Reasons why you should not worship Astaroth: She is a demon - she is a self-proclaimed goddess. Think how successful this one company has been over the past few decades in promoting international cultural change. Then because of the sexual influence over men which was the hardest battle for them as it is now, Adultry became a focus of sex. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. According to Genesis 38, the unsuspecting Judah mistook his daughter-in-law Tamar for a veiled prostitute (Hebrew zonah). Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Ashtoreth (Greek Astart) is known from the Ugaritic texts, where, however, her role is overshadowed by that of her alter ego, the goddess Anath. But I wont throw out the baby with the bathwater. Thank you, Zola, God bless you! 7:18). One commentator sympathetic to Ashtoreth describes: In Ashtoreths worship services, male worshipers (committed sodomy) with priests and priestesses of the goddess. . Even though the worship of Ashtoreth included acts that would make many of us blush, there was an allure to her promises and popularity. Although the rooms were used primarily for sacred meals, they may also have been reserved for the sexual services of women jailed in the temple for adultery. This supposition is corroborated by the figure of the Aramaic goddess Atargatis, whose name results from a conflation of the names Astarte and Anath. For that reason, God and Moses prohibited Israel from worshiping Moloch in Leviticus 18:21 and 20:2, 3, 4, 5. Qedeshah likely originally referred to consecrated maidens who were employed in Canaanite and later Phoenician temples devoted to Ashtoreth worship. KJV, Jeremiah 3:6, "When Josiah was king of Judah, the LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, you have Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot." Her worshippers raised Asherah poles in her name. The city contained not one but two prominent temples to Baal. It was erected in the park outside City Hall. How arrogant we are. 4 Does the text refer to the goddess or her symbol? This was murdering the babies that resulted from the orgies by throwing them alive into a fire pit to be burned to death. Why was the worship of Baal and Asherah such a struggle for the Israelites? Gray, in: idb, 1 (1962), 2556; Pritchard, Texts, 12955; H. Gese et al., Die Religionen Altsyriens, Altarabiens und der Maner (Die Religionen der Menschheit 10.2) (1970), pp. Zonah has only one meaning in earlier biblical Hebrew, which is prostitute. Later, it came to be used informally and loosely for promiscuity or harlotry. No one who erected it or who unveiled it had any idea what they were doing just as with the harbingers but they did it anyway. His mother had been a prostitute prior to her marriage as a secondary wife to Gilead, just as Rahab had once been a prostitute but later married Salmon. There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. As queen, Jezebel brought in dozens of false priests with her to Israel. and 161 ff. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. While many scholars have assumed sacred prostitution was practiced in ancient Israel, too, the BAR article Cult Prostitution in Ancient Israel? by Edward Lipiski reveals that neither the Bible nor archaeology provides any clear evidence that Israelite religion incorporated the sexual rites of Ashtoreth worship. . And Solomons wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astaroth , Source http://www.gaychristian101.com/Molech.html , From Starbucks: The Unofficial Office for Social Change. Why take out the fasting part? PDF ASHTORETH SPIRIT 1. Introduction A - Just Like Him Ministries ancient Canaanite fertility cults used same sex rituals to worship their false gods. Her worship was a direct violation of the first of the Ten Commandments God gave to the Israelites after he saved them from Egypt: You shall have no other gods before me. This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on January 24, 2014. In ancient times much of Israel was drawn into Baal worship. Umm why was he going to a prostitute?. Whose understanding is more accurate? Here the name (Bel) is that of one of the earliest and most honored of national deities. She is the daughter of Satan - Astaroth is very popular in occult religions. Biblical scholars have also noted that Chemosh's role in the Moabite Stone inscription is analogous to that of Yahweh in the book of Kings. That towns were named after the fertility goddess indicates that her worship was already widespread when the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan. The Phoenicians were a loosely gathered group of people who inhabited Canaan (modern-day Lebanon, Syria, and Israel) between 1550 BC and 300 BC. Though Christians today may not run after literal gods, we often chase things with that same worshipful ferocity. As I watched the unveiling of the ancient monument in New York City, I feared the coming true of those words an America now turning to Baal and going to hell. 2023 . Harlotry was condemned because it was prevalant. These things were done in the name of the pagan idol-gods Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molech. For many centuries before Israel entered the land of Palestine, Astarte | ancient deity | Britannica Join ArieRashelle as she dissects the Bible to find any similarities between the ancient practices of Baal worshipers and today's culture in our video, Baal and . That Molech worship was already common among the Canaanites when Israel entered the land is evident from the fact that, before Israel entered the land, God warned them against Molech worship as an abomination the Israelites were forbidden to practice, Leviticus 18:21, 20:2, 3, 4, 5. The issue with God was not committed faithful non-cultic sexual relationships or gay marriages between two men or two women. Instead, it was one of those things that one accused those people over there of doing when one wanted to attack their morals and customs. The adjective spiritual was inserted by the translators because in their opinion this is not a reference to literal prostitution but figuratively compares idolatry to prostitution. We must commend Israel for the firm stand that it took on matters of sexual morality. Another is to go in with a knife and cut the baby up (torture and cutting also being a popular form of satanic worship). (Exodus 20:3-6). Plutarch, AD 46-127, senior priest of the oracle at Delphi, gives this description of the fire god. