whether the above tradition referred to the First or the Second Temple, was no longer clear to the Babylonian teachers. Some held that it must have referred to the First Temple, because in the Second there were no Cherubim; others, like Rabh Aḥa bar Ya‘aqov (a contemporary of Ḥana bar Qetina), argued that it referred to the Second Temple and that the Cherubim discussed in it were those painted or engraved on the wall.
Yet another detail concerning the Cherubim is given by Rabbi Shimeon ben Laqish (ca. 200–275 C.E.), an outstanding Palestinian teacher:
When strangers entered the Sanctuary, they saw the Cherubim intertwined with each other; they took them out into the marketplace and said: “Israel, whose blessing is [reputedly] a blessing and whose curse is a curse, should occupy themselves with such things!” And they despised them, as it is written, “All that honored her, despise her, because they have seen her [shameful] nakedness.”
The same tradition is contained in several Midrashim with a few added details:
When the sins caused that the gentiles should enter Jerusalem, Ammonites and Moabites came together with them, and they entered the House of the Holy of Holies, and found there the two Cherubim, and they took them and put them in a cage and went around with them in all the streets of Jerusalem and said “You used to say that this nation was not serving idols. Now you see what we found and what they were worshiping!” (p. 84-85)
I found this fascinating the first time I read this, and actually was turned to the book by the wonderful scholar Matt Brown. Years later I found the book A Great Mystery: The Secret of the Jerusalem Temple: The Embracing Cherubim and the Atonement with the Divine, by Eugene Seaich. Seaich’s research on this topic was incredibly insightful and is a book well worth owning if this subject interest you.
The rest of the book was interesting, but not central to my research. After the chapter on the Cherubim, Patai discusses the Shekina, or the divine presence, Kabbalistic ideas, Matronit, and later Jewish ideas that incorporate elements of the goddess in their religious discourse. I did enjoy the discussion on Lilith and find it a pleasure to read those who are willing to have a discussion on how she became part of the religious tradition of those that revere the Bible.
Patai brings a wise examination of the Old Testament revealing a recurring theme wherein the Israelites engaged in the veneration of goddesses alongside their national deity, Yahweh. These goddesses, identified by various names such as Asherah, Ashtoreth/Astarte, and Anath, according to some, became integrated into Israelite religious practices as early as the era of the Judges, around the 12th century B.C. While the Israelites gained dominion over much of Canaan, they did not fully displace the indigenous population, resulting in the gradual assimilation of Canaanite religious elements. From my study of the goddess, I would ask, has she not been around long before the 12th century, even among believers in the Hebrew masculine god? This is a question worth examination, but just by asking it I am drawing fire.
Another way to look at this question is to ask whether the Israelites were actually Canaanites, something other scholars have examined, notably Dever and Brettler. According to the text of Kings, a representation of Asherah existed in the Holy of Holies for much of the early temple period, only to be removed by the religious reforms of Hezekiah in the 8th century and Josiah in the 7th (apparently Asherah kept coming back!). Asherah, or the tree that represented her, was sometimes associated with a divine consort of God, whether Yahweh or El depending on who you believe. See the Kuntillet Ajrud inscription regarding “Yahweh and his Asherah” so commonly discussed in biblical scholarship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuntill...
In the post-exilic period, monotheism emerged as a dominant theological stance, leading to the displacement of these goddesses from the forefront of worship. However, an inclination to explore the feminine aspect of the divine endured. The concept of the Shekhina, the divine presence, exhibited feminine attributes, and medieval Jewish mystics who formulated the Kabbala introduced the notion of Sephirot, a framework incorporating both masculine and feminine entities, including the Matronit. Patai discerns correspondences between these anthropomorphic embodiments and the archaic Canaanite goddess archetypes. While he concedes that the authors attributed allegorical connotations to this linguistic framework, he contends that a demographic segment less learned may have interpreted these connections more literally. Some (see Fontenrose, The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 93, No. 369, p. 346-348) have seen his case for continuity lacking real substance, as there is a gap of over a 1,000 years between these ideas, but I am open to such an argument. Ideas have withstood longer tests of time!
