In class we talked about women in the bible.. here are some things we discussed!
Women: we get confused about what we mean. Confusion of categories. Refers to social persons who are designated by a culture as women.
Feminine: as term for a symbolic or metaphorical women
Female: biological category. X chromosomes, wombs, and mammary glands.
Example Genesis 2-3 Eve, which means mother of all living. The woman is a symbolic character. Metaphor of femininity. No biological treatis. Its not about women or men, but rather ideas about masculinity, and femininity. Focusing on monotheism in story. This god is phallic god. What happens to feminine?
a birth story, is called a couvade, or mans envy of childbirth. What is feminine becomes more and more complex, and difficult to locate. In patriarchy, ruled by fathers, most women and most men are women. Privilege masculinity to some men, all else are women or women roles. Eve who is mother of all living, has title of goddess. Social designation, man has dominion over women. Women have childbearing and men work. If women created sin, they technically have all power in world, so creates problem in story.
How to worship and treat one another. In Deuteronomy. Ch 25 verse 11. If women reaches out to defile a man in defense of her man, they cut off her hand. Gender is not about who is man and woman, its about who is playing role of masculine and feminine. In this case its always patriarchal, and how woman reaches out to disturb this. Sanctity of patriarch.
Levite in judges 19: there is a man, and he has a concubine, or kind of wife. Don’t get along, she is angry and goes back to her fathers house. He goes to get her back and her dad and him drink and eat and talk for 3 days. On 4th day they got up an he prepared to go, but dad told him to stay and eat, and kept him there. On 5th day repeats, and he lingered. When man with concubine with servant went to leave, the dad did same thing, but Levite says no he must go, so they kept traveling into the night and stopped to sleep. Rules of hospitality, waited for someone to take them in. old man took them in and took care of all their wants. Fed donkeys, ate, washed feet. While enjoying themselves, men of the city surrounded the house, pounding on the door demanding to ‘know’ him (sexually). Master of house said no my brothers don’t act wickedly, do not do this vile thing to him. He said take my virgin daughter and his concubine, and ravage them but do not do vile things to the man. Woman are property, but they are enhanced property with interests and rights. Men not listened to him, so Levite seizes concubine and throws her out of house, and she was raped and beaten until morning, then they let her go. Woman came and fell at house, Levite got up and told her to get up and get going, she didn’t answer so he put her on donkey. When home he cut her body (she died in the night) into twelve pieces and sent her body throughout Israel. Wrong done to Levite not his wife. How do exchange token (women) become symbolic? Laws between men is more important than women and daughters. Concubine becomes metaphorical being, her body becomes text when its cut up into parts. Becomes words, vows, stories. Testies becomes words of promises.
Prophets: among writing prophets, Amos and Hosea in 8th century BCE. 586BCE fall of Israelites. Between these periods, task of prophets is to say, what does this mean? How come we aren’t rich and prosperous when David was king? Want social ease again? Its Israel’s fault they don’t have it, its so bad there and they are suffering. How have they been bad- not worshiping and treating each other badly. Amos says with gods talking through him, I hate and despise your feast days, women as cows. But, let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty string. (repetitive parallelism). God Yahweh wants you to worship by being good to one another. Social justice, it’s the way we worship god. Concerned about how to worship.
Hosea interested in cultic purity- how to worship and do it just right. Was one of the writing prophets. God says to him take wife or whoredom and have children of whoredom. He marries Gomer and has children. He is historical figure, but what is she? A women? Or metaphor of feminine? Answer is its not that easy to differentiate. Wife of whoredom cause Israel is playing harlot. Women promiscuous, gods worshiping other gods. This is stuff of symbol, how metaphorical language muddies up story between men and women. If we can make distinction, we wont be manipulated by gender language
Leviticus 19: verse 29- Do not profane daughter by making her a prostitute that the land not become prostituted and full of depravity. this means, conflation of women and land. Land is feminized in particular way, feminine blood. Wedding is property transfer ritual. Dowry paid. Father has right to sell daughter, and over her body and life.
Jeremiah: prophet. 40 year career. Yahweh speaks to him and wants him to act things out. Does performance art for Yahweh. Has some other things to say. Look at jeremiah 2 verse 33-34. He is speaking words of Yahweh to people Jerusalem, talking bout people as a she and looking at her skirts, and on them he finds life blood of the poor. So Israel is a promiscuous and unclean woman. Ch 13 verse 22- Yahweh is lifting up Israel’s skirts and violating her. Verse 26- I myself will lift up your skirts and you will be unclean.
Genesis: Jacob has two wives Leah and Rachael. Jacob leaves town and laben comes running after them 31st chap. He yells at them, made he couldn’t kiss daughters goodbye or grandchildren. He says did you take my teraphin (household gods). Jacob says no he didn’t. Rachael took the gods and out them in bags of camel. She says to her dad, “the way of women is upon me” j writer was saying household gods have power connected to Rachael and her blood, or associated of gods and fertility.
Judges chapters 4-5: Deborah is a judge. Barrack Wants to go to war, guy says I will not go to war unless you go with me. Women is like holy book. Three part poem. Next part no word of Deborah. Yael gets drunk and she puts him to sleep, then a tent peg is driven through his head. She is strattling him and putting it through his head. 3rd section of poem, mother of sicera looks out of windows, asks where her son will be, women says he will be home. Women as spoils of war. Powerful figure to euphemistic language. Oldest poem.
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