It is possible to both learn from Biblical feminine imagery, and acknowledge that God the Father, and Jesus were revealed primarily as male. (Contrary to most nineteenth century paintings Jesus was not androgynous!) There is no confliction by saying that God is the perfection of both genders since He is outside of the ‘either/or’ gender reality we were created in. Both genders find their origins in His person (Genesis 1: 27), and neither gender can claim to be the fullness of the image of God without the other. It is also clear with humans that daughters as well as sons can be the ‘spitting image’ of their father, though their genders are different. Because Christians have held God’s attributes as the source and standard for ours, it was disappointing to me that the few dozen Biblical descriptions of God in feminine terms focus really, on just one aspect of womanhood: mothering. This has led some readers of Scripture (mainly Catholics) to reduce the essence of femininity down to procreation. Pope John Paul II said in an address that “Genesis 4:1 speaks of, the mystery of femininity is manifested and revealed completely by means of motherhood, as the text says: ‘She conceived and bore...’” First Things, an excellent scholarly journal on life, politics, and public life, published an article that stated this same opinion. It states “no investigation of gender can allow itself to be carried too far off from the body... the farther from procreation we get—into the home workplace, the social sphere, the political sphere—the more careful we should be in our proclamations of what is naturally male or female. A discussion of gender that stays focused on our gendered bodies will help us from overemphasizing either sameness or difference, because, when we look at the human body, we see both.”
But the essence of womanhood is not motherhood! But when only taking into account the feminine imagery used of God to the exclusion of the rest, this is the emphasis that was considered Biblical. (Forget Biblical, it is surprising that it was considered anything but offensive.)
Just as men pattern their masculinity after the images of king, or shepherd, women can look to the archetypes in Scripture that are consistently feminine to flesh out a full picture of femininity. Since all of the male/female allegories come from the creative mind of God, it is not accurate to say that men pattern their gendered identity after God and women pattern theirs after humanity whom He pursues. Both men and women can use the allegorical archetypes to put words to the desires of their heart that are often stirred by the world around them.
Pope John Paul II, in“Mystery of Woman Revealed in Motherhood”. During the General Audience in the Paul VI Hall on 12 March 1980, Address As Published in the English Edition of the L'Osservatore Romano.
Butler, Sarah. “Sex or Gender.” First Things. June/July 2005.
2 comments:
Jesus looked like a girl in 19th century paintings? Weird. Wasn't that the Romantic era? Shouldn't they be making rugged Jesus'?
“no investigation of gender can allow itself to be carried too far off from the body... the farther from procreation we get—into the home workplace, the social sphere, the political sphere—the more careful we should be in our proclamations of what is naturally male or female. A discussion of gender that stays focused on our gendered bodies will help us from overemphasizing either sameness or difference, because, when we look at the human body, we see both.”
How untrue is this, though? I agree that the essence of womanhood is not procreation. However, I don't think that the essence of womanhood is cooking, cleaning or pink either. I agree with the point you are making, Steph, but this quote seems to be talking more pointedly about gender rights and not necessarily the essence of feminity.
Interesting question: though motherhood isn't the essence of womanhood, it is central to the Bible's depiction of it. He does describe himself as a mother at times. Also, he often worsk through history in women who desire to be mothers and weren't. (Granted, there was a social stigma attached, too.) The fact that God uses it to describe the way he cares for us is significant. Shouldn't that inspire us as mothers (or potential mothers)?
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