Further explorations include discussions on Cherubim, Lilith, and the personification of the Sabbath as a female entity. An appendix analyzes murals from the excavated ruins of a 3rd century A.D. synagogue at Dura Europos in northeastern Syria, where the portrayal of the baby Moses alongside the Shekhina, depicted as a nude female figure reminiscent of Hellenistic Greek goddesses, is examined by Raphael Patai.
There are some spoilers coming up (but not many)...
I must begin by expressing my admiration for his chosen methodological approach. In the realm of religious discourse, there tends to be a prevailing inclination towards adopting a unilaterally subjective stance, often rooted in a personalized and overly literal interpretation of textual content. This perspective, though embraced with conviction, is not without its inherent complexities and a certain cognitive narrowness. Patai, in his earnest pursuit to illuminate the remnants of ancient Hebrew religiosity, overtly declares his intention to navigate a multifaceted methodological trajectory aimed at unraveling the intricate inquiry before us. He tells us how he will approach this:
1. The evidence of the Bible, which, in spite of the efforts of its monotheistically oriented authors and/or editors, contains incidental information as to the court ritual and popular religion which a few judges and kings and all the prophets strove to suppress, eliminate, and replace by monotheistic Yahwism.
2. Local archaeological evidence, admittedly limited, but nevertheless useful and, with the intensive work going on in Israel, daily increasing in volume and variety.
3. The considerably more ample data contained in Canaanite, Syrian, Mesopotamian, Iranian, Anatolian, and Egyptian archaeology and mythology, with their detailed information about the deities who, according to Biblical evidence, were worshiped by the Hebrews.
4. Literary sources of post-Biblical Judaism, which flow richly especially in the first few centuries of the Christian era; which, because of their less sacred character were not subjected to the same meticulous scrutiny as the Holy Book; and in which, therefore, many references and recollections of early Hebrew polytheism were able to pass muster. (p. 36)
Chapter 1 deals with Asherah and chapter 2 discusses Anat, both goddesses of Israel’s neighbors. Patai gives an overview of the reforms where the Asherim were destroyed and removed from Judah’s sacred places (p. 48-49). He notes that for 2/3 of the time period where Israel had a temple, Asherah was part of their religious experience. His summation of her history on 50 is an excellent overview for those who have never heard of this before.
In chapter 2 in the discussion of Anat, Patai explains that “it is a typically feature of Ancient Near Easter and Mediterranean religions that the divinities who people their pantheons form family groups and belong to at least two successive generations.” (p. 54) With this in mind, Patai explains that the pair of El and Asherah gave birth to Baal and Anat. Anat's consort was typically Baal, the Canaanite storm god. Baal and Anat were often portrayed as a divine couple in Canaanite mythology, reflecting their roles as powerful deities associated with various aspects of nature and cosmic phenomena.
Patai acknowledges the confusion regarding Anath and Astarte and explains that they may have at one time been the same goddess, but states that he will simply analyze the data regarding each goddess. The main point I think we can see in Patai’s work here is that the Israelites were in a space where they acknowledged these gods, while also giving honor and respect to Yahweh. Modern readers of the Bible have a hard time with this concept (often referred to as monolatry – the idea that many gods existed, but one was to be held in the highest position) because of the monotheistic lens that many use when reading the Bible. But the ancients were not monotheists. Many scholars acknowledge that in Judaism monotheism wasn’t even pushed to the forefront until the exilic period.
