The greatest paradigm shift in goddess worship occured during the first millenium BCE, with the monotheism of Judaism and Zoroastrianism (Leeming 107). The role of the goddess changed dramatically as she was relegated to an almost non-existant position in the one-god centered culture of the ancient Hebrews. Because a singular male god leaves no room for a goddess, she was either "reassigned" (Eve and Lilith) or subjugated as part of the forbidden pagan idolatry, as in the case of Asherah.
An important goddess who made appearances in the Judaic talmud, was Lilith. The Sumerians considered her to be the Goddess of Weather, Evil, Disorder, Moon and Night, as well as Education and Justice. She is first mentioned in texts dating back to 2400 BCE and later, in the Judeo-Christian Old Testament in Isaiah 34:14, though the purpose of references to Lilith as a demon goddess are still in dispute. According to Hebrew legend, Lilith was the first wife of Adam, but because he could not control her, he asked for another and was granted Eve. Some historians and feminist anthropologists believe that references to Lilith "in the apochrypal folk tradition and in the Talmud and the Kabbalah...(is) the first human representation of Yahweh's patriarchal world (and that Lilith is) a dangerous incarnation of the Goddess..." (Leeming 111).
Lilith's counterpart, Eve, cannot technically be labelled a goddess, as she is very human even in her role as "Mother of All". I am including her because of the many traits attributed to Eve which parallel the goddess in many Near East traditions. The Biblical book of Genesis states that "God created man in His images, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (1:27). This is one of the earliest examples of a male creator god who produces human life on earth. Significant also is the assertion that both men and women were created equally. Only later texts subjugate Eve to being literally a part of Adam and also to blame for the downfall of mankind. The snake image often associated with ancient goddesses is transformed into a malicious entity and as "reproductive mysteries had long been tied to the goddess...nature and women began to be associated with darkness and evil and to be thought of as objects of conquest and ownership" (Leeming 88). With Eve came a new view of women's rites and childbirth as being punishments rather than celebrations of the goddess.
Interestingly enough, it was a goddess who was originally the primary deity of the ancient Hebrews. This goddess, Asherah, was very popular in Canaan and "continued to play an important role in popular Hebrew religion until the fall of the First Temple and the Babylonian exile (in 586 BCE)" (Gadon 167). Anthropologist Raphael Patai has spent a career collecting archaeological and textual evidence to prove that there was once a Hebrew goddesses whose worship was continued throughout early Jewish history. The bible references Asherah both directly and indirectly; descriptions of grove trees (called asherahs, the baking of ritual breads and the building of sacred stones and wooden pillars called asherim are all tied to the worship of the goddess (Gadon 152). The Old Testament Book of Jeremiah gives the most complete account of her worship and is the strongest evidence to support the theory that Asherah worship was prevelant, not just privately, but also publically among the Hebrews. Although very little is known about the rituals involved in her worship, one can summize that much of it was later adapted to fit the needs of the growing Yahweh believers. Asherah worship was so strong that in the 10th century BCE, King Solomon's son, Rehoboam, had an image of her added to the Great Temple of Solomon. Archaeologists have unearthed multitudes of clay figures of Hebrew and Canaanite deities in Israel, and most common are those of Asherah (Knapp 47). Archaeologists and Anthropologists interested in this goddess scour the bible for references to Asherah and usually find her "hidden behind a holy tree. The Tree of Life was Asherah's major representation from the Middle Bronze Age (2000 BCE - 1500 BCE) up to the beginning of the Second Temple Period (520 BCE - 70 CE)" (Kien 12). Perhaps it is not just ironic that it is the Tree of Life (aka the Tree of Knowledge) that brings about the downfall of Eve in Judeo-Christian tradition.
As the goddess, whether in the form of Lilith, Eve or Asherah, lessened in importance in monotheistic, male-god worshipping cultures, the role of the female deities changed. But societies cling tenaciously to their beliefs and goddess worship in Western Civilization has never been totally eradicated. It has morphed into something seemingly different in the Christian Era, particularly as the ancient "pagan" religions have been either outlawed or diminished in importance. Nonetheless, goddess worship has continued to have a solid foothold even as the goddess has changed to fit the needs of a more Christianized world.
