Hebrew Goddesses
Ashtoreth (Astarte/Anath)
Topics covered in this document:
Introduction
Astarte, or as she's often known in the Bible, Ashtoreth, was the
daughter of Asherah. I know ... the names are so similar, you might think
I'm talking about the goddess, Asherah, again.
Global Goddess
Astarte was a global goddess, worshipped by many people.
The Egyptians made Astarte and Anath two separate goddesses, each
served by her own priests. Astarte is mentioned in the Amarna
letters (14th Century BCE). She was consort to Chemosh, the national
god of Moab. Much later, she became the chief goddess of Sidon (see
King Solomon story below).
Such a popular goddess was bound to reach the Hebrews, and her
popularity carries over to the Bible, though not to the extent
that her mother, Asherah, is mentioned (Astoreth is mentioned nine
times, whereas Asherah is mentioned some forty times).
The Levite city, Ashtartu, is referred to several times ... being
the capital of Og (legendary giant king of Bashan), who was defeated
by Chedorlaomer.
In other cities, archaeologists have uncovered not only statues of
Astarte of the Two Horns (Ashtoreth), but also molds from which statues
could be mass produced.
King Solomon
Many scholars believe that it was none other than King Solomon
who introduced Astarte (Ashtoreth) to the Hebrew people when he
married his Sidonian wife. Whoever introduced her, however, she
had a long reign among the Hebrews.
Samuel Purges Ashtoreth
Like her mother, Astarte was worshipped in the groves until the
time of Samuel, when he purged Jerusalem of Baal and Ashtoreth
(Astarte).
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