I appreciated Patai’s archaeological evidence:
The Goddess Astarte is mentioned only nine times in the Bible as against the forty times that Asherah is referred to. The Bible thus fails to convey any idea as to the prevalence of the worship of Astarte among the Hebrews. A somewhat better idea can be gained from the archaeological evidence that has come to light in excavations conducted in the last few decades in many parts of Palestine. By the early 1940’s, a total of no less than 300 terracotta figurines and plaques representing a nude female figure had been unearthed. These nudes fall into several distinct types, such as those with arms extended to the sides and holding stalks or serpents, or with hands holding the breasts, or with one hand placed over one breast and the other over the genital region, or with hands crossed before the breasts. Some are figures of pregnant women, other pillar figurines, etc. The persistence and ubiquity of these figurines is remarkable. They have been found in every major excavation in Palestine, and their prevalence extends from Middle Bronze (2000–1500 B.C.E.) to Early Iron II (900–600 B.C.E.), that is, to the end of the period of the divided Israelite monarchy, and even later. The so-called Qadesh-type is clearly associated by its symbolism with a goddess; the other types are assumed by most scholars to have been representations of the goddesses Asherah, Astarte, or Anath, although no direct or definite identification could be made so far. According to a very cautious view, it is still an open question whether the figurines represented “the goddess herself, a prostitute of the cult of the goddess,” or were talismans “used in sympathetic magic to stimulate the reproductive processes of nature.” (p. 58-59)
His evidence from Jeremiah, that the Egyptian exiles longed to acknowledge “The Queen of Heaven” tells moderns that our views of God were probably not the same as theirs (p. 63-64). After his quotation from Jeremiah, Patai explains:
This unique passage allows us a glimpse of the actual ritual of the Hebrew Astarte worship. The rites were led by kings of Judah and her princes; its participants were the men, women, and children of the people; the locale was Jerusalem and the other cities of the realm. About the ritual itself we learn more details from another passage in Jeremiah in which the prophet is addressed by God as follows:
Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out libations to other gods, in order to anger Me! (Jeremiah 7.18)
The two passages together contain the following features of the ritual performed in honor of the Queen of Heaven:
1. The children were sent to gather wood.
2. The fathers lit the fire.
3. The women kneaded dough and made cakes.
4. The cakes were baked over fire.
5. The women, assisted by the men, burnt incense; and
6. Poured out libations.
7. They poured libations to other gods as well.
8. In return for this veneration, the Queen of Heaven was believed to provide the people with
plenty of food and to secure their well-being in general.
9. It can be assumed that the Kings of Judah led the ritual in Jerusalem, and the princes in the
other cities.
10. The burning of incense, the offering up of cakes, and the pouring of libations presuppose
altars, which, in turn, may have stood either in sanctuaries in the cities or on “high places”
in the countryside.
The lighting of fire on altars, the burning of incense, and the pouring of libations are all rites well known from both the Jerusalem Temple and the other ancient Near Eastern rituals. (p. 63-64)
The third chapter discusses the cherubim which were situation on the mercy seat or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. Scholars have long wrestled with this, due to the prohibition of any and all images, yet in the holiest place on earth exist images. These images, at least for a time, depicted a male and female set of heavenly beings in an embrace:
From a Talmudic tradition we learn that the Cherubim, although they were golden statues, were held to have possessed a certain amount of life and mobility: As long as Israel fulfilled the will of God, the faces of the Cherubim were turned toward each other: however, when Israel sinned, they turned their faces away from each other.
As late as the 3rd and 4th centuries C.E., the memory of the original function and the significance of the Cherubim in the Sanctuary survived among the Babylonian Talmudic masters. According to one of them, a certain Rabh Qetina, who flourished in the late 3rd and early 4th century,
When Israel used to make the pilgrimage, they [i.e., the priests] would roll up for them the Parokhet [the Veil separating the Holy from the Holy of Holies], and show them the Cherubim which were intertwined with one another, and say to them: “Behold! your love before God is like the love of male and female!”
Rashi, the 11th-century commentator, explains the passage: “The Cherubim were joined together, and were clinging to, and embracing, each other, like a male who embraces the female.”
