Qedesha

Qedesha

A qedesha (or qedsha), Hebrew spelling קדשה, is a temple or sacred prostitute, in several ancient Middle Eastern religions. They are particularly associated with the goddess Astarte. The male equivalent of a "qedesha" is a "qadesh".

ee also

* Hierodule


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • qedesha — One of a class of sacred prostitutes found throughout the ancient Middle East and associated especially with the worship of the fertility goddess Astarte. Prostitutes, who often played an important part in official temple worship, could be either …   Universalium

  • Ordination of women — Main article: Ordination Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated (set apart for the administration of various religious rites). The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious …   Wikipedia

  • Hierodule — In ancient Greece and Anatolia a hierodule, from the Greek polytonic|ἱεροδούλη (polytonic|ἱερόν temple + δούλη female slave ), was a temple slave in the service of a specific deity, often with the connotation of religious prostitution. Her… …   Wikipedia

  • Middle Eastern religion — Introduction       any of the religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices developed in the ancient Middle East (extending geographically from Iran to Egypt and from Anatolia and the Aegean Sea to the Arabian Peninsula and temporally from about… …   Universalium

  • Sacred prostitution — Sacred prostitution, temple prostitution, or religious prostitution is a practice of worship that includes hieros gamos or sacred marriage performed as a fertility rite and part of sacred sexual ritual. Contents 1 Ancient Near East 1.1… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”