Was Asherah a goddess, or merely a cultic artifact?
In the Book of Kings, references are made both to Asherah (leAsherah) and to the asherah (haasherah). Scholarly opinions vary on whether during the monarchic period there was a formalized cult that worshipped the goddess Asherah, or if the worship of the asherah icon was a manifestation of Yahwism in popular religion. Based on the textual evidence from the Book of Kings, R. Pettey concludes that the asherah as simply an extension of Yahwism is untenable. He cites verse 1 Kings 18:19, extracted from the theological battle that took place on Mount Carmel, as evidence: “Now summon all Israel to me on Mount Carmel as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets (neviim) of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” Neviim can normally interact with the deities on behalf of other people. Thus, the existence of the 400 prophets of Asherah indicates that Asherah was a goddess and that there was an established and active Asherah cult during the monarchic period. Contrarily, Mark Smith belie