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Baal worship is alive and well in America and the world though they do not call it that today. God's warning against worshiping Molech the Canaanite fire god, is given in a religious context. Over time, her cult evolved, and her worship often intermingled with that of other deities. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. (Psalms 81:9). Who Was Ashtoreth in the Bible? - Christianity.com What evidence is there that the type of prostitute that Judah had (wrongly) assumed wasnt in reference to a sacred or shrine prostitute as the NIV puts it? In the name of The Lord. Who Is Asherah in the Bible? - learnreligions.com (April 27, 2023). Given this cultural, historical and religious context, it becomes clear that God did not intend to forbid a loving, committed gay relationship or gay marriage between two men or two women. Frymer, Tikva "Ashtoreth What was an Asherah pole? - CompellingTruth.org What Does the Bible Say about Molech? - Topical Studies So for there to be cult prostitutes around them was very likely. Breaking Israel News points out the temple was a symbol of defiance and promiscuity in the ancient world, and those views have become popular again in recent decades. Worship to her included sexual immorality, prostitution, divination, and fortune telling. Dig into more than 9,000 articles in the Biblical Archaeology Societys vast library plus much morewith an All-Access pass. ." There stands in their midst a bronze statue of Kronos, its hands extended over a bronze brazier, the flames of which engulf the child. Stephanie Budins 2008 book The Myth of Sacred Prostitution in Antiquity demonstrates that sacred prostitution is not attested by any author writing of the customs of his own society. image: http://www.trunews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Temple_of_Baal_at_Palmyra_Syria._III.jpg He is a male figure named after the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar.2. Brother Gary. Along with trading goods throughout the ancient world, Phoenicia also spread its culture. Ashtoreth is mentioned several times throughout Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. Two practices in particular are mentioned in Scripture. The general name, used throughout Palestine and in the Bible, for this type of fire god, was Baal. Astarte was a goddess honored in the Eastern Mediterranean area, before being renamed by the Greeks. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"JUdlrnMgv1X4esO4l1KxMQRH_BANj2jp30s08COe.yE-86400-0"}; BUCKS = standard of value or medium of exchange, usually thought of as money but also worship. All rights reserved. The practice of Baal worship infiltrated Jewish religious life during the time of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became widespread in Israel during the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33) and also affected Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-2). Yet Paul used none of those available words, goddess of Canaan and Phoenicia prostitution was practiced in her name and she was served with immoral rites by bands of men and women.. Today we poo-poo any talk of idol worship as ridiculous. (In addition, physical relations) …between male and male worshipers and male and female worshipers was viewed as an offering to the goddess. Such a situation prevailed at the temple of Apollo at Bulla Regia, where a woman was found buried with an inscription reading: Adulteress. Tellingly, the sham ritual celebrates human divinity, which is Satans original lie to Eve in Genesis 3.5, …your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods. And now, against all odds, the sign of Baal has appeared on American soil, the sign of a nation that had once known God, having fallen away, the sign of the god of the harbingers, the sign of national apostasy, the sign of judgment. Objection! 27 Apr. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. As Edward Lipiski argues, however, there is nothing in the story of Judah and Tamar to suggest sacred prostitution was involved. goddess of Canaan and Phoenicia prostitution was practiced in her name and she was served with immoral rites by bands of men and women. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume 1, 1979, pages 319-320. When I stood on Capitol Hill, one year earlier, and spoke before leaders and members of Congress, I said this: We live in an age of loose moral standards, where it is acceptable and encouraged for us to have sexual partners outside of marriage. Or does it? In Greece, the myth concerns Dionysus using a thread to navigate a maze, a maze which represents womb imagery. That will be explained further on in the post. That is definitely not okay for your daughter in law to treat you that way. Fertility rites were practiced at the numerous shrines which dotted the land, as well as at the major sanctuaries A characteristic feature of the fertility cult was sacral sexual intercourse by priests and priestesses and other specially consecrated persons, sacred prostitutes of both sexes Child-sacrifice was also a feature of the rites. