Sacred Witness: Rape in the Hebrew Bible

Description

In Sacred Witness, Susanne Scholz discusses the wide range of rape texts in biblical literature--some that long have troubled readers, others that should have but didn't, such as texts of marital rape, for example, or metaphorical speech about God as rapist. Assuming the androcentric nature of these writings, Scholz asks how we may read these texts in order to find some redemptive meaning for women, children, and men who have been injured by sexual violence and by "cultures of rape." Sacred Witness provides illuminating reflection on some of the most troubling texts in the Hebrew Bible. Acknowledgements --Introduction: A Promise for a Blessing -- 1. Breaking the Silence: The Legacy of Acquaintance Rape -- 2. Subjugated by Gender and Class: The Rape of Enslaved Women -- 3. Controlling Wives?: Marital Rape Fantasies -- 4. Regulating Rape: The Case of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Laws -- 5. Gang Raping: On the Culture of Misogyny During Peace and War -- 6. Losing Power: The Rape of Men as Male Fear and Reality -- 7. Resisting the Theology of a Rapist: Against the Poetics of Rape in Prophetic Literature -- Conclusion: The Blessing of a Sacred Witness -- Notes -- Index of Authors -- Index of Bible and Other Ancient Texts -- Index of Subjects