The Hebrew Goddess
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The Hebrew Goddess (ISBN 0-8143-2271-9) is a 1967 book by Jewish historian and anthropologist Raphael Patai. In this book, Patai argues that the Jewish religion has historically had elements of polytheism, above all in the worship of goddesses and a cult of the mother goddess. The book uses a combination of archaeological and textual evidence for veneration of feminine beings. Hebrew "goddesses" identified in the book include Asherah, Anath, Astarte, Ashima, the cherubim in Solomon's Temple, and the Matronit, the personified Sabbath, the Shabbat Bride and the Shekhina. The later editions of the book were expanded to include recent archaeological discoveries and the rituals of unification (Yihudim) which are to unite G-d with his Shekinah.
A third, enlarged edition was published in 1990 by Wayne State University Press.
Raphael Patai's first exploration of this theme was in his 1947 book Man and Temple in Ancient Jewish Myth and Ritual (New York: Nelson) and he cites important textual evidence which was not repeated in his later works.
