Phyllis Trible Summary

By acknowledging the Christian ideals that have traditionally been used to firmly oppress women, Fuller is able to undermine those ideals and establish her argument on a challenging, but respectful ground. She boldly asserts that “not one man…in the hundred million, can rise above the view that woman was made for man,” referring to Genesis, in which Adam was given

Towards the end of ‘On the Equality of the Sexes’, Murray specifically invokes the story of Adam and Eve, a story used for centuries to depict women as the sinners, to turn the argument against itself and argue that Adam, or the men, are the real sinners in the Bible, as Adam knowingly breaks the rules while Eve was innocently deceived by the serpent. “Adam could not plead the same deception,” says Murray, “nor ought we to admire his superiour strength, or wonder at his sagacity”, implying that people overestimate the skills of men while dismissing the intellect of women as commonplace. The bigger takeaway from Murray’s invocation of Adam and Eve is that it shows the audience that she is trying to make her argument more relatable by putting gender equality in the framework of the Bible, a piece of work that was not only a religious text, but a way of life for most people in Murray’s time. By analyzing the Bible through a feminist lens and swapping the roles of Adam and Eve, Murray saved women’s reputation as the repenting sinners, but in mentioning the Bible to justify her point, Murray ultimately retreats back to the practice of relying on others’ words to make her ideas worthy of public consumption.

to scatter your enemy, to drive him before you,to see his cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love him shrouded in tears,and to gather into your bosom his wives and daughters." Genghis Khan, much like the Hebrew Bible during certain points, regards women as objects. However, to write the Hebrew Bible off as fully misogynistic would not do the ancient texts justice. From Genesis to Judges 2, the Hebrew Bible objectifies women, uses them as scapegoats, but during certain points rises them to the level of highly admired Prophets and warriors. This essay attempts to explore the various undertones of femininity depicted throughout the Hebrew Bible.

In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Genesis and the Greek play Medea, by Euripides, contain female characters that can be seen as complex and have significance and meaning in the text. There are many interpretations involving the female characters, some characters may be portrayed as weak and irrational or strong-willed and wise. I will argue that, women are portrayed in the Hebrew Bible and Medea as irrational and senseless, in order for the men to be portrayed as superior and for women to be seen as inferior. This idea of the female characters being irrational and senseless can be seen in Genesis 4, Genesis 18, Genesis 29, and throughout the Medea play.

With few exceptions, our male dominated society has traditionally feared, repressed, and stymied the growth of women. As exemplified in history, man has always enjoyed a superior position. According to Genesis in the Old Testament, the fact that man was created first has led to the perception that man should rule. However, since woman was created from man’s rib, there is a strong argument that woman was meant to work along side with man as an equal partner. As James Weldon Johnson’s poem, “Behold de Rib,” clearly illustrates, if God had intended for woman to be dominated, then she would have been created from a bone in the foot, but “he

However, though Stott acknowledges the reality of female oppression he also argues that our response to the abuse to complementarianism is not too go to the other extreme but to rather determine what a faithful and biblical understanding of complementarianism is. Stott argues that Christianity from the days of the Old Testament has challenged the cultural view of women in which it has existed. With books like Esther and Ruth and heroes of Israel being women and men, the old testament unashamedly saw the equality of women. We also see the affirmation of women in Jesus ministry on earth and in Galatians 3:24 which speaks boldly to the equality of both male and female.

Since the dawn of the Patriarchy there has been a very apparent attack on women and what it means to be a woman (Daly 44-45). This popular theory of misogyny in the Western world first surfaced in 1973 when radical feminist Mary Daly published “Beyond God and the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation (Daly 44-45).” Within the pages of Daly’s book lies controversial attacks of biblical text, more specifically the story of Adam of Eve alongside a call for action for women and men to undo the brainwashing that years of conditioning has caused them (Daly 44-45).

