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Shocked To Find Out Yahweh Was Originally A Canaanite God Who Had A Wife, Asherah

SeekingAllTruth

Well-Known Member
Never in my wildest imagination when I was a Christian would I have believed that Jesus' Father, Yahweh actually originated in the Canaanite lands in pre-Israel times. That would make Yahweh a pagan god which the ancient Hebrews apparently adopted as their god. More shocking, Yahweh had a wife/consort named Asherah which would make Asherah Jesus' mom.

"Initially [Yahweh] seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El. Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that “the Most High, El, gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief."

Yahweh <<<<link

So it turns out the early Hebrews were part of the Canaanite culture, although Genesis claims Abraham their patriarch came from the Sumerian city of Ur. And when they broke away from the Canaanites they adopted Yahweh as their chief war god although Yahweh originally was a lesser god from a pantheon of Canaanite gods including their chief god, El and Baal, Asherah and Astarte.

Moreover, Yahweh had a wife. She was worshiped alongside Yahweh. The Old Testament mentions her several times. It wasn't until the Babylonian captivity that Yahweh basically "divorced" her in the sense that the Jews became monotheistic at that point.

"God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshipped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar. She bases her theory on ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in the ancient Canaanite coastal city called Ugarit, now modern-day Syria. All of these artifacts reveal that Asherah was a powerful fertility goddess."

Did God have a wife? Scholar says that he did <<<<link

Did God Have a Wife? - Wikipedia <<<<link

I'm curious to hear what Christians here think about their god originally being a pagan god and having a wife who, if we are to believe the strong scholarship supporting this, was the one who gave birth to Jesus. So Jesus wasn't begotten, he was a product of celestial sex.
 
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ameyAtmA

~ ~
Premium Member
This confirms that Christianity and Judaism (and most likely Islam) are meant to be monolatrous, certainly not monotheistic. Like you can't wipe out the rest of existence all of a sudden by mere wishful thinking.

I do hold that there are those that go deeper and see a Oneness like with Brahman.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
This confirms that Christianity and Judaism (and most likely Islam) are meant to be monolatrous, certainly not monotheistic. Like you can't wipe out the rest of existence all of a sudden by mere wishful thinking

To me what is confirmed is: a lack of Bible knowledge.
Remember: those un-faithful Israelites disobeyed God.
Remember: they were Not supposed to mix with the Canaanites, etc; Deuteronomy 32:19 and they disobeyed.
Instead those un-faithful Israelites forced those people into forced labor, slavish labor.
The consequences of mixing was bad in that such bad disobedience lured un-faithful Israel into the worship of false pagan gods.
That badness even continued with King Solomon -> Joshua 16:10; Judges 1:28; Judges 2:3; Judges 2:11-12; 1 Kings 9:20-21.
So, what is confirmed is a lack of Bible study, and what was first posted is Not accurate according to recorded Scripture.
Not accurate because it was Not faithful people, but the un-faithful people disobeying God.
 

SeekingAllTruth

Well-Known Member
To me what is confirmed is: a lack of Bible knowledge.
Remember: those un-faithful Israelites disobeyed God.
Remember: they were Not supposed to mix with the Canaanites, etc; Deuteronomy 32:19 and they disobeyed.
Instead those un-faithful Israelites forced those people into forced labor, slavish labor.
The consequences of mixing was bad in that such bad disobedience lured un-faithful Israel into the worship of false pagan gods.
That badness even continued with King Solomon -> Joshua 16:10; Judges 1:28; Judges 2:3; Judges 2:11-12; 1 Kings 9:20-21.
So, what is confirmed is a lack of Bible study, and what was first posted is Not accurate according to recorded Scripture.
Not accurate because it was Not faithful people, but the un-faithful people disobeying God.

Are you actually trying to argue cutting-edge archeological disciplines in the advanced university studies of ancient religions with a 3,000 year old holy book that has been translated and re-translated 10,000 times???????
upload_2021-1-29_22-7-7.jpeg
 

Skywalker

Well-Known Member
Are you actually trying to argue cutting-edge archeological disciplines in the advanced university studies of ancient religions with a 3,000 year old holy book that has been translated and re-translated 10,000 times???????
View attachment 47343

University studies can make errors in how they interpret things. Israel walked away from God and mixed worshipping God with idolatry. The original Bible manuscripts weren't written an incongruent amount of time after Jesus died.
 

