Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies

¶ … Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies

The thesis of Phyllis Trible's article, "Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies" is that feminist viewpoints can sufficiently challenge the typical patriarchal views of the Bible and its depictions of women. By examining a number of stories that exist in the "Hebrew Scriptures" that pertain to women, and by frequently examining the translation of some key Hebrew terms, the author proves that women are not the passive, submissive creatures that most popular interpretations of the Bible hold them to be. Her point in challenging the male-dominated version as the Bible as the supreme source that bolsters male superiority and female inferiority is to demonstrate that women played important roles in the Bible, and continue to do so today from a feminist perspective.

In order to better understand some of the author's key points that she makes in supporting her thesis, it is necessary to discuss the structure of this article. The article is essentially divided into three different segments in which the author explains and provides examples of three different feminist lenses for interpreting the value of women in the Bible. The first approach is aligned with most popular interpretations of the role of women in the Bible. Specifically, it considers the fact that women were regarded lowly in many of the Bible's books, were little more than property, and had virtually no say about anything other than fulfilling the desires of a various assortment of men from their husbands to their fathers. The second feminist lens acknowledges the realities of the first, yet unveils a number of subtleties, alternate translations and key passages that underscores the importance of women and the female perspective within this work of literature. The final feminist lens is focused on retelling stories in which women were terrorized, and finding points of sympathy and empathy for the female characters.

In examining the way each of these lenses interprets different aspects of the Bible, the author uncovers some very significant facts about the ways that women were treated during the Biblical times. What is interesting about this fact is that men had a legal recourse to do so, as "defined as the property of men (Exod. 20: 17, Deut. 5:21) women did not control their own bodies" (Trible). Still, even in light of this evidence, it was certainly unnerving to read some of the horrid things that women were subjected to -- largely because they were women. Rape, mutilation, dismemberment, and a host of other atrocities were endured by women which almost makes their murders seem beneficent (because it at least ended their suffering). Moreover, there was absolutely nothing that women could do in the face of such insidious treatment. Socially, they were not permitted to contest anything, while legally they inevitably belonged to someone other than themselves.

Whereas the aforementioned point about the myriad travesties that women routinely endured during the Biblical days was used to buttress the initial viewpoint that women were inferior to men, the author makes some equal demonstrative -- if not even more powerful -- points about the nature of woman and femininity while examining the second feminist lens. Trible provides evidence that God is female -- if not literally, then certainly metaphorically. She primarily does so by referencing passages in which the reproductive power of women is akin to God's power of creation. As enlightening as this point is, it is perhaps even more so to realize that there was a considerable amount of effort undertaken to hide this fact. The author discusses how a certain passage in the Bible which may be interpreted as God gave humanity birth as covered up by "the totally incorrect translation in the Jerusalem Bible, "You forgot the God that fathered you")" (Trible). In denoting these points of translation, the author underscores how important it was for men to perpetuate patriarchy through the use of scriptures.

Perhaps the most convincing piece of evidence that Trible offers to support her thesis is the fact that there were women who made invaluable contributions to the very foundations of Christianity. She provides very detailed information about how a number of women were responsible for not only keeping Moses alive when Pharaoh ordered all infant Israelites to be murdered, but for ultimately hiding him and allowing him to reach the age when he could answer God's calling. The author also gives an alternate perspective of Eve in the garden of Eden in which she is far from a temptress or a hindrance to Adam, and instead is regarded as, "the spokesperson for the human couple -- hardly the pattern of a patriarchal culture. She discusses theology intelligently, stating the case for obedience even more strongly did God" (Trible).