Sex Working and the Bible

248 Pages·2009·6.21 MB·English

by  Avaren Ipsen

Preface i
Sex Working and the Bible
ii Sex Working and the Bible
BibleWorld
Series Editors: Philip R. Davies and James G. Crossley, University of Sheffield
BibleWorld shares the fruits of modern (and postmodern) biblical scholarship not only among
practitioners and students, but also with anyone interested in what academic study of the Bible means
in the twenty-first century. It explores our ever-increasing knowledge and understanding of the social
world that produced the biblical texts, but also analyses aspects of the Bible’s role in the history of our
civilization and the many perspectives – not just religious and theological, but also cultural, political
and aesthetic – which drive modern biblical scholarship.
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Diana Edelman The Ontology of Space in Biblical Hebrew
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John Rogerson
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Introduction to Approaches and Problems
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Ian Young and Robert Rezetko
History, Literature and Theology in the Book of
Chronicles Redrawing the Boundaries: The Date of Early
Christian Literature
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J.V.M. Sturdy
Edited by Jonathan Knight
Forthcoming:
Vive Memor Mortis From Babylon to Eternity: The Exile Remembered
Thomas Bolin and Constructed in Text and Tradition
The Bible Says So!: From Simple Answers to Bob Becking, Alex Cannegieter, Wilfred van der
Insightful Understanding Poll and Anne-Mareike Wetter
Edwin D. Freed Charismatic Killers: Reading the Hebrew Bible’s
Judaism, Jewish Identities and the Gospel Tradition Violent Rhetoric in Film
Edited by James G. Crossley Eric Christianson
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a Biblical Reader Philip R. Davies
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Preface iii
SEX WORKING AND THE BIBLE
Avaren Ipsen
iv Sex Working and the Bible
Published by
UK: Equinox Publishing Ltd., Unit 6, The Village, 101 Amies St., London SW11 2JW
USA: DBBC, 28 Main Street, Oakville, CT 06779
www.equinoxpub.com
First published 2009
© Avaren Ipsen 2009
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any
information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN-13 978 1 84553 332 8 (hardback)
978 1 84553 333 5 (paperback)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ipsen, Avaren.
Sex working and the Bible / Avaren Ipsen.
p. cm. — (Bibleworld)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-84553-332-8 (hb) — ISBN 978-1-84553-333-5 (pb)
1. Bible—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Prostitution—Biblical
teaching. I. Title.
BS511.3.I67 2007
220.8’30674—dc22
2007019637
Typeset by S.J.I. Services, New Delhi
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Lightning Source UK Ltd, Milton Keynes
Preface v
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations viii
Acknowledgements ix
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION 1
Chapter 2
METHODOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL ANALYSIS:
A PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR PROSTITUTES? 13
Gutierrez’ “Option for the Poor” 14
Pastoral da Mulher Marginalizada 17
The Prostitute Movement in Brazil 21
A Preferential Option for Prostitute Women? 27
Standpoint Theory 29
Sex Worker Standpoint of SWOP 33
Excursus on Decriminalization and Measure Q 43
Measure Q 48
Chapter 3
RAHAB’S DEAL 55
Scholar Standpoints 56
Sex Worker Standpoint on Rahab 73
Majority SWOP Reading 73
Minority Opinion of SWOP 78
“Those are not her people!” 81
vi Sex Working and the Bible
Analysis of Differences between Biblical Scholars and
SWOP Activists 84
SWOP Retelling the Story of Rahab, a Collage of Quotes 85
Chapter 4
SOLOMON AND THE TWO PROSTITUTES 89
Scholar Standpoints 90
Sex Worker Standpoint on Solomon and the Two Prostitutes 97
Majority SWOP Reading 98
Prostitute Mothers 99
Corrupt Courts 100
Solidarity with Both the Mothers 103
Minority SWOP Reading 108
A Bad Economy for Women 109
Analysis of Differences between Biblical Scholars and SWOP
Activists 115
SWOP Commentary of the Story of Solomon and the Two
Prostitutes 116
Chapter 5
