Many scholars think that Asherah may have become the wife of Yahweh in the eyes of the Hebrew people. Two altars, one smaller than the other, have been found at archaeological sites in the Near East, and some scholars believe these represent Yahweh and his consort, Asherah. All Near Eastern goddesses, including Asherah, were given titles such as queen of heaven, and goddess of the sea and moon. In every major archaeological excavation in Palestine small naked clay female figurines have been found.
The goddess of wisdom or Sophia (the Greek word for wisdom) is mentioned in the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible. Some scholars state that the great goddess of Egypt, Isis, and Inanna of Sumeria were the foundation of the wisdom literature of the Bible. Scholarly studies of the Bible illuminate the role of women in ancient Hebrew times. In the Old Testament there are stories regarding female heroic figures and women that have taken independent action, like Deborah or Jezebel. Generally though, the Old Testament delineates the gradual restriction of women's public, religious, personal, and economic roles. .
Some of the most powerful metaphors of gender in the Bible have been those of Eve, the first woman created from Adam's rib, and Eve the temptress who caused humankind's fall from grace. These metaphors have been cited as proof of divine sanction for the subordination of women. However, there are really two versions of creation in the Bible; in Genesis 1:27-29 "male and female created he them," and in Genesis 2:18-25 "woman made from Adam's rib." Through linguistic analysis scholars maintain that the "rib creation" is about 450 years older than the creation in Genesis 1. Dates have been debated, but 850 b.c.e. and 400 b.c.e. are postulated for the two creation stories.i However, some of the fundamental churches in America have now concluded that the rib creation story is just a more detailed version of the other one.
