The Hebrew Goddess
Raphael Patai
Foreword by William G. Dever
369 Pages, ISBN 978 0 8143 2271 0
Published by Eayne State University Press 1967
Third Enlarged Edition 1990
"This brilliant essay on goddess worship in Judaism
written by an anthropologist represents a major contribution
to comparative religion."
- James Preston, Encyclopedia of Religion
"Patai's discussion of the individual metaphors and
representations of femininity is based on a thorough
knowledge of the primary sources."
- Dan Ben-Amos, Journal of American Folklore
"Carefully researched, well-written, and well-illustrated,
the book is an interesting and invaluable contribution
to Judaic studies."
- Martin Cohen, Library Journal
The Hebrew Goddess demonstrates that the Jewish
religion, far from being pure monotheism, contained
from earliest times strong polytheistic elements, chief
of which was the cult of the mother goddess. Lucidly
written and richly illustrated, this third edition contains
new chapters of the Shekhina.
Raphael Patai is an internationally known anthropologist,
Orientalist, and biblical scholar. He has written over
six hundred articles and thrity-five books, including
On Jewish Folklore, The Myth of the Jewish Race
and The Messiah Texts.
(The text above comes from the back of the book)
