Cultural interferences in the translation of the Hebrew terms for the Canaanite Goddess "Asherahʺ in the Septuagint

English: In this study the cultural interferences that influenced the way in which the Septuagintal translators translated the Hebrew term (see PDF full text) referring to the goddess Asherah is examined. In the Septuagint the Hebrew term is translated with three different terms: (grovels); (tree) and (Astartels). In order to understand why the translators translated the Hebrew term in this way is necessary to examine the various cultural frames which may have influenced their translation choices. In order to do so narrative frame theory was applied which offered a mechanism whereby the possible cultural interferences that influenced the translation of the Septuagint could be described and explained within relative frames and compared to the contextual frames of the Hebrew source text. Before examining the contexts wherein the goddess functioned within the Hebrew Bible, it was first necessary to understand how the goddess Asherah was perceived in the broader frame of the ancient Near East. In order to do so the most relevant extra-Biblical textual, iconographic and archaeological data in Asherah studies is presented. The various extra- Biblical texts presented indicated that Asherah was a distinguished goddess, the consort of the chief deity of the Canaanite pantheon and mother to the minor deities. These textual data provides a "textual" frame wherein Asherah is understood as being more than a mere image, which is the case in the Septuagint. Even though the iconographic and archaeological data was inconclusive, it did provide a "visual" frame wherein goddesses were depicted in human form. Secondly a contextual examination of the Hebrew term (see PDF full text) referring to the goddess Asherah in the Hebrew Bible as well as its translation in the Septuagint is conducted. It showed that the Hebrew term referring to the goddess functioned only as a common noun (reducing the goddess to a mere image) in the Hebrew Bible and was also translated as such in the Septuagint, except for two instances where the latter translates with "Astartels". The contexts wherein the Hebrew term functioned within the Hebrew Bible did not in all instances lend favour to the Septuagint's renderings thereof. The only evidence in the Hebrew Bible indicating that the image may have been a tree of some sort (supporting the Septuagint's translation) is the verses referring to it being cut down/felled, burnt, planted and pulled out. Thirdly in order to understand the Septuagint's translation of the Hebrew term the sociocultural frames wherein the Septuagint originated was examined. The Septuagint originated in Alexandria and Palestine, both greatly influenced by Hellenistic culture during the centuries wherein the translation process was conducted. The translators of the Septuagint functioned as agents of cultural mediation between the context wherein the Hebrew Bible originated and the context wherein they lived, but because of this great cultural divide it is questionable whether they were still familiar not only with the goddess Asherah, but also with the other deities referred to in the Hebrew Bible. Lastly the way in which deities in general were translated by the Septuagintal translators are examined. When considering the inconsistent and confusing way in which deities are rendered in the Septuagint it is clear that cross-cultural recognition of deities are not resent in the Septuagint. This lack in cross-cultural knowledge of deities' questions the validity of the Septuagint's rendering of the Hebrew term (see PDF full text) referring to the goddess Asherah. In conclusion it is suggested that the socio-cultural frame wherein the Septuagint originated as well as the lack of cross-cultural knowledge of deities influenced the manner in which the Septuagintal translators translated the Hebrew term (see PDF full text) referring to the goddess Asherah.