Prompt: What do you see as the key theological themes
in Genesis 1-11? How might these themes be applied to your contemporary
setting? How does Gen 1-11 continue to affect the way Americans view gender
and race? Give specific examples (you can use internet sites as long as you
give citations). How would you evaluate this usage?
There
are a number of themes presented in Genesis 1-11, many of which set the stage
for the rest of the Bible. In particular, Genesis sets the stage for the supremacy
of God and God’s relationship between God and humans, including God’s faithfulness
to his creation and how God is different from other gods contemporary to the
world within and behind the Bible. These themes form a distinguishing element
for the Ancient Israelites and the early codification of Judaism, separating
them from other early societies and cultures. On a narrower scope, Genesis 1-11 also sets
the conversation for the “divine command to the first couple…to produce
offspring and possess the land (1:28)”[1] which
in turn frames the entire Torah as it follows the journey of the Ancient
Israelites on their quest to find their homeland. This conversation about multiplication and
fruitfulness can also speak to one of many ways that Genesis weighs into
conversations about gender roles in contemporary cultures.
The
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) writes that there are two
major creation stories in Genesis- the one contained in chapter 1, and the one
contained in the entirety of chapters 2 through 11. These two creation stories provide very
different views of the origins of the genders, and the role of sex. The interpretation of these two texts may
form the foundation for defining the roles of men and women in society, both
contemporary and ancient.
The
classic tension between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 through 4 discusses to the role
of women in relation to men. In Genesis 1, of course, God created man and woman
together (GEN 1:26-29) and commanded them to go forth and have children. In Genesis 2, God creates man first (GEN 2:7)
and, after giving man a task, decides man should have help with his labors.
(GEN: 2:15, 18) This spurs the creation of land animals and birds, only finally
culminating in woman after a period of trial and error. The author of the story cites this as the
source of marriage (GEN 2:24) although does not attribute this to God, and also
indicates this partnership was without shame. (GEN 2: 25) There is no mention of sex and it seems that
childbirth is afflicted on humans as punishment during the Fall (GEN 3:16) and,
in fact, only explicitly occurs starting in chapter 4. Humans are only encouraged to flourish and
reproduce in the aftermath of the flood. (GEN 9:1, 7)
In
the first story, men and women are created equally and given the same charge:
their purpose is to fill the earth with children, thus spreading the image of
God to all corners of the Earth, and as a race are charged with caring for
God's creation. Sex is a natural and necessary act between the man and woman
because it is an act of procreation. The term is important: in the image of
God, man and woman together emulate God: through their actions, they bring
forth new life. However, they are not like God in that they cannot create from
nothing (as they must have one another) and they must create with action,
whereas God calls creation into being with God's Word. This concept is
empowering for both men and women. As humans, we are intrinsically linked to
the greater purpose of this world, and we are charged with the important tasks
of ensuring the continued care of God's creation. There is a lesson here, too, that the
purpose of sex is to create, rather than for pleasure, profit, exploitation, or
possession. If sex is an act emulating the Divine, it is reasonable to infer
that God expects people to care for sex within the relationship of the man and
woman as ordered. This, then, may lead
to contemporary discussions over fornication and homosexuality- issues
discussed in greater detail in later sections of the Bible.
In
the second story, genders are created separately. They have similar tasks, for man to care for
God's garden and woman to help man in his labors, and man names woman as he
named all other creatures created as partner candidates. After the Fall, God decrees that woman shall
be ruled by her husband as punishment for her sin. There are interpretations of
this text that say women must be submissive to men- whether because man was
created first or because woman's submission to man is punishment for
temptation.
However,
there is another interpretation, again linked to the concept of sex. There is
no explicit mention of sex in this creation story until chapter 4, nor is there
a charge from God to the man and woman to create children, as there is in
chapter 1. Indeed, children are not mentioned until chapter 3 when God first
mentions the offspring of woman (GEN 3:15) and man names the woman Eve as the
mother. (GEN 3:20) When man was giving out names, he named his partner woman
first- she only gained a name related to fertility and offspring after the
Fall. This is important because God's punishment
to woman is that she will experience pain in childbirth, and yet despite this
shall still desire children. This desire is what places her under the husband's
dominion. This control is further
defined within the parameter of marriage established by the author earlier in
chapter 2 (sexual desire for a husband, not just for a male sexual
partner.) As with the first story, this
sets up discussions surrounding homosexuality, fidelity, and fornication, but
nowhere does this text actually say that men and women are unequal.
Both
Genesis stories place sex squarely in the realm of procreation. Although
Genesis 1 does not exhibit the same sense of shamefulness related to nakedness
seen in the second creation story, both stories clearly expend energy and
effort on linking sex to children. This is a recurring theme throughout the
rest of the Bible as well- the use of sex for purposes other than to make
children is considered sinful. Further, as the Bible begins to evolve the
sanctity and importance of legitimate children, the concept of fornication as a
sin rises and the Bible goes to great lengths to provide care for legitimate
children who are left fatherless.
If
the reader evaluates the role of sex in the relationship between men and women,
one possible contemporary gender issue revolves around the conversation of
contraception. A quick search on any internet search engine reveals that contraception
and gender equality are related topics. Generally, the argument revolves around
whether or not access to affordable, safe, and reliable contraceptive for women
(which is almost always aimed at preventing pregnancy, rather than preventing
STI transmission) helps resolve gender inequality issues specifically related
to the burden of childbearing. Simply, if women can control whether or not they
conceive following sexual intercourse, they are more empowered to control their
own lives and self-advocate. There are extrapolations that this may free women
for sexual diversity (or promiscuity, depending on your viewpoint) and may make
sex more accessible outside of a marriage, since the burden of single
motherhood is diminished. If one places this contemporary conversation in the
context of Genesis 1-11, one might argue that contraception removes woman from
the dominion of man caused by her desire to have children, and thus frees her
to be an equal partner again. This, of course, could also be interpreted as a
sin against God as it sets aside the punishments given for sin, or because it
removes procreation from the sacred intent of sex.
Contraception
is certainly a relevant issue in the contemporary world. In the United States,
there are concerns related to the impact of overpopulation on the environment,
economic concerns, and a desire for greater equality between men and women
specifically related to breaking gender roles affiliated with children and
parenthood. Viewpoints advocating to maintain traditional gender roles and
family structures (in the US defined as a married man and woman, wherein the
woman is primarily tasted with homemaking and the husband with economic
provisioning) may cite Genesis as a Biblical authority prohibiting the use of
contraceptives. This prohibition is justified by the purpose of sex as a
procreation tool for use between a man and a woman who are married. Critics may cite Genesis as an example of
Biblical misogyny, aimed at minimizing the potential contributions and role of
women through selective reading that ignores the equality of men and woman
outlined in Genesis 1, or even dismiss the writings as the deliberate constructs
of a patriarchal society determined to eliminate older ‘mother goddess’
religious tendencies as a form of control and domination.
[1]
USCCB.
"Genesis - Introduction." The Bible: Genesis. August 14, 2015.
Accessed September 12, 2016. http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/0.
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