Women and household shrines in ancient Israel Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Willett, Elizabeth Ann Remington Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 10/10/2021 20:20:33 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/288986 DWORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter &ce, \^e others may be fit}m ai^ type of computer printer. The quality of this reprodactioii is dependent apon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 NoithZceb Road, Ann Aibor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/S21-0600 WOMEN AND HOUSEHOLD SHRINES IN ANCIENT ISRAEL by Elizabeth Ann Remington Willett A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1999 UMI Number: 9927522 Copyrlglit 1999 by Willett, EllzaQieth. Ann Remington All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9927522 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. AU rights reserved. This microform efiition is protected against miauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arix>r, MI 48103 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA « GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Elizabeth Ann Remington Willett entitled Women and Household Shrines in Ancient Israel and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy J . Edward ^iTri^ht Date ^ (X<yUu 6^ ! 1 Amy W. Newhall ( Date ' mi Beth Alpert-^khai DateLte • /r: Api. ( WijJLiam G. Dever Datelte » IW Robert Burns Date ' Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as ftilfilling the dissertation requirement. Dissertation Director] J. Edward Wright Date / 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfiUment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in >^ole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 8 ABSTRACT 10 INTRODUCTION. 12 The Importance of Women and Household Ritual 12 Architecture and Artifacts in Israelite Houses 14 Women and Household Shrines........—..............................................................—..15 Women as Religious Agents 16 CHAPTER ONE: REVIEW OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH 18 History of Research on Israelite Religion 19 Wellhavsen's Critical Evolutionary Approach 19 Anthropological Approaches to Israelite Religion and Magic 22 The Myth and Ritual School. 23 The History of Religion School 25 Form Criticism 26 Biblical Archaeology. 28 Biblical Theology 32 Surveys of the History of Israelite Religion from the 1960's and 1970's 33 Sociological Approaches to Israelite History and Religion 38 Canaanite and Israelite Continuity 41 De-centralized Domestic, Popular, or Family Cult in Ancient Israel 44 Popular Religion 45 Personal and Family Religion in Israel and Mesopotamia 46 Women's Roles in Ancient Israelite Religion 49 Women's Role in the Israelite Household 51 The Role of Religion in the Life of the Israelite and Babylonian Woman 53 Summary of Research on the History of Israelite Religion 54 Research on the Goddess Asherah .............................................................................60 Wooden Image of the Goddess 61 Asherah Means Shrine 61 Asherah is Yahweh 's Presence in his Sanctuary 63 Asherah Not Represented in Theophoric Names 64 Asherah is Living Tree 66 Asherah is Impersonal Sacred Tree 67 Canaanite Goddess Imagery Conflated and Attributed to Yahweh 69 Cult Symbol of Yahweh Equals Deity 71 Canaanite Goddess Consort of Yahweh 72 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS — Continued Research on Asherah Summary 74 The Interpretation of Ancient Israelite Figurines.....................................................60 Figurines as Magical Representations of Astarte 77 Unnamed Foreign Fertility Goddess 79 Figurines Continue Canaanite Tradition as Hebrew Goddess Asherah 80 Votive Figurines of Worshiping Women 84 Cataloged (Specific) and Cultic (Unspecific) 88 Figurines Non-Cultic? 89 Are Figurines Toys? 90 Mother of Generations 90 Clay Figurines do not Define a Locale as Sacred 92 Pan-Syro-Palestinian Iconography. 92 Non-Cultic Symbol of Asherah 95 Summary of the Interpretation of Figurines 97 CHAPTER TWO: CULT AND THE ISRAELITE FOUR-ROOM HOUSE 101 Archaeology of the Israelite House and Family 101 Tell Masos —...................107 House 314 107 House 167 111 House 42 113 Cultic Artifacts in Women's Living and Work Areas 114 Tell Masos-Summary. 115 Tell el-Far'ah 118 Houses 442 and 440 124 Houses with Courtyard Alcoves 128 Tell el Far^ah Summary 132 Tell Beer-sheba 134 Western Quarter Houses 136 Building 25's Pillar-Base Figurine, Model Couch, and Miniature Lamp 140 The Coiartyard 36 Offering Structures 146 Houses 808 and 430 148 Tell Beer-sheba— Summary. 152 Tell HaUf 154 Cult and the Israelite Four-Room House—Summary — ..156 CHAPTER THREE: HOUSE GODS AND SHRINES IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST 166 Mesopotamian Domestic Shrines.........— ... ............ — .168 Household Gods in Mesopotamia...........—.—... .......—......—....—>174 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS — Continued The Lamp as Divine Fire 179 Lamashtu, the Child-Stealing Goddess 180 Mesopotamian Protective Spirits 184 The Domestic Cult at Canaanite Ugarit..... 189 The Temple of the Rhytons 189 Sacred Texts and Divinity Figurines from Homes at Ugarit. 193 Lamashtu Charms at Ugarit 196 Tel Mevorakh.— 199 Philistine and Phoenician Shrines and Sanctuaries 199 Semi-Public Cult Rooms in Israel and Judah 203 Kuntillet ^Ajrud 207 House Gods and Shrines in the Ancient Near East—Summary 210 CHAPTER FOUR: FERTILITY IN EGYPT, UGARIT, AND ISRAEL ^14 The Subsistence Environment of Syria-Palestine 216 Infant Mortality and Short Female Life Span 218 The Canaanite Origin of the Israelite Cult 221 The Canaanite Pantheon 224 El, Father of Gods and Humans 224 Baal 221 Qedesim and Fertility Ritual in Ugarit and Israel 230 Anat 235 Astarte 238 Asherah, Frocreatress of the Gods 239 Astarte and Asherah 242 The Ugaritic Pantheon—Summary 246 Semitic Goddesses and Fertility Figurines 247 Asherah, Hathor, and Qiulshu Plaques 247 Lion Lady 251 The Lachish Ewer and Sacred Tree Iconography 255 The Khirbet el-Kom and Kuntillet ^Ajrud Inscriptions 259 The Nurturing and Apotropaic Power of Asherah Trees 274 Reproduction, Sustenance, and Protection 281 CHAPTER FIVE: AMULETS, EVIL EYE, AND CHILD-STEALING DEMONS ^92 The Near Eastern Context of Israelite Magic and Religion—..... 293 Social Science Models of Magic and Religion..... ............— 296 Women and Magic.. —....— ... ..... ..... 301 Inscribed Amulets ...—.................. ...JOS 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS — Continued Egyptian-Type Amoletic Pendants.... .... 309 Divine Eye Motifs in Egypt and the Levant ...— 312 Eye Motifs in Mesopotamia 322 The Evil Eye in the Bible and in Rabbinic and Early Christian Thought 330 Lachish ID and Women's Magic ......... — 335 Modem Middle Eastern Evil Eye Beliefs and Amulets..... ......... 340 Demonic Personifications of the Evil Eye—^Lamashtu and Lilith........ 348 The Arslan Tash Inscriptions ....— ... ... ..... 352 Flying Night Demons 355 Deity Bonds, Bans, and Protective Covenants 360 The Divine Name and House Amulets 363 Eye to Eye in the Second Arslan