Throughout the history of Judaism, many different approaches have been taken in understanding God’s body. While some have simply avoided the question, others have made serious efforts to prevent, and destroy, images of an embodied God. Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, a Jewish theologian and author of God’s Phallus, has theorized why and how Jewish men specifically attempt to conceal an embodied male God, claiming Feminist theologians have already studied the effects a male God has on women. But how does the choice of Jewish men to hide the male divine body affect the Jewish female body? The Hebrew Bible does not offer the same protection of the female body as it does for the male body. Mary Shields, a feminist theologian and author of the article …show more content…
The fact that this story, warning the Jewish people against honoring other God’s or other states, can be represented by describing a sexually deviant woman’s body so explicitly is noteworthy. As far as Yahweh concerned, Israel is only her body. In Ezekiel 16, the Jewish people worshipping other Gods are represented through Israel “receiv[ing] strangers” (Ezekiel 16, v. 32). This reduction of Israel to a vagina is shocking in the body of a text that has painfully avoided alluding to male genitalia. Eilberg-Schwartz agrees, noting that “explicit metaphors of female anatomy” are much more readily used than that of men (115). One example of a fear of using male anatomy, even in metaphor, elsewhere in scripture occurs when Ezekiel is confronted with a naked male God and describes God’s figure from the amber above God’s genitalia to the fire below. The female body does not receive the same gentle, censored treatment. In Ezekiel 16, there are descriptions Israel’s growing breasts, all three types of her blood, and a very physical, sexually violent …show more content…
Though Israel, as a woman, cannot posses the male gaze, she is gazing onto other men in a way that is explicitly sexual. She is also giving men gifts that typically signify a passive body belonging to dominant one. In short, Israel is threatening Jewish understanding of gender and power dynamics. She is controlling both her body, and attempting to control the body of men. Yahweh’s punishment is for all of Israel’s lovers to rape her, teaching Israelites that they must be faithful to one God, as a woman must be faithful to one man. And as a woman must be faithful to one man’s control of her body. If women reveal their bodies on their own terms, and seek to reveal male bodies (and male sexual deviance) with them, they, and their bodies, will be punished. Without Israel’s deviance, without her attempt to use her body in a way that claimed male bodies and exposed their nakedness, she would not have been subjugated to Yahweh’s control and the violation of her body. Again, it is her fault that a man must control her
One of Sultana Yusufali’s strongest arguments in “My body is my own business” is her scrutinization of the exploitation of female sexuality. Initially Yusufali writes about the injudicious individuals that assume she is oppressed by her hijab. Thereafter, she describes them as “brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress”. Moreover, Yusufali’s word choice is intriguing as she utilizes the word “brave” when laymen hear this word they habitually associate the aforementioned with heroic, valiant and courageous. Consequently, Yusufali ensues to comprise her opinions on the hijab and how it carries a number of negative connotations in western society. Furthermore, Yusufali proceeds to strike on the importance
The juxtaposition of language when describing males and females compares the females’ resentment to the males’ privilege. In both poems, the men are unapologetically self-confident; Adam has “turned himself into God”, his actions and decisions are faultless and are often described as justified by strong and un-ambiguous phrases such as “he had to”, “he must” and “he refuses to.” This language harshly contrasts Eve’s uncertain phrases such as “I would suggest,” “I observed” and “Perhaps”. Similar is the contrast between language used by the female persona and her husband in ‘BS’. The speaker’s rampant and vivid fantasies are hidden “inside her smile”, “invisible inside their placid hostess” and “in her warm thighs”. Her thoughts and desires are hidden from society, behind facades and niceties. Juxtaposing this repression and silence is her husband who ‘calls [her]’ to satisfy his sexual desires without any qualms as to what she may want, and who is described as ‘rich in peace’. The two poets’ utilization of submissive language in describing the female gender mirrors the powerful, assertive words in describing their male counterparts. By placing the male gender on a higher grounding, this represents the way in which the patriarchal society has favoured this gender over the disempowered female,