In my opinion, one of the author’s strongest points come from her treatment of Genesis 1-2. She convincingly presents an argument for equality and “sameness” regarding male/female roles in the creation account (26). For example, Belleville notes that both the man and the woman were given the commission to be fruitful and multiple, as well as have dominion over the earth (26), thus they are given equal standing/position from God at the beginning. Additionally, Belleville presents the idea that if there was any submission taking place in the creation account, it was both man and woman submitting to the commission of their creator, God (30). This point proves strong I believe,

2:20). Eve is thus created to be Adam’s ‘helper’, but as David Clines points out, she does not help him in the two tasks he has been assigned: to till the garden and name the animals (1990:33). Rather, she fulfils the role in continuing the human race that God has created. This can be seen further with the naming of Eve, which means ‘life’, with Clines describing this as how a woman’s function is denoted in the Bible (1990:40). I agree with Clines in this respect as by using language such as ‘helper’, it is suggested that Eve was not created independently of Adam but to help him as the more dominant figure. It is understandable how this text would not sit well with feminist scholars as it belittles women’s role in society in being secondary to man and only valuable for procreation, highlighted by Eve’s name. This has implications for women today who cannot have children because if they accept this interpretation that women were made to procreate then they may feel a lack of purpose in life. This could create issues for feminist scholars who are Christian or Jewish as they may question why they would adhere to a religion that does not promote a positive picture of every woman and could make some women feel worthless.

Foh utilizes ontological equality and subordination to determine the coequal status of women. With specific relevance to the eyes of God, the hierarchical structure of gender roles is clearly delineated. For example, ontological equality is described as demonstrating that men and women were created equally in the image of god. However, functional subordination is the characteristic value that women should be subservient to men in social roles. (Professor Guynn, lecture 16) In her description of Genesis 1, She describes that Adam and Eve are equal beings as they were formed at the same time. Dislike the interpretation of gender hierarchy, Susan logically transits the inequality to her meaning of equality. She reclaims that women and men share the equal image of God. Both women and men play the same role in human society and culture. In this respect they are equal in God’s image and eyes. On the other hands, Functional subordination arises in terms of the dependence that Eve has on Adam having come from his body. This leads to their separate roles where Eve may follow Adam’s leadership. She emphasizes on God creates Eve as a helper. The only difference are their functions, not gender. Since men and women are regarded as husbands and wives. Men should show his function on being responsible for his wives, while women are dependent on their husband. She culminates her discussion with the idea that a hierarchical free system cannot be comprehended and therefore, some

Christianity has been seen as a church that professes the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Just with this introduction, feminist individuals would have already have some opposition with the terms used and attributed to God. In this paper I will explore on several aspects that the feminist movement provides to Christianity. First, I will illustrate on what is feminist Christology. Then I will present passages from Sacred Scripture, both in Old and New Testament. Then I will go further on and reflect on the Ecclesial aspect and the service god has provided to creation. Last, I will conclude by acknowledging all aspects exposed, yet analyzing the fact that God would be limited if he had a

I purchased this book or this assignment with preconceived notions that this book was written by a feminist so the view of the women would be biased. I also believed that the book would only discuss the women in the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament because the author was Jewish. I was clearly surprised to find my ignorance had proved me wrong. This book analyzes women’s roles in Biblical history on a collegiate and academic level by a professor who cared deeply enough to research minute details of these characters. Tikva addresses one of my thoughts within the acknowledgements page when she said, “My feminist sensibilities

The true significance of these events may lie in one of God’s secrets; nonetheless, we do know that woman was the only part of His creation that was made from a finished product. Everything else, including man, was created from raw material; therefore, woman was not only the final portion of God’s creation, she has the potential

The three categories of analysis that figure prominently in womanist biblical hermeneutics are race, gender, and class. Canon, Douglas, Shanell Smith, Martin, and Williams all emphasize race, gender, and class as interlocking and intersecting oppressive forces. Weems presupposes all structures of domination as related and dependent upon other institutionalized forms of domination. Shanell Smith expands these categories by offering a critique against linguistics, metaphors, symbolism, places, language, and empire. Furthermore, Shanell Smith and Masenya analyze the role of colonialism in Black women’s oppression and marginalization. Important to note, Masenya prefers the term kyriarchy, a term she borrows from white feminist Elizabeth Schüssler

The Bible is controversial on the matter of gender equality. There are numerous contradictions about the status of women in Christian society. Historically, the most prominent interpretation has been rather negative toward women. The Christian Church, with principally male authority, emphasizes the idea that women are inferior to man. They focus on Eve’s sin leading to a punishment that “her husband will have authority over her.” (Drury, 34)