Whether the above tradition referred to the First or the Second Temple, was no longer clear to the Babylonian teachers. Some held that it must have referred to the First Temple, because in the Second there were no Cherubim; others, like Rabh Aḥa bar Ya‘aqov (a contemporary of Ḥana bar Qetina), argued that it referred to the Second Temple and that the Cherubim discussed in it were those painted or engraved on the wall.
Yet another detail concerning the Cherubim is given by Rabbi Shimeon ben Laqish (ca. 200–275 C.E.), an outstanding Palestinian teacher:
When strangers entered the Sanctuary, they saw the Cherubim intertwined with each other; they took them out into the marketplace and said: “Israel, whose blessing is [reputedly] a blessing and whose curse is a curse, should occupy themselves with such things!” And they despised them, as it is written, “All that honored her, despise her, because they have seen her [shameful] nakedness.”
The same tradition is contained in several Midrashim with a few added details:
When the sins caused that the gentiles should enter Jerusalem, Ammonites and Moabites came together with them, and they entered the House of the Holy of Holies, and found there the two Cherubim, and they took them and put them in a cage and went around with them in all the streets of Jerusalem and said “You used to say that this nation was not serving idols. Now you see what we found and what they were worshiping!” (p. 84-85)
I found this fascinating the first time I read this, and actually was turned to the book by the wonderful scholar Matt Brown. Years later I found the book A Great Mystery: The Secret of the Jerusalem Temple: The Embracing Cherubim and the Atonement with the Divine, by Eugene Seaich. Seaich’s research on this topic was incredibly insightful and is a book well worth owning if this subject interest you.
The rest of the book was interesting, but not central to my research. After the chapter on the Cherubim, Patai discusses the Shekina, or the divine presence, Kabbalistic ideas, Matronit, and later Jewish ideas that incorporate elements of the goddess in their religious discourse. I did enjoy the discussion on Lilith and find it a pleasure to read those who are willing to have a discussion on how she became part of the religious tradition of those that revere the Bible.
January 31, 2023
I very much enjoyed the Intro, Goddess Asherah and Astarte-Anath chapters. After that.. my interest waned. I still read everything including the notes in the back. This book is so well researched and really gets into the details which ARE interesting if you are curious about learning/tracking any female presence in the Jewish faith/culture throughout the ages. It is definitely dry in many parts and there is still an obvious male voice stirring some of his conclusions.
The book left me simultaneously heartened and disheartened at how the Goddess was such an obvious and pervasive influence with the Canaanite and early Jewish people. It's upsetting how She was rooted out but of course, She never can be completely... but the whispers of her presence take a scholar to disseminate to us.
I recommend this book to those that are SUPER interested in this topic. Who, not only are interested in understanding the Goddess from a historic perspective.. but the intimate details and ways the Goddess/God's Bride is weaved into so many prayers, rituals and holy days still celebrated today.
The book left me simultaneously heartened and disheartened at how the Goddess was such an obvious and pervasive influence with the Canaanite and early Jewish people. It's upsetting how She was rooted out but of course, She never can be completely... but the whispers of her presence take a scholar to disseminate to us.
I recommend this book to those that are SUPER interested in this topic. Who, not only are interested in understanding the Goddess from a historic perspective.. but the intimate details and ways the Goddess/God's Bride is weaved into so many prayers, rituals and holy days still celebrated today.
March 8, 2021
This opens ones' eyes to the fact that Judaism was not (and, hence, other following religions were not) originally as purely monotheistic as is generally accepted. An interesting book but the author does tend to belabour aspects and, as a result, it could have been much shorter.
March 25, 2021
Very slow and took me a long time to get through it, but full of fascinating information.
July 23, 2021
Absolutely phenomenal and well researched book on the Goddess and the Feminine aspect of the Godhead in the Jewish tradition from tribal times all the way to modern Hasidism
October 8, 2009
I didn't quite finish this one, but it had some interesting things to say about Hebrew traditions.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews