Rosemary Radford Ruether (1983) Sexism and God-Talk SCM Press p99
There's been a long history of assuming that the fact that Jesus was biologically male somehow means that God is male and therefore, those people who represent God to the church - priest, ministers - must also be male. This ignores that fact that Jesus was also palestinian and a carpenter - conveniently - how many palestinian carpenters are knocking around ready to give communion?
It's been very exciting over the past few years to discover femaleness within God. I hadn't realised that the Wisdom in Proverbs 8 (she stands on the street calling out to people) is theologically identical to the logos in John 1 but it makes sense - as well as meaning word, I think it can be translated to mean wisdom and idea. If there is maleness and femaleness within God, which there must be as we are all made in God's image and gender is one of the basics of identity, then I am like God.
2 comments:
well...yes...but no...but YES!
Ruether's suggestion that Proverbs 8, Wisdom of Solomon (23???) and John 1 say the same thing is pretty contestable. They are not theologically the same. The Wisdom of Proverbs dances before God as s/he creates; all things are created through the Logos of John 1. The wisdom of Proverbs and Solomon is God's helper, his spouse, his consort rather than identical with God.
I think the point you make, though, is spot on. We share the image of God whether we are male or female - s/he created us in this way in his/her image. God's image is (in) both female and male. As 2 Peter 1 puts it - we are partakers of the divine image...
Pete
Hehehehe... this is what I love about Christianity... we can all come up with stuff that's so real, and so resonant.
I think it's like music in a way. We can listen to a song written about a male or a female and identify with the message regardless of the subject.
Just been listening to an acoustic version of Julie by the Levellers (that's right Sarah, I've got my copy through! If you want a copy....), and the song is all about a girl called (no surprise) Julie. It's kinda an urban working class sob story really, but it can traverse both class and gender. The loneliness depicted by the Levs "Past the kids who gather there, Pain masked by narcotic stares, But no one really cares, Her dreams were cut up and bled dry, A million voices in her cry" seems to cut through a lot, if not to the bones of my faith.
So rock on our genderless or gendermax God. We find you amongst our lives, our city and our confusion, listening, and ready to ask us to be a traveller, a friend, a dancer, a lover, a mystical child (more Levs lyrics going on here). I pray we may be all you call us to be, regardless of whether we call you mother or father.
....Lev x
Post a Comment