Breaking News—Archaeology of the Bible

The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 unearthed more than just a new government. Truckloads full of missing archaeological artifacts came to light this week as a result of the regime change, including some rare ostraca (pottery inscribed with words and sketchings) that contain some of the oldest records of the Hebrew divine name, YHWH (Yahweh).

Photo by: Courtesy

The most interesting point for those who study the Bible, though, is the possibility that two of these ancient pottery vessels pair God's name with the name of what is (likely) the female goddess Asherah."One of the inscriptions refers to 'Yahweh of Samaria and his Asherah,'" writes Hershel Shank, Editor of Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) in the Jerusalem Post. "Another inscription refers to 'Yahweh of Teman and his Asherah.'"

Did the ancient Israelites once imagine God as having a female partner?

The evidence must be studied carefully before reasonable hypotheses can be put forward about what this new evidence suggests.

In any case, we know that Ashtaroth (plural of Asherah) were wooden poles (or possibly trees) that seem to have represented either Yahweh or a female version of Yahweh (perhaps a consort). The word Asherah is decidedly feminine and is well-established as the name of the Canaanite mother-goddess in several ancient belief-systems during the biblical era.

In the Bible, the worship of Ashtaroth was fiercely condemned by 8th century prophets and other biblical authors, such as the Deuteronomistic Historian (a late editor of the Books of Deuteronomy through 2 Kings). Would these authors have sought to abolish the Ashtaroth so fiercely if they did not think it posed a serious threat to their faith?

In that sense, the pairing of Yahweh with Asherah may simply confirm the persistence of a popular belief, common in Canaanite religions, that leaders in Israel worked hard to abolish in Israel. Whether this belief included a female god in partnership with Yahweh is likely but uncertain.

How did these findings come to light this week? Originally, these artifacts were discovered in the mid-seventies in the Sinai peninsula. They were given to Egypt as part of the Camp David Peace Agreement of 1979 and haven't been seen since.

Biblical scholars can now study these pieces carefully and, it is to be hoped, shed new light on the faith of ancient Israel.

To learn more about this important re-discovery, click here.