A Feminist Companion to Genesis

401 Pages·1998·19.559 MB·English

by  Athalya Brenner (ed)

a
{!
'Jeminist ompanion
to
Genesis
edited by Athalya Brenner
The Feminist Companion to the Bible
2
Editor
Athalya Brenner
Sheffield Academic Press
First published by Sheffield Academic Press 1993
Reprinted 1997
Copyright © 1993, 1997 Sheffield Academic Press
Published by
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
Mansion House
19 Kingfield Road
Sheffield Sl1 9AS
England
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
and
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain
by The Cromwell Press
Melksham, Wiltshire
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
ISBN 1-85075-420-9
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 9
Abbreviations 10
ATHALYA BRENNER
Introduction 13
Part I
'AT TIlE START': EMBLEMS OF GENDER
RELATIONS AND HUMAN EXISTENCE
LUISE SCHOTTROFF
The Creation Narrative: Genesis 1.1-2.4a 24
MARy PHIL KORSAK
Genesis: A New Look 39
HELEN SCHUNGEL-STRAUMANN
On the Creation of Man and Woman in Genesis 1-3:
The History and Reception of the Texts Reconsidered 53
LYN M. BECHTEL
Rethinking the Interpretation of Genesis 2.4b-3.24 77
CAROL L. MEYERS .
Gender Roles and Genesis 3.16 Revisited 118
ADRIEN JANIS BLEDSTEIN
Are Women Cursed in Genesis 3.161 142
6 A Feminist Companion to Genesis
PAMELA J. MILNE
The Patriarchal Stamp of Scripture:
The Implications of Structural Analyses
146
for Fe~t Hermeneutics
ILANA P ARDES
Beyond Genesis 3: The Politics of
Maternal Naming 173
PHILIP R. DAVIES
Women, Men, Gods, Sex and Power:
The Birth of a Biblical Myth 194
Part II
EMBLEMS OF MOTIiERHOOD
ATIiALYA BRENNER
Female Social Behaviour: Two Descriptive Patterns
within the 'Birth of the Hero' Paradigm 204
FOKKELIEN VAN DIJK-HEMMES
Sarai's Exile: A Gender-Motivated
Reading of Genesis 12.10-13.2 222
J.
SAVINA TEUBAL
Sarah and Hagar: Matriarchs and Visionaries 235
ARIETRoosT
Reading for the Author's Signature:
Genesis 21.1-21 and Luke 15.11-32 as Intertexts 251
ES1HER FuCHS
Structure, Ideology and Politics in the
Biblical Betrothal Type-Scene 273
ADRIEN JANIS BLEDSTEIN
Binder, Trickster, Heel and Hairy-Man:
Re-reading Genesis 27 as a Trickster Tale
Told by a Woman 282
Contents 7
EUZABE'IH CADY STANTON
Comments on Genesis: Genesis 29 296
CLARA BEWICK COLBY
Mrs Stanton's Statements ..• 298
PIETER W. VAN DER HORST
Tamar in Pseudo-Philo's Bibliad History 300
partm
EMBLEMS OF SEXUAL ILUClTNESS
NAOMI GRAETZ
Dinah the Daughter 306
AuCEBAOI
Breaking Free of the Biblical Frame-Up.:
Uncovering the Woman in Genesis 39 318
MIEKEBAL
Myth ala lettre: Freud, Mann, Genesis and
Rembrandt, and the Story of the Son 343
Bibliography 379
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The publishers ... grateful to the following for permission to reproduce
copyright material: Chr. Kaiser Verlag for 'The Creation Narrative:
Genesis 1.1-2.49' by Luise Schottroff from W. Schottroff and
L. Schottroff, Die Macht der Auferstehung Sozialgeschichtliche
Bibtlauslegungen; Vedag Herder for 'On the Creation of Man and
Woman in Genesis 1-3: The History and Reception of the Texts
Reconsidered' by Helen Schiingel-Straumann from T. Schneider (ed.),
Mann und Frau: Grundproblem thtologischu Anthropologie; Scholars
Press and the American Schools of Oriental Research for 'Gender Roles
and Genesis 3.16 Revisted' by Carol L. Meyers from The Word of the
Lord Shall Go Forth; Harvard University Divinity School for 'The
