The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
-Jeremiah 7:18
Answer: The title Queen of heaven is a common reverence given by the Catholics to Mary, the mother of Jesus. However, the title itself has its pagan origin back on the days of ancient Semitic civilization and was mentioned on several verses in the Bible.
The name was attributed to various goddesses which were worship by the neighboring nations of Israel and Judah. Eventually, the kingdom of Judah particularly in Jerusalem, assimilated the worship of queen of heaven and became the stumbling block of the nation to commit idolatry. The ritual worship for the queen of heaven requires burning of incense, pouring out of drink offerings and serving cakes (Jeremiah 44:17-19). Most of her devotees were women (Jeremiah 44:15, 19, 24), who probably seek favor for protection in childbearing, because she was revered as fertility goddess. Although, the people already worshiped the queen of heaven on its high places and on the streets of Jerusalem, but the greatest impact for embracing its occult practices ignited during the days when the Jews seek refuge in Egypt. Jeremiah the prophet, pleaded and exhorted the people to turn away from such worship, but they never heed to his warnings. Thus, God promised to smite his people by sword and famine (Jeremiah 44:27) leaving few remnants to return to Judah from Egypt. The prophecy which was later fulfilled by the conquest of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 B.C.) against Egypt.
The name of the queen of heaven varies in every nations of the Semitic world. She was identified as the goddess Ishtar of the Babylonians and Assyrians. The name Ishtar, according to some scholars, could have been the origin of the word "Easter". It was the name given to the Catholic and Orthodox celebrations for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Babylonian mythology, she was the Great Mother and goddess of fertility depicted as naked with prominent breast and carrying a child. With this portrayal of Ishtar, many believed that the "Mother and Child" pagan worship (e.g. Isis and Horus, Venus and Cupid, Aphrodite and Eros) originated from Babylon. The Madonna and Child themes depicted on paintings and sculptures during the Renaissance period, could have been examples of this cult's influence. In Canaan and Israel, Ishtar was called Ashtoreth or Ashtart, one of the gods and goddesses worshiped by Solomon (I Kings 11:5). Her counterparts are Hathor of Egypt, Athar of Arabia, Astar of Abyssinia (ancient Ethiopia), Aphrodite of Greece and Venus of Rome.