SeekingAllTruth

Well-Known Member
University studies can make errors in how they interpret things. Israel walked away from God and mixed worshipping God with idolatry. The original Bible manuscripts weren't written an incongruent amount of time after Jesus died.
So what makes you think they're making errors here when they have the actual texts describing Yahweh and Asherah as husband and wife cut in 5000 year old granite blocks, along with artifacts of Asherah like these:
asherah-figurine.jpg
 
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Skywalker

Well-Known Member
So what makes you think they're making errors here when they have the actual texts describing Yahweh and Asherah and husband and wife cut in 5000 year old granite blocks, along with artifacts of Asherah like these:
asherah-figurine.jpg

Those artifacts have nothing to do with the Bible and the texts of Israelites worshipping other gods were because they mixed worshipping God with following pagan gods, something that the Bible says is wrong.
 

SeekingAllTruth

Well-Known Member
Those artifacts have nothing to do with the Bible and the texts of Israelites worshipping other gods were because they mixed worshipping God with following pagan gods, something that the Bible says is wrong.
I'm not going to argue with you, Skywalker because you'll BS me to death. I produced clear convincing Biblical scholarship showing that Yahweh originally was a Canaanite lesser god to the main god, El. You show us non-Christian archeological evidence showing that Yahweh WASN'T a Canaanite god. Go ahead. I dare you.
 

74x12

Well-Known Member
Never in my wildest imagination when I was a Christian would I have believed that Jesus' Father, Yahweh actually originated in the Canaanite lands in pre-Israel times. That would make Yahweh a pagan god which the ancient Hebrews apparently adopted as their god. More shocking, Yahweh had a wife/consort named Asherah which would make Asherah Jesus' mom.

"Initially [Yahweh] seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El. Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that “the Most High, El, gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief."

Yahweh <<<<link

So it turns out the early Hebrews were part of the Canaanite culture, although Genesis claims Abraham their patriarch came from the Sumerian city of Ur. And when they broke away from the Canaanites they adopted Yahweh as their chief war god although Yahweh originally was a lesser god from a pantheon of Canaanite gods including their chief god, El and Baal, Asherah and Astarte.

Moreover, Yahweh had a wife. She was worshiped alongside Yahweh. The Old Testament mentions her several times. It wasn't until the Babylonian captivity that Yahweh basically "divorced" her in the sense that the Jews became monotheistic at that point.

"God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshipped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar. She bases her theory on ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in the ancient Canaanite coastal city called Ugarit, now modern-day Syria. All of these artifacts reveal that Asherah was a powerful fertility goddess."

Did God have a wife? Scholar says that he did <<<<link

Did God Have a Wife? - Wikipedia <<<<link

I'm curious to hear what Christians here think about their god originally being a pagan god and having a wife who, if we are to believe the strong scholarship supporting this, was the one who gave birth to Jesus. So Jesus wasn't begotten, he was a product of celestial sex.
Anyone can claim to have "strong scholarship" but it doesn't stand to deeper scrutiny. There is no proof that the Israelites as a whole worshiped Asherah until the Babylonian exile. In fact the proof from scripture is to the contrary. Yes some Israelites worshiped Asherah but this practice was condemned by those who stuck with the law of Moses.

God's wife was always Israel. Yah is just the name of the most high Eloah. The Canaanites knew about Eloah but corrupted the godhead adding a whole pantheon of lesser gods and eventually replacing El altogether in importance.

So only the Israelites continued to worship the original most high God alone.

Asherah was just another added fake goddess just like the rest. This is why the prophets spoke against her specifically and other goddesses which were there to usurp the glory due to God alone. By the way even though we say God is a "he" we also understand God is not male or female in form.

God's real wife was really the nation Israel itself. The covenant with Israel being a marriage covenant with God.

The mother of Jesus according to scripture is Israel/Jerusalem. It's not Asherah.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
I'm not going to argue with you, Skywalker because you'll BS me to death. I produced clear convincing Biblical scholarship showing that Yahweh originally was a Canaanite lesser god to the main god, El. You show us non-Christian archeological evidence showing that Yahweh WASN'T a Canaanite god. Go ahead. I dare you.
@Skywalker
Maybe we have a case of mistaken identity here?
What if there isn't only one Yahweh? There was one Yahweh before the Babylonian Exile and another after? One was married, the other not?
When two descriptions vary there is always the possibility that those descriptions don't describe the same thing.
 

