In the form of the Ephesian Artemis, Ashtoreth continued to impact scripture in the New Testament. The name Baal (bl) is a common Semitic appellative meaning "lord" that is used as a proper name for the West Semitic storm god in ancien, Yahweh 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. Before the moment of unveiling, a live band began playing Middle Eastern music. Diodorus Siculus, 90-30 BC, gives this description of a Carthaginian fire god. Cecilia Carter joined the Starbucks team as their Vice President of Global Diversity, Community and Government Affairs, for Starbucks Coffee Company… CC: I really believe that we have the responsibility to shepherd the image of Starbucks as a catalyst for change.… We are in the community business as much as the coffee business. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. The name Attart is a feminine form of the name Attar, a god known from Ugarit and South Arabian sources, and associated with the morning star. Ashtarte was the chief goddess of the Sidonians, among whom she was worshiped as an independent divinity, and also under the name "Ashtarte of the name of Baal," as a counterpart of Baal (compare "C. I. S." i. 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. This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on January 24, 2014. They preferred to worship goat idols and demons instead of the one true God. http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001883, PROSTITUTE,Read more: Ashtoreth as a Moon-Goddess: 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. Understood in Merricks context, drinking this coffee becomes a pagan sacrament. What Does Ashtoreth Mean? Bible Definition and References 7:3, "strange gods and Ashtaroth"; Judg. If you dont have one, get a printed copy with good type and read it every day. So her family is ok because he was the one who had to leave family . Not much has changed since then. The apostle would have them avoid all sin, but idolatry more especially, keeping at the utmost distance imaginable from that, being of all sins in its kind the greatest transgression; upon which account it is often in Scripture compared to whoredom. Who was the goddess Asherah/Ashtoreth? - CompellingTruth.org Possibly, the deliberate corruption of the name trt (atart or ateret) is meant to conform to the vocalization of the Hebrew word boshet ("shame"; see *Euphemism and Dysphemism). Have you ever wondered why God placed his command about images right at the start of his commandments? I guess one could be set apart lots different things and we are able to know that from the context. What Does the Bible Say about Molech? - Topical Studies Worship of Asherah was highly encouraged by Jezebel, with the presence of 400 prophets who held a place in the court of her husband King Ahab (1 Kings 18:19 . As we transition fully into the visual age, youd do well to take heed to his command. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Throughout the Old Testament, we see the Israelites succumb to the worship of both Baal and Asherah. Anal sex between male and male worshipers and male and female worshipers was viewed as an offering to the goddess. Kronos is the north African name for Molech. Indeed, archaeology has shown that Ashtoreth worship and associated rites of sacred prostitution were common throughout the ancient Mediterranean. FREE eBook: Life in the Ancient World. She's most famously the mother of Baal, another god who shows up throughout the Old Testament when the Israelites stray after other idols. Similarly, at the site of Dura-Europos on the Euphrates, archaeologists uncovered a temple dedicated to Atargatis, the Aramaic goddess of love. (1 Kings 4:29-31). Ashtoreth (Greek Astart) is known from the Ugaritic texts, where, however, her role is overshadowed by that of her alter ego, the goddess Anath. Easton's Bible Dictionary says she represented "the passive principle in nature." She was also seen as a goddess of fertility, sexual love, and war. As mentioned above, Ashtoreth is connected to Phoenicia, especially its city of Sidon. The practices of "EASTER" and "FREEMASONRY" are tolerated or openly practiced in many modern Christian churches. Idol worship was a persistent problem with the Israelites, especially the worship of two specific gods, Baal and Asherah (or Ashtoreth). 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. I dont understand this article. (In the Baal cycle from Ugarit, Astarte appears as the ally of Baal in his defeat of Yamm.) When Ashtoreth is mentioned in scripture, she is linked to Molech, (also called Milcom in the Bible). Melech, Mo-lech, Milcom, Melkom, Moloch, Molek, Malec, Malik, Melek, Malkum, Melqart, Melkart, Milk, Melqarth, Kronos, Cronus. Worship to her included sexual immorality, prostitution, divination, and fortune telling. Eric, your statements are very sound and helpful. Later the cult places to Ashtoreth were destroyed by Josiah. prostitute to other gods." Ashtoreth was worshipped as the goddess of a wide variety of things. Different groups have different thoughts on who Ashtoreth was and what she was associated with. , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astaroth , Source http://www.gaychristian101.com/Molech.html , From Starbucks: The Unofficial Office for Social Change. They also engaged in what Smiths Bible Dictionary refers to as the most impure rites. This may have included sacrifices, cutting, and sexual acts. Ashtoreth may be mentioned in other areas throughout scripture. You are just the kind of people being invited to take share in better interpretations! 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? They had seen time and time again what a relationship with the one true God could do. 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. How are we doing this today? Objection! Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. The city contained not one but two prominent temples to Baal. APRIL 6, 2016 BY GARY PANELL 2 COMMENTS(EDIT) Hundreds of people were killed. 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. THE MASTER'S CARPET Instead, God intended to forbid Israel, His people, from practicing the same sex religious rites with which the ancient Canaanites worshiped their fertility goddess. (Pr 7) The Law strictly forbade prostitution of an Israelite girl. Anyone who reads history knows that various writers in various countries spell names differently. Jesus quoted the above words of his Father, and the apostle Paul pointed out that this rule was binding on the Christian congregation. Easter Is The Mother Of Baal - Bibleline Ministries However, her reach throughout the ancient world went much further than the borders of Phoenicia. 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. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. (60 km.) Though we ought to be afraid of and to decline all sin; yet as God hath revealed his wrath against any particular sin more than other, so every good Christian is obliged more to detest and abhor that sin. //. The Lord God, through Moses, forbade the worship of Asherah. Here is where we first learn that Ashtoreth was specifically related to the Phoenician city of Sidon. The sin of the spilling of seed stems from a meteor shower that appeared between May 10-18. (1 Corinthians 10:20), William Smith. : A corporate logo is not a religious icon! Christianity inherited this attitude and for most of our history we have benefited from this high standard. Judah was by no coincidence the lion. As such, Ashtoreths cult spread throughout Canaan, Egypt, and Ugarit. In most translations of the story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38), Tamar is described as a cult prostitute. But if Baal, then follow him and go to hell! The so-called Astarte Plaques, clay figurines of a mother goddess generally associated with the fertility cults, may be another representation of the goddess. Ashtoreth was the Phoenician goddess of love, war and increase. Ashtoreth is alive and well on planet earth. Her worshippers raised Asherah poles in her name. Scripture describes this practice as "passing through the fire to Molech," Leviticus 18:21. The Scriptural references to the worship of the sun, moon and stars in connection with the practice of Baalism in Israel suggest that this goddess, viewed as Baal's wife, may have been identified with one or more heavenly bodies. God is looking for true worshippers, who would worship Him and Spirit in truth. She was by some ancient writers identified with the moon… It is certain that the worship of Astarte became identified with that of Venus, and that this worship was connected with the most impure rites is apparent from the close connection of this goddess with ASHERAH. Astarte, Goddess of Fertility and Sexuality - Learn Religions Worship of Ashtoreth involved anal sex between priests of the goddess and worshipers. Molech was a false god of ancient Canaan. W.F. Like the ancient Jews, they are mixing worship of Christ with worship of Baal. ." At the Etruscan site of Pyrgi, excavators identified a temple dedicated to Ashtoreth that featured at least 17 small rooms that may have served as quarters for temple prostitutes. Given that zonah and qedeshah are used as synonyms in the Tamar-Judah pericope, it seems unlikely that the Biblical author meant sacred prostitute by qedeshah. I think maybe the writer rushed the column. 27 Apr. She is most probably the "Queen of Heaven," for whom the women of Judah kneaded cakes, libated, and burned incense in order to assure fertility and plenty (Jer. God placed the Holiness Code prohibitions of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 in the context of worshiping false gods, 18:3, 21-22 and 20:2-5, 13, 23. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. These were the first two of seven beast empires which have come (for more on these, read Beyond Fiction, by Donald Rowen). One can readily see why God and Moses called this pagan religious practice and the sexual rites associated with it, abomination. Solomon, the wisest man in the world of his time, a believer in the true God, was seduced through his senses into the worship of Ashteroth. What exactly are sirens? Sirens are related to Ashtoreth worship. 7:18). Judges mentions Ashtoreths name twice in two nearly identical verses (Judges 2:13; Judges 3:7). Such a situation prevailed at the temple of Apollo at Bulla Regia, where a woman was found buried with an inscription reading: Adulteress. May God bless you, keep you, and protect you. The perfect marriage standard was established in Eden by God himself at the marriage of Adam and Eve, when He stated: A man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh. (Ge 2:24) Though God condemned harlotry, he did permit concubinage and polygamy, even among his servants, until his due time to reestablish the perfect marriage standard through Jesus Christ. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ashtoreth, Frymer, Tikva "Ashtoreth If you should want, I will personally mediate a conversation between your family for a reasonably low cost. All rights reserved. Many believe this practice emerged in Canaanite temples devoted to Ashtoreth. 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. Healthy choices: the choices we are supposed to make to help parts of our lives run smoothly. This double speculation is followed by a reference to an inscription about a woman that is very ambiguous in meaning but MAY have referred to cult prostitution. Though Christians today may not run after literal gods, we often chase things with that same worshipful ferocity.