5. Why are there so many strong female characters in the Bible?

There’s no doubt that ancient society was very patriarchal and often rather sexist. Men made the laws and ruled over women, who were most often valued for how fertile their wombs are. So how is it that in the literature of this kind of society, women manage to appear in the spotlight? No matter how strange it may seem to us in context, this happens quite often in the Old Testament.

                In fact, there are 188—133 in the Old Testament alone (4)—named women in the Bible, and many others whose names we do not know. While many of these women, such as Sarah and Rachel, seem most concerned about having children and fit the stereotype of women from this time, others appear in roles in which we would never expect to see a pre-modern woman. Women in the Bible serve as prophetesses, Judges, and even generals (1).

                Like the male figures in the Bible, many of these women are far from perfect, and are depicted in a realistic way. The text doesn’t try to shield us from their flaws and present them as the classic “perfect wife” depicted in Proverbs 31. Rahab, a prostitute, helps the Jewish people conquer Jericho (2). Ruth, a childless woman—and a foreigner at that—was hailed for her loyalty and valor long before she was remarried, and she has an entire book of the Bible dedicated to her (3). Deborah is both a Judge and a general, as well as one of the greatest Hebrew leaders after the death of Moses.

                This frequent depiction of women in key roles in society leads me to ask: why? Why would a culture so infamous for degrading women bother to exalt them? Well, it turns out that—compared to their contemporaries—the Israelites really weren’t that degrading towards their women. For example, Pagan religions—which we often hail today as being gender-inclusive because they often have central goddesses—really weren’t as respectful of women as we sometimes think. Sure, women were allowed to serve as priestesses—something forbidden to most Israelite women—but “priestess” really meant “temple prostitute. In fact, almost every time that a Christianity or Judaism becomes prevalent in a new area, the status of women is raised (6). This trend would continue throughout most of history, and women would eventually gain many rights in the name of Christianity. This is likely due to the Bible’s strong belief in the inherent human dignity of all persons.

                While the Bible is by no means entirely devoid of sexism, it helps to lay the primitive foundations for gender equality by hailing women as heroes as well as men. It presents these women, not as shallow vessels for bearing children, but as individuals, which is a pretty amazing thing considering the time period.

(1)    http://www.religioustolerance.org/ofe_bibl1.htm

(2)    https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Rahab

(3)    http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/mutuality-women-roles

(4)    http://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2011/03/setting-record-straight-there-really.html

(5)    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah

(6)    http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/A265/the-biblical-portrait-of-women-setting-the-record-straight

4. Is There any Archaeological Evidence of the Conquests of Bashan and Heshbon?

While the beginning of the Exodus was filled with hardship and tribulation for the tribes of Israel, it ends with the Jews kicking butt and taking names. Even before they reach the Promised Land and conquer it, Moses and his people are certainly no strangers to overwhelming military victories. 

                                                                                                            The Conquest of Bashan

We hear of two of these such victories in the Book of Numbers, are they are recounted to us in Deuteronomy. In these battles, Moses and his people wage war against Og, King of Bashan, and Shion, King of Heshbon. After asking to being refused permission to pass their lands in peace, these two kings chose to meet the Israelites in battle and were destroyed utterly, down to the last woman and child (Deuteronomy 2:26-3:4). It seems logical to assume that such a devastating act of warfare would leave some sort of archaeological trace. After all, the Kingdom of Bashan was said to contain sixty cities.

Does such evidence exist, however?

The question is met with an overwhelming chorus of “no”s. There isn’t even a historical trace of some of the smaller cities the Jews encountered, much less evidence of  a battle there. In fact, there isn’t even any real archaeological evidence for the conquest of the land of Canaan, which is certainly a far more important victory. What does this lack of evidence mean for the credibility of these Biblical narratives? Some claim that it “demolishes” the historical integrity of the Bible (1.) Others, however, argue that a lack of evidence does not equate to proof of historical discrepancy (2).

In order to decide what this absence of proof meant for myself, I decided to research similar occurrences outside of Biblical history, where the results of my research were less likely to be biased. All in all, I was surprised by how many major cities humans have managed to misplace over the past few millennia.