Aštra’el

Aštara, Blade of Aštoreth
@SeekingAllTruth

I strongly support every Abrahamic religion, and while I worship the same Supreme God above all others, my religion/ spirituality does include other gods/ goddesses.

Have you ever read the Enūma Eliš, the Epic of Gilgamesh, or any other Mesopotamian myths?
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Never in my wildest imagination when I was a Christian would I have believed that Jesus' Father, Yahweh actually originated in the Canaanite lands in pre-Israel times. That would make Yahweh a pagan god which the ancient Hebrews apparently adopted as their god. More shocking, Yahweh had a wife/consort named Asherah which would make Asherah Jesus' mom.

"Initially [Yahweh] seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El. Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that “the Most High, El, gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief."

Yahweh <<<<link

So it turns out the early Hebrews were part of the Canaanite culture, although Genesis claims Abraham their patriarch came from the Sumerian city of Ur. And when they broke away from the Canaanites they adopted Yahweh as their chief war god although Yahweh originally was a lesser god from a pantheon of Canaanite gods including their chief god, El and Baal, Asherah and Astarte.

Moreover, Yahweh had a wife. She was worshiped alongside Yahweh. The Old Testament mentions her several times. It wasn't until the Babylonian captivity that Yahweh basically "divorced" her in the sense that the Jews became monotheistic at that point.

"God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshipped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar. She bases her theory on ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in the ancient Canaanite coastal city called Ugarit, now modern-day Syria. All of these artifacts reveal that Asherah was a powerful fertility goddess."

Did God have a wife? Scholar says that he did <<<<link

Did God Have a Wife? - Wikipedia <<<<link

I'm curious to hear what Christians here think about their god originally being a pagan god and having a wife who, if we are to believe the strong scholarship supporting this, was the one who gave birth to Jesus. So Jesus wasn't begotten, he was a product of celestial sex.

I am not christian or religious so take my view with however much salt you want.

I am not surprised, i see the current idea of gods to be a rehashing of older previous gods right back to the beginning of animal, water, woodland reverence of the stone age.

The possibe link from the Aten (sun) one god to the abrahamic one god fascinated me. Given the Moses account begins with the fleeing Egypt soon after downfall.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Never in my wildest imagination when I was a Christian would I have believed that Jesus' Father, Yahweh actually originated in the Canaanite lands in pre-Israel times. That would make Yahweh a pagan god which the ancient Hebrews apparently adopted as their god. More shocking, Yahweh had a wife/consort named Asherah which would make Asherah Jesus' mom.

Are you actually trying to argue cutting-edge archeological disciplines in the advanced university studies of ancient religions with a 3,000 year old holy book that has been translated and re-translated 10,000 times???????
IMO:

IF believers make claims about God, as it is according to their belief system, I don't accept it as The Truth ... it's their belief, that is as true as it gets
IF scientists make claims about God, as it is according to their science system, I don't accept it as The Truth ... it's their belief, that is as true as it gets

God is beyond science (hence I reject claims scientists make about God)
God is beyond religion (hence I reject claims believers make about God)
@stvdvRF
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
Have you ever read the Enūma Eliš, the Epic of Gilgamesh, or any other Mesopotamian myths?

And the reason for Israel to create its own account of Creation, coming together during the Babylonian Exile. Its no coincidence that the first Commandment demands 'no other gods,,'.
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Never in my wildest imagination ...

Dear SHOCKED,

OMG - I know exactly how you feel!

I love wine: imagine how I felt when I discovered that the oldest wine was some rice-grape crap out of China. Everything I thought I knew about wine was a sham. Worse, I mixed some fermented vitis vinifera juice with some Uncle Ben's rice water and discovered that it was a fruit backward monstrosity with hints of granola and basmati.

I too lashed out. I even tried to warn others. It took years before my attitude matured as I discovered that referents can and do change over time and that my favorite cabernet sauvignon, rather than being a fraud, warrants respect.​

I guess it all comes down to realizing that a little knowledge is, indeed, a dangerous thing.

Don't fret; you'll get there.
 

Brian2

Veteran Member
Never in my wildest imagination when I was a Christian would I have believed that Jesus' Father, Yahweh actually originated in the Canaanite lands in pre-Israel times. That would make Yahweh a pagan god which the ancient Hebrews apparently adopted as their god. More shocking, Yahweh had a wife/consort named Asherah which would make Asherah Jesus' mom.

"Initially [Yahweh] seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El. Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that “the Most High, El, gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief."

