RT Article
T1 Women in Israelite Religion: The State of Research Is All New Research
JF Religions
VO 10
IS 2
SP 1
OP 11
A1 Nakhai, Beth Alpert 1951-
LA English
PB MDPI
YR 2019
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1671269098
AB Historically, those studying Israelite religion have ignored the existence of women in Iron Age Israel (1200-587 BCE). They have, therefore, accounted neither for the religious beliefs of half of ancient Israel's population nor for the responsibilities that women assumed for maintaining religious rituals and traditions. Such reconstructions of Israelite religion are seriously flawed. Only in the last four decades have scholars, primarily women, begun to explore women's essential roles in Israel's religious culture. This article utilizes evidence from the Hebrew Bible and from archaeological sites throughout Israel. It demonstrates that some women had roles within the Jerusalem Temple. Most women, however, resided in towns and villages throughout the Land. There, they undertook responsibility for clan-based and community-based religious rituals and rites, including pilgrimage, seasonal festivals, rites of military victory, and rites of mourning. They fulfilled, as well, essential roles within the sphere of domestic or household religion. At home, they provided medico-magical healing for all family members, as well as care for women and babies throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond. They, and the men in their communities, worshipped Yahweh, Israel's primary deity, and the goddess Asherah, as well; for most people, these two divinities were inextricably linked.
K1 Asherah
K1 Hebrew Bible
K1 Iron Age
K1 Israel
K1 Jerusalem Temple
K1 Judah
K1 Old Testament
K1 Yahweh
K1 Archaeology
K1 domestic religion
K1 family religion
K1 feminist studies
K1 Religion
K1 Rituals
K1 Women
K1 Worship
DO 10.3390/rel10020122