Was Yahweh Worshiped as the Sun?
Israels God was abstract, but he may also have had a consort
Did Yahweh,a the Israelite God, have a consort? Like many other scholars, I believe that a substantial number of Israelites thought so. Unlike most others scholars, however, I believe that many of these same Israelites considered the sun a symbol or icon of Israels God, Yahweh. Yet early Israel was far more developed than we might guess from this; the same evidence that points to Yahweh as having a consort (or wife) and being symbolized by the sun, also points to an understanding of Yahweh as an abstract, non-anthropomorphic deity. In short, many early Israelites combined various notions about Yahweh that we would call orthodox and pagan. Unravelling these various strands proves to be a fascinating exercise.
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Table of Contents
Features
By Beth Alpert Nakhai
By André Lemaire
By Hershel Shanks
By J. Glen Taylor
By George J. Brooke
By Hershel Shanks
Departments
![]() Further ReadingAnimalsAsherah
God
Sun Worship
Yahweh
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