Original Research
Women, monotheism and the gender of God
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi | Vol 36, No 3 | a516 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v36i3.516
| © 2002 F. Klopper
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 06 August 2002 | Published: 06 August 2002
Submitted: 06 August 2002 | Published: 06 August 2002
About the author(s)
F. Klopper, Department of Old Testament, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South AfricaFull Text:
PDF (81KB)Abstract
God is experienced in heightened awareness that can only be represented in images and symbols. According to the Old Testament there was one male God, Yahweh, imaged as a father, king, judge, shepherd and more. Since God-images are cultural creations related to the time and place in which they were conceived, the male character of God is a natural reflection of the patriarchal culture of the ancient Near East. Twenty-first century women have difficulty relating to the male God-image and patriarchal church language, both of which justify the subordinate position of women in church and society. Investigation into Old Testament religion reveals that the way Israelite women dealt with the single male God opens the way for contemporary women to do likewise and create images of God with which they can identify.
Keywords
Family Religion In The Old Testament; Feminist Hermeneutics; God-Images In The Old Testament; Goddess Worship; Male God-Language
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