ANOINTING WOMAN: “IN MEMORY OF HER”: THE PREQUEL 120
Scholar Standpoints 122
Sex Worker Standpoint on the Anointing Woman Traditions 141
Is Anointing Woman a Prostitute? Anointing as Sex Work 142
Anointing Woman as Sinner: Prostitution as Sin? 147
Is There a Goddess Hidden in the Account of Jesus’ Anointing? 152
Analysis of Differences between Biblical Scholars and SWOP
Activists 159
Exegetical Quotes on Anointing Woman 160
Chapter 6
THE WHORE BABYLON: VIOLENCE AGAINST PROSTITUTES 166
Scholar Standpoints 169
Sex Worker Standpoint on the Whore Babylon 177
Reality of Violence against Prostitutes 177
CPornetfaencets vviiii
Is the Whore Babylon a Prostitute? Does it Matter? 183
Being Oppressed is no Excuse 188
Prostitutes as Scapegoats 191
Analysis of Differences between Biblical Scholars and SWOP
Activists 196
SWOP Commentary on the Whore Babylon 197
Chapter 7
CONCLUSIONS: AMENDMENTS TO LIBERATION HERMENEUTICS 205
APPENDIX 1
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 213
Bibliography 215
Index of References 232
Index of Names 235
viii Sex Working and the Bible
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Avaren Ipsen campaigning to decriminalize prostitution,
photograph courtesy of August Schleis, the author’s son 35
Alabastra featuring conjugal situations. Reprinted by permission
of the University of California Press from Eva Keul’s Reign of the
Phallus: Sexual Politics in Ancient Athens, Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press, 1993 138
Prostitutes with anointing flasks are a feature of ancient Greek
vase painting. Reprinted with permission of University of
California Press, from Eva Keul’s Reign of the Phallus: Sexual
Politics in Ancient Athens, Berkeley, CA: University of California
Press, 1993 139
AcknoPwrleefdagceements iixx
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I dedicate this book to “Sweet” who was the first to school me about the
violence that street workers encounter. Her harrowing near death
experience with a serial killer of prostitutes profoundly influenced the
direction of my studies. The tale she told of being treated like a criminal
instead of a victim by the police politicized me to work to educate others
about this injustice. If not for “Sweet” I would not have sought out the
rights groups US PROStitutes Collective (US PROS) and then later, the
Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP) to do this kind of engaged research.
Doing intellectual work for a grassroots group like SWOP keeps me in line
and always attuned to the practical function of knowledge production.
SWOP has enabled me to remember always Marx’s Feuerbach Thesis no. 11
that the point of theory is to change the world in a positive manner. Robyn
Few, Carol Stuart, Shemena Campbell, Veronica Monet, and Carol Leigh:
you are all Goddesses. To my pseudonymous participants: you are über-
Goddesses for trusting me with your stories when you have so much to
loose by speaking out: Damienne Sin, Kimberly, Gayle, Ms Shiris, and again,
“Sweet”.
This book is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation. I am deeply
grateful to my advisor, Mary Ann Tolbert, who directed both my Masters
thesis and my PhD dissertation. She has had an incredible ability to both
strongly believe in my work and be my most important and incisive critic.
Any flaws of this book are my own and not in any way reflective of her lack
of pre-emptive critique. I am indebted to her for her patience with my long
academic adolescence. My other committee members, Luise Schotroff,
LeAnn Flesher, and Nantawan Boonprasat Lewis have all been incredibly
supportive and curious about my developing topic in different ways. Luise
was the first senior scholar who collaborated with me and always treated
me as a peer. She always encouraged me to stick with affirming the erotic
aspects I detected in biblical texts. LeAnn helped me to sharpen my
methodological tools and Nantawan affirmed my aspirations to be a genuine
liberation scholar. I was also greatly helped by my exam committee members
Renate Holub and Gina Hens-Piazza. Gina has always been a big supporter
of my research ideas from the very start of my graduate study. Renate has
been an especially super mentor as my boss at the University of California,