Yahweh <<<<link

So it turns out the early Hebrews were part of the Canaanite culture, although Genesis claims Abraham their patriarch came from the Sumerian city of Ur. And when they broke away from the Canaanites they adopted Yahweh as their chief war god although Yahweh originally was a lesser god from a pantheon of Canaanite gods including their chief god, El and Baal, Asherah and Astarte.

Moreover, Yahweh had a wife. She was worshiped alongside Yahweh. The Old Testament mentions her several times. It wasn't until the Babylonian captivity that Yahweh basically "divorced" her in the sense that the Jews became monotheistic at that point.

"God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshipped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar. She bases her theory on ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in the ancient Canaanite coastal city called Ugarit, now modern-day Syria. All of these artifacts reveal that Asherah was a powerful fertility goddess."

Did God have a wife? Scholar says that he did <<<<link

Did God Have a Wife? - Wikipedia <<<<link

I'm curious to hear what Christians here think about their god originally being a pagan god and having a wife who, if we are to believe the strong scholarship supporting this, was the one who gave birth to Jesus. So Jesus wasn't begotten, he was a product of celestial sex.

All the scholars had to do was to read the Bible and see that the Jews were worshipping other gods against the wishes of Yahweh right up till the time of the Exile of Judah to Babylon (587BC)
It's not breaking news except for someone who has not read the Bible. The interpretation of the archaeological findings by the anthropologists would not of course be what is found in the Bible. They seem to like the idea that one religion developed from another.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm curious to hear what Christians here think about their god originally being a pagan god and having a wife who, if we are to believe the strong scholarship supporting this, was the one who gave birth to Jesus. So Jesus wasn't begotten, he was a product of celestial sex.
Shock is the wrong reaction, and 'God' not a god. Who can say whether Canaanites believe in gods or if they are just part of a story for the Canaanites like in our science fiction. You won't learn about Christianity through them.
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
Never in my wildest imagination when I was a Christian would I have believed that Jesus' Father, Yahweh actually originated in the Canaanite lands in pre-Israel times. That would make Yahweh a pagan god which the ancient Hebrews apparently adopted as their god. More shocking, Yahweh had a wife/consort named Asherah which would make Asherah Jesus' mom.

"Initially [Yahweh] seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El. Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that “the Most High, El, gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief."

Yahweh <<<<link

So it turns out the early Hebrews were part of the Canaanite culture, although Genesis claims Abraham their patriarch came from the Sumerian city of Ur. And when they broke away from the Canaanites they adopted Yahweh as their chief war god although Yahweh originally was a lesser god from a pantheon of Canaanite gods including their chief god, El and Baal, Asherah and Astarte.

Moreover, Yahweh had a wife. She was worshiped alongside Yahweh. The Old Testament mentions her several times. It wasn't until the Babylonian captivity that Yahweh basically "divorced" her in the sense that the Jews became monotheistic at that point.

"God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshipped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar. She bases her theory on ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in the ancient Canaanite coastal city called Ugarit, now modern-day Syria. All of these artifacts reveal that Asherah was a powerful fertility goddess."

Did God have a wife? Scholar says that he did <<<<link

Did God Have a Wife? - Wikipedia <<<<link

I'm curious to hear what Christians here think about their god originally being a pagan god and having a wife who, if we are to believe the strong scholarship supporting this, was the one who gave birth to Jesus. So Jesus wasn't begotten, he was a product of celestial sex.
It is in your interpretation (the proverbial "what came first, the hen or the egg")

Let's look at this differently....

In the beginning YHWH created the heavens and the earth and placed the man we know today in the Garden and say "rule under my rulership" - "have dominion".

Man said, "I believe there is a better way" and separated himself from God's rulership and then created his own image of God... as did the Canaanites. So the Canaanites perverted the image of God into Dagon, Baal et al.

God came to Abraham and said (Paraphrased) - let me get my Kingdom and who I AM back into operation.

Thus:

1 sam 5: "After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.
3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD!"

and

1 Kings 18:21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. ...

...36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.
37 Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!”

So the problem in your presentation is which came first... YHWH came first and then the gods of the Canaanites.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
The possibe link from the Aten (sun) one god to the abrahamic one god fascinated me. Given the Moses account begins with the fleeing Egypt soon after downfall.
Given that Akhenaten and the Jews in Babylon are separated by about a millennium, I think that they found Henotheism independently.
 
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