Patriarchal Stamp of Scripture: The Implications of Structuralist
Analyses for Feminist Hermeneutics' by Pamela J. Milne from Journal of
Feminist Studies in Religion 5/1; Harvard University Press for 'Beyond
Genesis 3: The Politics of Maternal Naming' by nana Pardes from
Countutraditions in the Bible; E.J. Brill for 'Female Social Behaviour:
Two Descriptive Patterns within the '"Birth of the Hero" Paradigm' by
Athalya Brenner from Vetus Testamentum 36/3; Ten Have for 'Sarai's
Exile: A Gender-Motivated Reading of Genesis 12.10-13.2' by Fokkelien
van Dijk-Hemmes from B. Becking and K.A.D. Smelik (eds.), Een
patriarclude leugen: Het f1erhaal in Gmesis 12 f1erschillend btlicht;
HarperCollins for 'Sarah and Hagar: Matriarchs and Visionaries' by
Savina J. Teubal from Hagar the Egyptilln: The Lost Traditions of the
Matriarchs; Polygon for 'Comments on Genesis 29' by Elizabeth Cady
Stanton and 'Mrs Stanton's Statements ... ' by Clara Bewick Colby from
Dale Spender (ed.), The Woman's Bible: The Original Feminist Attack
iNII the Bible; Methuen for 'Myth a III ltltre: Freud, Mann, Genesis and
Rembrandt, and the Story of the Son' by Mieke Bal from S. Rimmon
Kenan (ed.), Discourse in Psychoanalysis and Literature; Vintage Books
for the extract from Totem and Taboo by Sigmund Freud; Martin Secker
ok Warburg Ltd for the extract from Joseph and his Brothers by Thomas
Mann; the Teylers Museum, Haadem for Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by
Rembrandt.
ABBREVIATIONS
AB Anchor Bible
AJSL American Journal 0/ Semit~ Langwzges and
Liter"tures
BA Biblical Archaeologist
BASOR Bulletin of tM American Schools of Oriental
Research
IDII F. Brown, S.R. Driver and C.A. Briggs, Hebmo and
English Laicon of tM Old Testament
Bib Biblica
BJS Brown Judaic Studies
BKAT Biblischer Kommentar: Altes Testament
BSO(A)S Bulletin 0/ tM School of Oriental (and African)
Studies
BZ Biblische Zeitschrift
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
ETL EpMmerides theologicae 10f1lJnienses
GKC Gesenius' Hebrew Gnmrmar, eel. E. Kautzscb, trans.
A.E.Cowley
HAR Hebrtw Annual Rft1iew
HNT Handbuch l.UIII Neuen Testament
1EJ Israel Exploration Journal
1nt Interpretation
JAAR Journal of tM Americtm AClldemy of Religilm
JAOS Journal of tM Amtriam Oriental Society
JBL Journal of Biblical Utmlure
JFSR Journal 0/ Feminist Studies in Religilm
JNES Journal 0/ Ntllr Eastern Studies
JPSV Jewish Publication Society Version
JSHRZ Jiidische Schriften .\&1 hellenistisch-rOmischer Zeit
JSOT Journal for 1M Study of tM Old Testament
JSOlSup Journal jor tM Study of tM Old Testament,
Supplement Series
JSS Journal of Semitic Studies
NEB New English Bibl,
NTOA Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus
NTS Ntw Testament Studies
Abbref1iations 11
080 Orbis biblicus et orientalis
Or Orientali"
OTG Old Testament Guides
RSV Revised Standard Version
588 Stuttgarter biblische Beitrige
585 Stuttgarter 8ibelstudien
SJOT Samdi7Ulvian Journal of fhe Old Testament
SIT Scottish Journal of Theology
Slr-8 [H. Strack and] P.8illerbeck, Kommentllr zum Nellen
Test"ment ..... 1 Talmud und Midrasch
TD Theology Digest
TQ Theologische Quart,,'schrift
TRE Theologische Re,denzyklopildie
TTod Theology Today
USQR Union Semi7Ulry Quarterly RevinD
VT Vetus Testamentum
VTSup Vet", Testamentum, Supplements
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
ZAW Zeitschrift fUr die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft