Lynn Picknett

Despite what Jews and Christians—and indeed most people—believe, the ancient Israelites venerated several deities besides the Old Testament god Yahweh, including the goddess Asherah, Yahweh’s wife, who was worshipped openly in the Jerusalem Temple. After the reforms of King Josiah and Prophet Jeremiah, the religion recognised Yahweh alone, and history was rewritten to make it appear that it had always...