The 1961 publication of The Hebrew Goddess

Record summary

Raphael Patai’s The Hebrew Goddess, first published in 1961 and later revised, traced feminine divine imagery through biblical, rabbinic, mystical and folkloric materials. It is a specific, readily verifiable lead for research into Asherah, Shekhinah, Lilith and related traditions. The work helped popularize a continuous-history approach, but its conclusions have been challenged by scholars who distinguish ancient Israelite religion from later Kabbalistic symbolism and folk belief. It should be read as an influential scholarly argument, not as proof of an uninterrupted goddess worship tradition.