“It is only right that the filth of her sinful delight/ be purged by the bitter severity of her plight” (Hrotsvit of Gandersheim 135). In this one sentence, the play of Abraham can be summed up perfectly. A young woman, Mary, pledges herself to the Lord and guidance of Abraham and Effrem, defies all three by committing a sin and loses her virginity. Due to the detour from her required path, Mary becomes a lost soul, a woman who will be damned for eternity for falling into the devil’s web of temptation. Since she left the protection of Abraham and Effrem, she faces unfavorable consequences. The only way in which her soul is redeemed is by Abraham’s effort to rescue her from herself because Mary is now damaged. In Katharina M. Wilson’s translation of Hrotsvit of Gandersheim’s Abraham, middle diction, internal rhyme, and allegory are used to demonstrate how, without the
The first time that the male of the genre talks about his lover he describes her physical attributes. The most obvious is the description of her breast in which he says, "Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins"(7:3). When you here this statement one can only think that he is referring to her large perky (since she says young) perfectly round breast. When he talks about his lovers thighs, he not only praises them, he describes what the very most upper part of his lovers thighs look like: "the joints of thy thighs are like jewels"(7:1). One can only ask the question of how would this person know about someone's most upper part of their thigh, the part that is right next to the genitalia? This leaves much to the imagination. He also talks about her navel saying, "thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor"(7:2). When trying to interpret this quote, one must first keep in mind the fact that this is taking place during biblical times. During these times it was not proper for people to see, what was then looked at as X-rated parts of one another. Of course the exception to this rule would be if two people were married (or having an affair). So one can ask the question of how would this person know about the size and shape of another person's navel, which is hidden underneath everyday clothes? It seems not only does he know about its size and shape but also how it tastes. Again, the imagination of the reader is allowed to search the options.
Throughout the Handmaid’s Tale, we come across a plethora of biblical references; also many aspects of the stories’ plot are based on biblical passages. The story is based in the republic of Gilead, a futuristic and dystopian America. This futuristic government isn’t based on loving peaceful messages from scripture; rather, it takes snippets from the violent passages and adopts them to suit their choke-hold of society. We first take notice of this oppressive government in the first few pages of the book when we read “Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrolled; they had electric cattle-prods slung on thongs from electric belts.” ( 4) These “Aunts” are older women, who wear habits, whose man function is to brain wash and rule over the “handmaids”. Often referencing from the Old Testament, they encourage a very bleak outlook at life outside of government rule. To meet this end, they often times force the handmaids to view pornos and gratuitous violent acts. The main character in the story is a handmaid named Offred (of Fred), who’s purpose in life, imposed on by the government, is to bear children.
Trible has three main focuses in her article that include, “the inferiority, subordination and abuse of women in ancient Israel”, “the counter literature that is itself a critique of patriarchy”, and “the stories of terror about woman” (Trible). Each one sums a different oppression that women in the Bible faced. These ideas suggest that the overall purpose of her article is to identify that while women were viewed as a “helper” to men, God viewed them as much more (Trible).
There is evidence that women enjoyed much recognition since they, unlike men, were able to give birth. Many primary gods were female during that time, where procreation was thought to be entirely part of women’s nature without any men intervention, women enjoyed a good deal of independence and respect. Female figurines symbolized fertilit...
There are many, different oppressions throughout human society that are intricately woven together and interconnected. Many of these oppressions are formed within a patriarchal, Christian theology and involve the body: the body of Earth, the bodies of women, the body of animals. Sallie McFague sets up a model of bodies to help break these connected oppressions. McFague’s work emphasizes that the body and its oppressions are what connects Christian theology, feminism, and ecology. Her model focuses on the metaphorical idea that the body of the earth is the body of God (McFague, 1993).
