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Asherah

17 Episodes

Asherah is a goddess associated in the show’s framing with the older polytheistic world behind the Hebrew Bible, especially in discussions of inscriptions, divine families, and the gradual elevation of YHWH over other deities. On Data Over Dogma, the topic usually marks conversations about how biblical and archaeological evidence preserves traces of a goddess later marginalized by monotheizing traditions.

Redirected from: Athirat

Why this topic matters

Asherah opens up a fuller picture of ancient Israelite religion than later confessional readings usually allow. Once her presence is taken seriously, familiar biblical debates about monotheism, idolatry, and reform look less like timeless theology and more like evidence of real competition within an evolving pantheon.

As a result, the topic becomes a recurring flashpoint for the podcast’s broader method. Discussions of Asherah often bring together textual criticism, archaeology, and the history of religion to show how later editors preserved clues about beliefs they were also trying to constrain or overwrite.

Where to start

Start here for the best in-depth listening on Asherah: featured segments, featured episodes, and the episode with the most mentions.

Quotes from the Data

“Goddesses were absolutely part and parcel of ancient YHWH religion.”

Francesca Stavrakopoulou Episode 2

“We have inscriptions from the 8th century BCE, Hebrew inscriptions that refer to YHWH and Asherah together.”

Francesca Stavrakopoulou Episode 2

“There she's known as Atiratu or Athirat. And she is the wife of the high god El.”

Francesca Stavrakopoulou Episode 2

“Mark Smith argues that this is a title of Asherah. So, yeah, we have traces of them. We have traces of these goddesses in our texts, which is exciting.”

Francesca Stavrakopoulou Episode 2

Top episodes

Ranked by mentions of Asherah across the transcript. Start with the top mention above, then keep going here.

All episodes

Every episode currently tagged with Asherah.