Sariah was a wife and mother of prophets to the Lord. She displays obedience, surrenders to fear, and fortifies her testimony.
First, as I reflected upon Sariah (Lehi’s wife), I understood her to be obedient and faithful and did not give her much thought. Until I discovered that although no mention of her own personal witness of her husband’s vision, she obeyed him and honored her marriage covenant, (Fronk, 2000). She fled her lush lifestyle in Jerusalem with only “family and provisions and tents” (1 Nephi 2:4) to face the unknown. There is no sign of doubt in the scripture as she leaves their house, land, gold, and silver (1 Nephi 2:4).
Second, children in that day were the main focus of Israelite women (Fronk, 2000). Therefore, until
that part of her life was compromised she was obedient. There is a possibility that her four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, and Sam will not return from Jerusalem and she began to fear losing them (1 Nephi 3-5). From that seed of fear stems doubt and contention towards Lehi. Even mocking him calling him a “visionary man” as she “complains” (1 Nephi 5), with what appears to be a condescending tone. Thirdly, it wasn’t until her sons returned that she became “filled with joy” (1 Nephi 5:1). It wasn’t enough for her husband to testify to her that this was the Lords work. Lehi demonstrated grace and patience towards her as she murmured. Even then his testimony was not enough to comfort her. Her obedience and faith got her out of Jerusalem, but was it enough to continue the journey? I wondered if her sons had not returned, how then the story would have continued. In the end, her testimony was strengthened and she knew with “surety”( Nephi 5:8) that Lehi was obedient to the Lords command. In Conclusion, I’ve learned that as a mother and wife it is of upmost importance that my testimony is strengthened and not rely on that of my spouse. When the trials of faith involve our children will we stand firm? Or will we doubt? Will we heed the counsel of our husbands and trust that they are directed by the Lord? These are questions that we should reflect upon often.
In the novel, “Ishmael,” Daniel Quinn introduces two groups of people with an apparent connection with Mother Culture; the Takers and Leavers of the world. Quinn’s intended purpose of introducing these two very distinct groups of people in “Ishmael” is to show an outsider’s perspective on the world’s captivity, the creation myth, and the fate of the world- all of which are often given by Mother Culture. The Takers and Leavers appear to have very different belief systems and methods. The Takers, for example, have their organized religion to tell their stories, while Leavers have their spirituality to tell their stories.
Women had important roles in seventeenth century Eastern Europe; they were mothers, wives, and businesswomen. They cooked meals, cleaned houses, and educated children. In addition to the domestic roles women played in society, they also played roles in the trade and commerce. Gluckel of Hameln authored one of the earliest-known Jewish memoirs detailing the rise and fall of her own fortunes (Schachter.) She had great judgment for business transactions, and when she was widowed at age 54 she took over her husband’s business to ensure her children’s future. In her memoir, Gluckel describes her marriage as a business partnership, boasting that her husband would turn only to her for business advice. Jewish women of Eastern Europe were far more influential than the commonly believed. In addition to being housewives and having the daily responsibility of cleaning the house, they were also businesswomen and religious teachers. Gluckel of Hameln’s autobiography was a powerful story that showed the importance of hard work, religion, and family to the common Jew in a Christian dominated Germany.
Everyone has once been someone that they aren’t necessarily ashamed of, but something they aren’t anymore. When you’re in school, everyone is different; between the popular kids, the jocks, the cheerleader, the dorks, the Goths, and all the other “types” of people. In “Her Kind,” Anne Sexton shows that she has been a lot of different women, and she is not them now. In this paper we will be diving into the meanings behind the displaced “I,” the tone and reparation, and who Anne Sexton really is and how that affects what she is trying to let people see through this poem.
Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran caves, the lives of a now deceased society has been placed under the microscope. With the amount of work archaeologists and manuscript scholars have committed themselves to accomplish, more information on these Qumranites has been learned. Scholars have been able to determine that they were a Jewish sect, while also learning that they were a Jewish sect and obtaining their Biblical canon. The majority of scholars have associated the sect of Qumran with the Essenes due to their similarities. Though much was not found at the beginning of the excavations concerning women, it has become a matter in which many scholars are seeking more to know. Further archaeological findings have led to knowing more information about the Qumranite women.
