Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel

by William G. Dever

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2008

Overview

Following two widely acclaimed studies of ancient Israelite history and society, William Dever reconstructs the practice of religion in ancient Israel from the bottom up. Archaeological excavations reveal numerous local and family shrines where sacrifices and other rituals were carried out. Intrigued by this “folk religion” in all its variety and vitality, Dever writes about ordinary people in ancient Israel and their everyday religious lives. Did God Have a Wife? shines new light on the presence and influence of women’s cults in early Israel and their implications for our understanding of Israel’s official “book religion.” Dever pays particular attention to the goddess Asherah. His work also gives new prominence to women as the custodians of Israel’s folk religion. This fascinating study critically reviews virtually all the archaeological literature of the past generation, while also bringing fresh evidence to the table.

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Product Details

• Title: Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel
• Author: William G. Dever
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2008
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 360
• Era: era:Contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Asherah (Semitic deity); Jews › Folklore; Israel › Religion; Israel › Antiquities; Excavations (Archaeology) › Israel
• ISBNs: 9780802863942, 0802863949
• Resource ID: LLS:DIDGODHAVEAWIFE
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T23:18:19Z

About William G. Dever

William G. Dever is professor emeritus of Near Eastern archaeology and anthropology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He has served as director of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology in Jerusalem, as director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, and as a visiting professor at universities around the world. He has spent thirty years conducting archaeological excavations in the Near East, resulting in a large body of award-winning fieldwork.