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
Found in second Samuel is a story about rape and incest within the family of King David. The story is commonly titled “The Rape of Tamar,” but the story is not just about her sexual assault. No, the story is not simply about rape and incest; when read with a feminist lens, the story is a complex intertwining of power dynamics within a patriarchal society, a passive reactions by those with authority, and a deity who remains silent throughout the entire narrative.
It is especially directed towards the Handmaids. Throughout the novel, Atwood quotes parts of the Bible to explain key points of a Handmaid’s purpose. Religious language is present on ceremony nights “God to Adam, God to Noah…Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth…Give me children, or else I die. Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? Behold my maid Bilhah. She shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.”(Atwood 88). Atwood uses religious language to capture the essence of human reproduction placed upon Handmaids. The purpose of a Handmaid, is solely for her reproductive capabilities, leaving her extremities vulnerable to torture. The term ceremony night, is used to indicate when a Handmaid is her most fertile. Handmaid’s are forced against their will to carry out the task of repopulating Gilead. As a result, Handmaids will themselves to be raped by their commander while lying between the legs of his wife “My arms are raised; she holds my hands, each of mine in each of hers. This is supposed to signify that we are one flesh, one being.”(Atwood 94). The act alone is torture. Offred uses her imagination to pull herself away from the act while the commander does his duty “…I lie still and picture the unseen canopy over my head. I remember Queen Victoria’s advice to her daughter: Close your eyes and think of England.”(Atwood 94). The act creates a distortion among Handmaids: if they do not comply, to the word of God, and bear a child for their commander, they will be punished by further torture, or even death. And, if Handmaids do submit, the result would be the birth of a child conceived by rape. Atwood leaves a new perspective on religious language, she creates fear by carefully twisting the definition of Bible
In Addition, archaeology is critical for the history and learning of old Near Eastern writing and dialects to comprehend the Bible authors ' expectations and the importance of their endeavors to influence. This level shows how the disgrace and exposure are deciphered from the biblical passage, from its unique dialect, into English. For instance, there is a part that would merit attention in the term of nakedness written in the Collegeville Bible Commentary, which is, "The man and woman are naked and yet feel no shame is more than a mere observation of their being undressed" (p: 43). The term “Nakedness” in Genesis 2: 25, refers to the intact relationship between the man, the woman, and God in a symbolic way; thus, it cannot be or cause shame. However, later in Genesis 3: 7, the nakedness becomes as an embarrassment due to the disobedience of Eve and Adam. The serpent is characterized as being "cunning", (arum) in Hebrew." Cunning forms a wordplay with the word "naked" (‘arummim) in Hebrew. "This wordplay underscores the fact that man and woman become aware of their nakedness because of the cunning of the serpent" (Collegeville Bible Commentary, on Genesis, p:
The Hebrew Bible offers a complicated engagement with the intense topic of sexual assault. The account of Lot’s rape by his daughters in Genesis 19 depicts how the Bible seems to not completely reject sexual violence, considering the daughters do not receive a punishment. The text instead seemingly awards the daughters with offspring for this action, which suggests a justification of this behavior in certain situations. Genesis 34’s account of the rape of Dinah, on the other hand, condemns sexual assault through the harsh punishment Shechem receives. However, given the two differing accounts of sexual assault, the similarity in the texts’ use of the rapes as narrative devices further problematizes the stories because it diminishes the seriousness
“The wisdom of God” is Jesus, and is personified as feminine in Proverbs chapter 8. Chapter 3 of this study demonstrated that, Biblically, women reflect God’s image equally to men. This would be impossible were God merely a male deity. God’s ways are beyond the ways of a man. God’s ways are beyond the ways of a woman.
With the headwear, a jihad, that women wear to the unfair equality between men and women. The unfair rights’ that extend to the religious roles within the society. “Because women’s education was limited, women generally were ignorant of the Qur’anic teachings that might have mitigated against the restrictions placed on them. ”11 It is implied that women were not taught about the Qur-an.