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Wikipedia defines them: …dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island… they were considered the daughters of the river god Achelous.4. That's a great question because Paul could have used many words if he intended to blast gays and lesbians. Its curious that Ashteroth and Astaroth are both connected with the blurring of gender and direct attack on Gods moral standards related to sexuality. Still, most modern consensus agrees on some things about her. And their pagan worship snared some of the children of Israel. You are just the kind of people being invited to take share in better interpretations! Of course the only true resurrection is of and through Jesus Christ, commemorated in the sacrament of the Lords Supper/ holy communion. the unsuspecting Judah mistook his daughter-in-law Tamar for a veiled prostitute, Lost Roman Army Camps Discovered in Jordan, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001883, http://wol.jw.org/sv/wol/dsync/r14/lp-z/r1/lp-e/1200003566#h=0-1&selpar=0, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002413, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000531, Lavish New Kingdom Tomb Uncovered at Saqqara. (TRUNEWS) A Christian Author, Michael Synder, claims two upcoming events scheduled for April 19 may actually be occult ceremonies intended to usher in the Antichrist. As human beings, we often know what a healthy choice would be; but we do not always make this choice. Several hundred years separate the event and the remembering of how it was told to the Jews before their removal to a foreign land. As such, Ashtoreths cult spread throughout Canaan, Egypt, and Ugarit. For example, we all know we need to eat right to fuel a healthy physical life, but who has never chosen to run through a drive-thru for a greasy burger instead of going home to cook a healthy meal? In Canaan, Ashtoreth, as distinguished from the male `Ashtar, dropped her warlike attributes, but in contradistinction to Asherah, whose name and cult had also been imported from Assyria, became, on the one hand, the colorless consort of Baal, and on the other hand, a moon-goddess. Gay Lesbian Bisexual Christian 101 - Accurate biblical and historical info defending LGB Christians from the anti-gay crowd. So, the worshipers of Baal would walk through the arch and approach the temple in which they would venerate their god. Though the bible may state that a man must leave his mother and father in order to truly become one with his wife, the bible also accounts for a peaceful coexistence between man and prehistoric dinosaurs. The lady doth protest too much, methinks -Queen Gertrude. God made it clear to the Israelites at multiple points that worshiping any other gods than Him was wrong ( Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7 ). Here is where we first learn that Ashtoreth was specifically related to the Phoenician city of Sidon. 44:1719; cf. She was also known as the Queen of Heaven. Ashteroth is alive and well and living at your local Starbucks. As witnessed by numerous personal names, Astarte was already popular in the Late Bronze Age. A reproduction of the arch from the Temple of Baal in Palmyra, Syria will be put up in New Yorks Times Square and Trafalgar Square in London to coincide with a devil-worshipping festival. As I stared at the ancient object being set up in New York City, I was struck in the same way as I was when I saw the nine prophetic signs of The Harbinger. Since 9/11, America has not only not returned to God it has rebelled against Him in an ever deepening, ever intensifying and ever accelerating apostasy. They preferred to worship goat idols and demons instead of the one true God. History matters. Indeed, archaeology has shown that Ashtoreth worship and associated rites of sacred prostitution were common throughout the ancient Mediterranean. The word is used as the name of a town in ancient Israel in Deuteronomy 1:4, Joshua 9:10, 12:4, 13:12, 13:31 and 1 Chronicles 6:71. Gay Christian 101 - Affirming God's glorious good news for all LGBTs. Dont know who sent me this, but I am not interested at all in your Jesus Freak interpretations of so called fallen people from long ago. Why is Cybele vital to understanding Romans 1? Even to the tenth generation none of his may come into the congregation of Jehovah.De 23:2. He cites the fact that major world events have happened on April 19, including the Waco Massacre of 1993 and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. I pray God would open our eyes so we may see the truth. The more you educate yourself about whats come before, the more youll recognize the connections. Ashtoreths name seems to combine the goddesss real name Astarte with the Hebrew word for shame, boshet. Adultery is the word that morffed since Moses. (1 Kings 4:29-31). Who was Asherah / Ashtoreth? | GotQuestions.org A deity of fertility and sexuality, Astarte eventually evolved into the Greek Aphrodite thanks to her role as a goddess of sexual love. One can readily see why God and Moses called this pagan religious practice and the sexual rites associated with it, abomination. As mentioned above, Ashtoreth is connected to Phoenicia, especially its city of Sidon. According to Ugaritic texts, Anath and Ashtoreth also share the same abode. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Both Astarte and Anath are the sisters and consorts of Baal and share the dual character of goddesses of love and of war; both are also associated with horses and the hunt. It sat covered in a giant sheet to keep it cloaked until the time of its unveiling. Here is how the historian William Smith describes her: Ashtoreth: (a star) the principal female divinity of the Phoenicians, called Ishtar by the Assyrians and Astarte by the Greeks and Romans. Read more: Whether you believe what youre going to read or not, accept it or not, or care or not, its important for you to be able to recognize Ashtoreth, for this is one of the things God has told you in his Word that he consistently hates. She is portrayed as a sea goddess because the Morning Star appears to rise out of the eastern sea at dawn prior to resurrecting the Sun. Among the dignitaries and media gathered were a handful of Gods people, a man with a shirt bearing witness to Jesus, another carrying a cross with the inscription Jeremiah 1:5 and still others silently bearing witness. The text in the article refers to two different temples which had small rooms which, the article says, MAY have been for cultic prostitution. Required fields are marked *. (Jg 11:1; Jos 2:1; Mt 1:5) That Jephthah was not illegitimate is proved by the fact that his half brothers by Gileads primary wife drove him out so that he would not share in the inheritance. Artemis, the goddess of childbirth and fertility, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love, continued the Asherah cults under a new name (Acts 19:35), but with worship practices that were as immoral as ever. Haussig (ed. . History repeats itself. The sin of the spilling of seed stems from a meteor shower that appeared between May 10-18. The wicked and sickos here are YOU, not the poor women of your twisted stories. Molech was another such god. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Like the ancient Jews, they are mixing worship of Christ with worship of Baal. Building on the information above, the name of the global corporate entity which has adopted the logo may also be associated with the pagan goddess: STAR = Ashtereth The Church had the power to suppress the evils they were doingJames Louis beheaded 200 thousand Africans because they would not change to Christianity , gave their land to the Church and the Pope was so proud he made him a Saint.St. And it is one of the oldest Middle Eastern aspects of the great Goddess, dating to the . The Law specified that a grove of trees was not to be near the altar of the Lord ( Deuteronomy 16:21 ). In the form of the Ephesian Artemis, Ashtoreth continued to impact scripture in the New Testament. The word simply means "harlot" without religious connotations. Baal's sisters/consorts were Ashtoreth, a fertility goddess . We also long to be free to act as we wish. In addition, she is also known by the following names: 5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod; 2 then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. Truth On Easter: Ashtoreth, Nimrod, Goddess Worship, The - YouTube Such things are always religious in nature, no matter what theyre called. Ashtoreth - Christian Classics Ethereal Library By Kelly Sloan on April 6, 2016 27 Apr. Around 100 CE, the Patriarchal / Father-oriented / Male Format / Manifestation of Ashtoreth called Astaroth, a word which is the PLURAL Female of the word: ASHTORETH. After reading that the demon Baal was the one possessing the child in Mark 9, I tried to find a reference where Jesus said only prayer and fasting could get rid of this demon. She was seen as the mistress of Baal. Secondly, many verses do not mention Ashtoreth by name. NET Bible, Jeremiah 3:6. JOHN BOWKER "Ashtoreth It is said that in Corinth alone, there were more than 1,000 prostitutes in Aphrodite's temple. Encyclopedia.com. Many modern Hebrew scholars believe that Ashtoreths name shows Gods contempt for Israels dalliances with false gods, as the Bible is the only place that refers to this goddess Ashtoreth. Encyclopedia.com. She played a large role in the cult at Ugarit, and her name appears often in ritual texts and sacrificial lists. The NET Bible on Leviticus 18:21, Note 30, says: "It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. These were the first two of seven beast empires which have come (for more on these, read Beyond Fiction, by Donald Rowen). Adultery example became sex because of the temple prostitution. Old Satan loves to take to himself (and his minions like Ashteroth) the glory reserved for God alone (Isaiah 14.12). Gods nature is jealous. This relationship is religious in nature. (Pr 7) The Law strictly forbade prostitution of an Israelite girl. Seize (me), because I fled from Bulla Regia.. What Does the Bible Tell Us about the Prophet Daniel? 7:3, "strange gods and Ashtaroth"; Judg. Your comment should be deleted. As for why the worship of Baal and Asherah specifically was such a problem for Israel, there are several reasons we can cite: first, the worship of Baal and Asherah held the allure of illicit sex, since the religion involved ritual prostitution. On the slate was an image of an ancient temple with the words Temple of Bel (Baal). Read more: Ashtoreths worship, along with that of the goddess Asherah, was spread even more during the reign of King Ahab. Anyone who reads history knows that various writers in various countries spell names differently. ), Woerterbuch der Mythologie, 1 (1965), 2502 (incl. and Mot, the god of death and the underworld. Prostitute. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Both Ashtoreth and Astaroth are associated with sexual practices condemned by the one true God. It seems therefore that Anath and Ashtoreth are different aspects of the same goddess. This is an ancient Ashtoreth idol. There is a cave in western Oklahoma that exibits Baal worship. (In the Baal cycle from Ugarit, Astarte appears as the ally of Baal in his defeat of Yamm.) (1 Corinthians 10:14-15). Romans 1 describes ancient shrine prostitution, not gays and lesbians. February 6, 2022 By Gary Panell 10 Comments, Baal Worship is Alive and Well in the World! Many believe this practice emerged in Canaanite temples devoted to Ashtoreth. There is almost no essential difference between the ancients and us.
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