Role of Women in the Bible
This is an excerpt from the paper...
The role of women in the bible is ambiguous. Women have a secondary position from the beginning. The creation stories in Genesis indicate that the human being was created by God and provides a specific description of this process. According to the biblical text, there are three elements involved in being in the image and likeness of God: 1) dominion over the rest of creation; 2) creation male and female; and 3) the command to be fruitful and multiply. One consequence of this is that our humanity is always something profoundly greater than we are as individuals, and this is highlighted by sexual differentiation. Yet man was created first and woman second, and this is the way the two are viewed generally in the bible. However, as Susan Niditch notes, some biblical women "are present as the heroines of their stories; the men around them are bumbling, cruel, foolish or all three." She notes as well that these women "are legally governed by their fathers before marriage and by their husbands after marriage" (Niditch 29). Niditch also notes that the stories in the bible do not necessarily reflect social reality (Niditch 25-26), but the stories are suggestive of attitudes toward men and women. Strong women do challenge the established order. At the same time, strong women are everywhere in the bible, from the matriarchs to the independent women of the exodus. Mothers protect their children, women seduce the enemy to protect their kingdom, matriarchs rule over nations and
. . .
t when he selects a Philistine woman and tells his parents, who ask why he cannot find a woman from their own group. When Delilah asks Samson what makes him so strong, he lies to her, but it is a lie that is easily shown to be false. Delilah tries several times to sap his strength as he tells her it can be done, and each time she learns that he has lied. She finds out his weakness by nagging at him and by demanding that he prove he loves her by telling her, which he finally does. His downfall is entirely his own fault.
Ruth seduces Boaz, who also appears as a man easily frightened and easily guided by this woman and by Naomi, in whose interests Ruth is acting. Ruth marries Boaz, and Boaz acquires Ruth and Naomi's property in the accepted manner.
These many stories show that while women are under the control of men, first fathers and then husbands, they exercise their own control over men because of their gender and the way men tend to let themselves be fooled by women. Men retain their superiority in spite of the way they can be manipulated by women, while women gain short-term advantage without changing their inferior social role to any great degree.
2. The idea that men are superior to women does not mean that women are
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sinai Moses, Susan Niditch, Ahasuerus Niditch, Ruth Naomi's, , Delilah Samson, God Childbirth, Lord Jael, Samson Judges, Naomi Abigail, niditch notes, role women, women bible, degree equality, women seduce, notes women, strong women, man's wife, tells barak, women degree,
Approximate Word count = 1399
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Role of Women in the Bible
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
