Patriarchs, Prophets And Other Villains

by Isherwood; Lisa

• ISBN13: 9781845531300
• ISBN10: 1845531302
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-08-08
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Patriarchs, Prophets and Other Villains takes as a starting point the hermeneutics of suspicion, throws in queer theory and blazes like a meteor; it throws light into corners and exposes the edges of discourses long perceived to be closed and tightly bounded. The book illustrates the way in which texts and interpretations have been manipulated for the purpose of power and control and through radical and playful counter readings it boldly challenges both the power and the control. The articles consider ways in which the female divine has been pushed back due to relentless male interpretation and misrepresentation yet how a thread that can be woven into a tapestry of rebellion remains. Carol Christ reminds us how even liberation theology has not been blameless in the eradication of the female divine. When the authors turn their attention to great figures of the bible the results are explosive. Ken Stone taking a queer glance at the sadomasochistic relationship between God and Jeremiah and Marcella Althaus-Reid inviting us to look at the postcolonial Rahab using cruising as a hermeneutical technique. Other counter readings open up the possibility of sexual hospitality as one important part of hospitality within the Hebrew Scriptures and the Song of Songs as a challenge to heteropatriarchy. This book was conceived as a useful resource for students who need to read different perspectives and as a challenge to those who wish to use narrow readings as a power base for hierarchies of exclusion.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Asherah, the Tree of Life and the Menorah: Continuity of a Goddess Symbol in Judaism?	p. 1
The Road Not Taken: The Rejection of Goddesses in Judaism and Christianity	p. 22
'Dealing with a Jealous God': Letting go of Monotheism and 'Doing' Sacrality	p. 37
The 'Torafaction' of Wisdom in Ben Sira	p. 50
Sarah: Villain or Patriarchal Pawn?	p. 69
Huldah's Scroll: A Pagan Reading	p. 85
'You Seduced Me, You Overpowered Me, and You Prevailed': Religious Experience and Homoerotic Sadomasochism in Jeremiah	p. 101
The Monstrosity of David	p. 110
Searching for a Queer Sophia-Wisdom: The Post-Colonial Rahab	p. 128
Taste and See; A Midrash on Genesis 3:6 and 3:12	p. 141
'Eat, Friends, Drink. Be Drunk With Love' [Song of Songs 5:2]. A Reflection	p. 149
Sexual Hospitality in the Hebrew Bible: Patriarchal Lineage or Matriarchal Rebellion?	p. 157
Culture Clash in Sodom: Patriarchal Tales of Heroes, Villains and Manipulation	p. 183
Bibliography	p. 208
Index of Biblical References	p. 215
Index of Authors	p. 223
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