Jezebel, an “evil” woman in the Hebrew Scriptures, is another representation of women’s bravery. When Jezebel arrived at Israel, she introduced her God Baal, whom she worships rather than Yahweh (SOURCES). Although worshipping Yahweh is what the majorities believes the righteous act, Jezebel did not submerge herself to this belief. Rather, she remained true to her religious beliefs. Her role is significant in representing a woman with loyalty and faithfulness. Evilness become associated with Jezebel when she “[was] killing off the prophets of the Lord.” However, her opponent, Elijah, also ordered his men to kill the supporters of Jezebel, but was not depicted as evil. Therefore, if murdering prophets was not depicted as evil for one, then Jezebel’s action was not to be considered evil.
Meyers, Carol. "The Genesis Paradigms for Female Roles, Part I: Genesis 2-3 and Part II: Genesis 3:16" in Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context. Oxford University Press, 1988, pp. 72-121.
In fact, three women; Shamhat, Ishtar, and Siduri, were able to create and maintain a civilized Mesopotamian society using the uniqueness of their body, mind, and spirit. In the Epic of Gilgamesh Shamat is the temple prostitute, she is not considered to be a main character in the epic, but she still delivers a powerful message in her short appearance (shmoop). A goddess in ancient Mesopotamia is considered a woman who is of the highest ranking and deserves the highest respect to be considered by men (Thompson). Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, has a small, destructive role in the epic.
Scholz, S. (2014). Feminist Scholarship on the Old Testament: Introduction. Available: http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393361/obo-9780195393361-0020.xml. Last accessed 19th March 2014.
8. Nawal El-Saadawi, "The Hidden Face of Eve, Women in the Arab World," translated and edited by Sherif Hettata, Zed Press, London, 1980, pg.33
... a merely a reflection of Hebrew society of the time (Stanton). Jesus Christ, being a reformer, should have improved the status of women with his message of love and acceptance. However, there is no denying that the stigma is carried with women into the present day. Women’s position in society can be greatly attributed to their depiction in religious text. Holy word is still a factor in making women more susceptible, more culpable, and more sinful an impure than men. Even as women move up in the social order, religion is timeless and ever bearing on the struggle women fight for sexual equality.
She shares how she was clearly shown that that God is triune, that Jesus is the only way to God, that the Bible is God’s true Word, and that God did, indeed, want to be her Father. She shares the heartbreak of being ignored and shunned by her family (the most important unit in Islamic society), but also the goodness of God in providing her with so much more spiritual family—brothers and sisters in Christ—than the natural family she lost. She tells how her relationships with her servants changed, and how she was led to give up her comfortable house, her lovely gardens, and her privacy and leisure time for the sake of
Recently, within the past few decades, the role of women in Judaism has dramatically improved. The rippling effect of the Women’s Rights Movement empowered Jewish women to push for widespread reform of Judaic law. Since Biblical times, women in general were held to an inferior level compared to men, and this was no different for Jewish women. However, big strides have been made within the past century to elevate the status of the Jewish woman in the public sphere as well in the privacy of their homes.
The role of women in religious scripture dictates an inferior position in society. Beginning with the creation of Adam and then Eve, as his helpmate. Her purpose was that Adam would not be lonely. This origin provides the ground work for inequality of genders on the basis of religious scripture. The roles prescribed determined that women should be in a subordinate position to man. The female role and relationship with God is defined by the various books of the Old and New Testaments, the reported actions of Jesus Christ, and finally the Qur'an.
...were women because men believed that women's natural role was to take care of children. There was still being paid lower salaries.
Women’s ability to get pregnant and give birth lead to the idea of virginity. In the ancient world, virginity for a woman became an ideal in many different societies. However, some societies such as ancient Israel, created stringent policies relating to women and virginity, whereas other societies like ancient Egypt, did not place a value on virginity. Virginity became important because it was a way for a woman’s family to show her husband that she had not been taken: “Virginity became proof that a girl had been “protected” from invasion, and the role of protector was increasingly assigned to her male family members and guardians” (Morris 45). A virgin daughter could bring wealth to her family or require a large dowry, which caused worry