For instance, Machu Picchu, a large Incan city built on a mountaintop in Peru, remained undiscovered by modern men until 1911, when a Yale professor came across the ruins during a hike (3). 

                                                              Machu Picchu

One of the ancient world’s oldest and most well-established cities, Mohenjo-daro, was founded nearly five millennia ago, flourished for thousands of years, and was only rediscovered in 1921 in modern-day Pakistan (4). Even the city of Troy, on which Homer centered his narrative about the birth of Western Civilization, was lost for so long that it was speculated to be only a legend. It wasn’t until 1871 that a city was discovered matching the classical description of Troy, and historians today still aren’t sure whether or not the ruins they discovered are indeed the bones of the great lost city (5).

                                                                                           The Ruins of Ancient Troy

In summation, though there is no hard archaeological evidence for the Hebrew people’s conquest of scores of ancient cities, there is still no reason to toss out the validity of Biblical history based on this alone. Especially in a region as broad and harsh as the deserts of the Middle East, it isn’t entirely impossible to lose all trace of such cities.

(1)    http://freethought.mbdojo.com/archeology.html

(2)    http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2011/04/14/New-Light-on-the-Forgotten-Conquest.aspx#Article

(3)    http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-discovered-machu-picchu-52654657/?no-ist

(4)    http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/mohenjo-daro/

(5)    http://listverse.com/2011/09/09/top-10-lost-cities/

3. Do Modern Jews Still Follow Old Testament Law?

                Growing up in a proximately Christian world, most of us are aware of at least some of the Old Testament laws, but have never really studied them in detail. After all, it’s a common belief among modern Christians that the old laws no longer apply after the coming of Jesus. However, how many of those laws still apply to modern Jews, whose only holy books are the Old Testament and Torah?

                In order to deal with this question, it’s best to sort Old Testament law into three categories: ceremonial law, civil law, and moral law. Ceremonial laws lay out the ritual worship of the Israelites. These laws detail religious festivals, tell the people how to dress during worship, how to purify themselves for worship, how and what to sacrifice, and how to treat the different aspects of the Temple. Civil Laws tell the Israelites how to act in their daily lives. These laws are essentially the laws of the land. They tell the Jewish people what is considered a crime, and outline punishments for each of them. Moral law is mostly self-explanatory, and simply tells the people how they should treat one another (1).

                For many modern Jews, especially those who are more traditional, ceremonial law still plays a large part in their religion. Like Christians, Jews no longer sacrifice animals to Yahweh, though their lack of sacrifice is for a very different reason. After Judaism developed, sacrifices could only be made at the Temple. After the Temple was destroyed for the final time by the Romans, Jews no longer had a place to offer blood sacrifice to their god (2.) Muslims have since claimed the place where the Temple once stood as their own holy place, and have built their own monument on it. In order for the Jews to resume their sacrifices, it would be necessary to reclaim the land from the Muslims, destroy their holy place, and rebuild the Tabernacle. Since this isn’t happening any time in the foreseeable future, Jews are exempted from making sacrifices (3). However, this does not mean that they are exempted from all ceremonial laws. Depending on how traditional a sect of Judaism a Jew follows, there are certain rituals he or she must follow. Modern Jews still observe Kashrut laws, which are laws pertaining to dietary restrictions. Most laymen know these practices as “keeping kosher.” Jews also still follow the holidays and feasts laid out in the Old Testament, such as Passover (4).

                Whether Jews still observe the civil laws of the Old Testament is a more difficult topic to research. Many of these laws—such as the ones that forbid incest and homosexuality—are generally practiced even in modern Christianity, and there is no doubt that Jews follow them. It’s also more or less common sense that sleeping with goats is still a major no-no, though the waters get murkier when dealing with issues concerning marriage. Here, views seem to have changed over the years. For example, while polygamy is not condemned in the Old Testament, Jews no longer practice it, even though there are small sects who defend the practice (5). When it comes to the prescribed punishments for breaking these laws….well it isn’t as if Jews go around stoning people—which is the punishment for pretty much everything in the Old Testament—so it seems they no longer follow those laws quite so literally.

