Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies Essay

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).

This sort of evidence is extremely effective in demonstrating the fact that feminist viewpoints can sufficiently challenge the typical patriarchal views of the Bible and its depiction of women. The true value in this work of literature and in Tribel's thesis is that it alludes to the lengths that men went to in order to preserve their status as the dominant sex, while making women the subservient one. These alternate perspectives make s the prudent reader wonder what else about the Bible was written a certain way to enforce certain claims as "right" or proper. In this respect, the information that Trible offers about the original Hebrew wording of certain passages and their interpretations leaves considerable room for future analysis regarding other points of bias in how scriptures were used both throughout history and in modern times.

Works Cited

Trible, Phyllis. "Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies." www.religion-online.org. 1982. Web. http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1281.....