Misogyny and its Discontents

Association of Jewish Studies Review, 2012

Student # 997243852

Description of the Assignment: Discuss the question of what we can say about women and their roles in early Judaism. Compare the role of women in Jewish communities with that in Christian and emerging Muslim communities. Base your discussion on the course readings, both the literature given in the syllabus and the literature for the fixed exam. Bio‐anatomy vs The Individual…and The Twist From a methodological point of view, the topic at hand is hugely difficult because it touches on every skein of human relations. The question arises immediately, therefore, as to which characteristics are common to all the threads of all the skeins that touch on the topic. I chose the title " Bio‐anatomy vs. The Individual… and The Twist " because I see those three concepts as the protagonists every time I struggle to comprehend the source of the problematics that has plagued relations between men and women seemingly since day one. Let us make use of a bit of dialectics and horistics, then. I would like to define Individual as it is used in this paper: Individual is the sum of mental, moral, and cultural characteristics that make up the personality. Since men and women are surely more similar than different, perhaps it is best to start looking at the differences first.

This entire book is a focused amplification of the sixteenth chapter of my book The Seven Ways That Man Died. It expounds certain details of the implications of the curse that was placed on the relationship between man and woman. To further detail this facet of the curse of death, I felt it necessary to put forth this investigative synopsis on the diverse aspects of misogyny and machismo, and chauvinism or sexism, their definitions, and the distinctions between the two. From there, in broad strokes, an analysis of the impacts these phenomena have had in philosophies, religions, societies, and the most expansive and influent cultures of the world are done. In the same manner, this unambiguous inquiry includes explicit markers in which the atmosphere and referential antecedents of any given misogynistic culture have dominated both secular and religious societies. It also establishes the theoretical framework that underscores each one of these indications upon the basis of sustained, though abbreviated, conclusions. Above all, an attempt was made to manifest clear evidence of the indisputable appearances of misogyny in the Bible and the seeming approval and even apathy of God concerning the subject. The methodology I have employed to realize this investigation has been the analysis of data in historical writings, be they philosophical, sociological, psychological, or religious; this includes the sacred Scriptures of the Bible. - 10 - Albeit briefly, I have sought to examine the record of evidence and view the correlation between the universal repercussions seen in societies throughout history, as well as the dominant aspects that the philosophies and the influences of some of the world’s greatest religions have left in their wake because of said influences. A careful exegesis has been done in some relevant passages of the Torah, as well as other sections of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles of the New Testament. The results of this hermeneutical examination will present a compellingly viable explanation for the existence of misogyny and its origin, and of what has been and has not been the will of God in these striking manifestations of sexist discrimination throughout human history. This examination brings a harmony to the message of the redemptive work of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in fallen humanity to the original purpose of God the Creator in His fallen creation and the historical and reconciliatory message of the Holy Writ. In conclusion, it will be shown that Jesus Christ came to free humanity from the curse that has destroyed the relationship between man and woman and that His teachings would illuminate humanity’s darkened understanding. In the same context, much-needed light is brought upon some vital Mosaic and Pauline texts as put forth in the Scriptures. In all, my most sincere desire is for the edification of the Body of Christ and for the manifestation of the love, power and victory of Christ to prevail in all things.

Women in Judaism: A Multidisciplinary Journal Spring 2009 Volume 6 Number 1, 2009

AJS Review, 2003

Jewish Women’s History from Antiquity to the Present, 2021

Abstract This entire book is a focused amplification of the sixteenth chapter of my book, The Seven Ways That Man Died.” It expounds certain details of the implications of the curse that was placed upon the relationship between man and woman. To further detail this facet of the curse of death, I felt it necessary to put forth this investigative synopsis on the diverse aspects of misogyny and machismo, and chauvinism or sexism, their definitions and the distinctions between the two. From there, in broad strokes, an analysis of the impacts these phenomena have had in the philosophies, religions, societies, and the most expansive and influent cultures of the world was done. In the same manner, this unambiguous inquiry includes referential markers in which the circumstantial ambiance and referential antecedents of any given misogynistic culture have dominated both secular and religious societies as well as the theoretical framework that underscore each one of these indications upon the basis of sustained, though abbreviated, conclusions. Above all, an attempt was made to manifest clear shreds of evidence of the indisputable appearances of misogyny in the Bible and that seeming approval and, even the apathy of God concerning the mentioned subject. The methodology that I have employed to realize this investigation has been the analysis of data in historical writings be they philosophical, sociological psychological, as well as religious; this includes the Sacred Scriptures of the Bible. Albeit briefly, it has been sought to examine the record of evidence and view the correlation between the universal repercussions seen in societies throughout history, as well as the dominant aspects that the philosophies and the influences of some of the world’s greatest religions have left in their wake because of said influences. A careful exegesis has been done in some relevant passages of the Torah, as well as other sections of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles of the New Testament. The results of this hermeneutical examination will present a compellingly viable explanation for the existence of misogyny and its origin, and of what has been, and what has not been the will of God in these striking manifestations of sexist discrimination throughout human history. This examination brings a harmony to the message of the redemptive work of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in fallen humanity to the original purpose of God the Creator in His fallen creation and the historical and reconciliatory message of the Holy Writ. In conclusion, it will be shown that Jesus Christ came to free humanity from the curse that has destroyed the relationship between man and woman and that His teachings illuminate humanity’s darkened understanding. In the same context, light is brought upon some vital Mosaic and Pauline texts as put forth in the Scriptures.

The more we learn about comparable gender-segregated, pre-industrial societies, particularly in the Mediterranean area, the more it seems that most of men's observations and moral judgments about women and sex and so forth have minimal descriptive validity and are best understood as coffeehouse talk, addressed to men themselves. Women, we should emphasize, in all their separate groupings by age, neighborhood, and class, may differ widely from each other and from community to community in the degree to which they obey, resist, or even notice the existence of such palaver as men indulge in when going through their bonding rituals. To know when any such male law-givers-medical, moral, or marital, whether smart or stupid-are (to put it bluntly) bluffing or spinning fantasies or justifying their druthers is so hard that most historians of ideas-Foucault, for all that he is exceptional is no exception here-never try. (Winkler 1989: 6) One of the most important insights of feminist research into ancient societies in the last several years has been the realization that it is not possible to take what texts say about women's position in society at face value (Bynum 1986: 258). This is the case even when what is being Spolsky read earlier versions and rendered me very important criticism and help. Nevertheless, naturally, only I am responsible for the positions taken here.