                The moral laws of the Old Testament are something that Jews and Christians alike both practice today. These laws, such as “Do not lie” and “Do not steal” are both a matter of common sense and common human decency. Jewish moral law also demands that foreigners be treated well, likely because they were so accustomed to being mistreated in foreign lands. However, when it comes to these moral laws, it’s necessary to make a clear distinction between the way Jews and Christians interpret them. When Christians say “Love thy neighbor,” they count the entire world as their neighbors. When Jews say “Love thy neighbor,” the neighbors they speak of are other Jews.(6).

                Though small changes have been made over the centuries, it’s surprising how little the Jewish faith has changed in the thousands of years since its inception. No other religion can claim such endurance of faith, especially among such a scattered people, and devotion of practicing Jews to the old ways of their faith is admirable.

(1)    http://www.trusting-in-jesus.com/Old-Testament-Law.html

(2)    http://www.beingjewish.com/unchanged/sacrifices.html

(3)    http://www.beingjewish.com/unchanged/rebuild.html

(4)    http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

(5)    http://www.come-and-hear.com/editor/polygamy-orthodox/

(6)    History of Christianity notes, Dr. Prudlo

2. Miriam

One of the things that struck me in the Book of Exodus was the title of “prophet” being bestowed on a woman. In an ancient world that is so obviously dominated by men, this kind of power and reverence being given to a female seems strange. For my blog, I wanted to learn more about this prophetess, Miriam, her role in Hebrew society, and how she came by this title.

                Miriam is the older sister of Moses. After Pharaoh issued a decree that all infant Hebrew males must be killed, Moses’ mother put Moses in a basket and cast him into the Nile. Miriam kept watch over her little brother until Pharaoh's daughter discovered him. When Pharaoh’s daughter takes pity on Moses and decides to spare the child, Miriam emerges from hiding and offers to find a nurse for the boy. The girl goes and fetches her mother, therefore allowing Moses to be raised with some familiarity of Hebrew culture by his own mom (Exodus 2:3-10). Here, Miriam lets readers know one thing about her for sure—the girl is certainly clever. However, is this intelligence alone enough to earn Miriam the title of prophetess? (1)

                In order to answer this question, it is necessary to first address what exactly it means to be a Prophet or Prophetess. A prophet, according to the text, is a person who God speaks to and through. Yahweh uses prophets for many different purposes during the course of our text, but they are always used in some way to deliver a message from God. (2) Few characters in the Old Testament are granted this honor, and only five of them are women.  Miriam is one of those select women who has been granted the honor of being spoken to by Yahweh. (3)

                As a prophetess, the older sister of Moses, and the older sister of Aaron, another Biblical prophet from Exodus, Miriam no doubt played an influential role in society. Many Biblical scholars believe that Miriam was the leader of all of the women who followed Moses out of Egypt during the Exodus. After the Hebrews are freed from bondage in Egypt and escape across the Red Sea, Miriam leads her people in a song of praise to Yahweh and leads the first worship the Hebrews practice as a free people. (4)

                Not only is Miriam given extraordinary honors by Yahweh and a position of leadership in the Hebrew culture, she is also the first woman in the Bible whose story centers not on her ability to produce children, but rather her intellect and leadership capacity. (5) While Miriam was eventually married to a man named Hur, she was unmarried at the time of the Exodus, and her marriage remains rather insignificant to the text. Other female characters in our text, such as Rebekkah and Sarah, seem to be only concerned with how many children they can produce. These thoughts, however, never seem to enter Miriam’s mind. She is instead concerned with the future of her people and the worship of her God. She is valued not as a means to produce heirs, but as a leader. For this reason, many modern women look back on Miriam as the first female Biblical role model.

               

(1) http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/Who-Was-Miriam-Women-in-the-Bible.htm

(2) http://www.keyway.ca/htm2010/20100411.htm

(3) http://stronginfaith.org/article.php?page=90

(4) http://www.moshereiss.org/articles/MIRIAMJBQREDISCOVERED.pdf

(5) https://www.agts.edu/faculty/faculty_publications/gill/gill%20resources/Nances_miriam.pdf