Sexual Equality

May 20, 2009, 5:17 am by dc-agape.

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A Meditation on Creation

I have five more Tractates on Genesis before I will start the Book of Exodus.  The first three that I deal with will be rather short, due to their fragmentary nature.  These are the Tractates “A Meditation on Creation”, “Lives of the Patriarchs”, and “A Sermon on the Flood”.  The Tractate “Commentaries on Genesis” is a little bit longer.  Bu it is the “Tales of the Patriarchs” that will take the most time.  This last Tractate has survived for many centuries in both Jewish and Christian form.  So it might not be what you expect or have heard of, since it is the closest to the original anyone has seen. 

Until the end of August, post will be made less frequently than I have done up to the middle of April.  I will repeat, this is not due to lack of material or lack of inspiration.  I am in a PhD program and this is the period of that experience that is “make it of break it”.  I have finished classes and the written cumulative exams.  At the same time I have enough data collected to begin the process of publication.  As I begin to write and go to conferences, my time will be less free to work on this project.  For example, before July 18^th, I will have one paper in the process of publication, a poster on the second paper to carry to Philadelphia, and write my proposal for PhD candidacy.  Add to that moving and going to Southern Mexico to scuba dive.  I have a strong feeling that the trip to will be the most disruptive…I have heard that where I am going internet service is quite sparse.

This Meditation is obviously from the first chapter of Genesis.  Even though it is so fragmented that it makes the entire chapter less than two paragraphs, it does have the same order as the first chapter.  The first paragraph is about the creation of the world.  The second stresses the creation of Adam and Eve.

It begins with a call to “all you who possess understanding”.  It goes on to say that YHWH, as a “them”, created the light and the heavens from the void.  And that he would rule over all their works.  This part is not clear as to if it is the animals of the world, special angels, but it certainly cannot be Adam and Eve because their creation is added in the following lines.

The surviving text starts this section with “and the understanding of good and evil…”.  Adam is then taken from the earth.  So does YHWH use the understanding of good and evil to create Adam or does he create Adam with the understanding of good and evil?  Eve is then “taken” from Adam.  This concept is much more vague than the “from his rib” that is common in Gen 2:21.  This Tractate goes further still by calling Eve a helper and partner.  Nowhere does it say that YHWH created Eve to be subservient to Adam!  She is not as equal as in Gen 1:27, but it is clear that YHWH never intended women to be treated as inferior beings.  Even blaming Eve for the “Fall of Man” goes against why YHWH created Eve in the first place!  YHWH created both male and female to take care of his creation.  If anyone wants to have a religious purpose in their life, men and women are equally made for one purpose by YHWH: to rule passionately over YHWH’s creation.  Why should there be any sexual discrimination when humans were created for one purpose?  The first  chapter of Genesis is quite clear that if this is Biblical Marriage, then man and woman are equal.  Is that what most of you hypocritical Bible thumpers want?  It certainly does not seem so!

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