Feminist interpretation of the creation story

Leonardo Boff

01/04/2011

Opinión

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Feminist theologians have shown us the anti-feminist characteristics of the story of the creation of Eve (Gn 1,18-25), and of the original fall (Gn 3,1-19), that has strengthened the cultural prejudices against women. According to this story, woman was formed from Adam's rib, and he, upon seeing her, exclaimed: «This is the flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones: she shall be called woman, (Hebrew: ishá) because she was created from man (ish.) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall unite with his woman: and they shall be one flesh.» (Genesis 2, 23-25.)

The original meaning was intended to show man/woman unity, but the precedence of Adam, and the making of the woman from his rib, was interpreted as masculine superiority.

The story of the fall also sounds anti-feminist: «And when the woman saw that the fruit of that tree was good to eat... she took the fruit, and ate it; and gave it also to her man, and he ate it. Immediately, their eyes were opened, and they realized that they were naked.» (Genesis 3,6-7.) The woman here is considered the weaker sex, because it was she who succumbed to temptation and, from there, seduced the man. This, then, is the reason for her historical submission, now ideologically justified: «thee shall be under the power of thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.» (Genesis 3,16.)

But there is a more radical reading, presented, among others, by two feminist theologians: Riane Eisler (Sacred Pleasure, Sex Myth and the Politics of the Body, 1995) and Françoise Gange (Les dieux menteurs, 1997), that I summarize here. These authors start from the historical fact that there was a matriarchal era before the patriarchal. According to them, the story of the original sin was introduced by the patriarchy to show the culpability of women, in order to undermine their power and consolidate the dominance of men. The sacred rites and symbols of matriarchy were demonized, and relegated to the past as a primordial story, so as to totally erase their feminist characteristics. The present story of the original sin seeks to eliminate the four fundamental symbols of matriarchy.

The first symbol attacked is the woman herself, who in matriarchal culture represented the sacred sex, generator of life. As such, she symbolized the Great Mother, and now she has been converted into the great seductress.

Second, the symbol of the serpent has been deconstructed. The serpent represented the divine wisdom that was always renewed, just as the skin of the serpent is renewed.

Third, the tree of life has been disfigured. Once considered one of the principal symbols of life, birthed by women, it is now under prohibition: «Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.» (Genesis 3,3.)

Fourth is the distortion of the symbolic character of sexuality, which was considered sacred because it allowed access to mystical ecstasy and knowledge, and was represented by the male/female relationship.

What did the present story of the original sin do? It turned totally upside down the profound and true meaning of those symbols. It destroyed their sacredness, turned them into evil, and converted to a curse that which was once blessed.

Woman is forever damned, reduced to an inferior being, seductress of the man, who «shall rule over thee» (Genesis 3,16). Her power to give life will be accompanied by pain, (Gn 3,16.)

The serpent, besides being cursed, becomes the radical enemy of woman, who will injure her head, but she will bite her heel. (Gn 3,15).

The tree of life and wisdom has become forbidden fruit. Previously, in the matriarchal culture, eating from the tree of life was to fill oneself with wisdom. Now, to eat from it is a lethal danger. (Gn 3,3).

The sacred bond between man and woman is replaced by the bonds of matrimony, with man as the chief, and woman, as the one dominated by him (Gn 3,16.)

In this story as in Genesis, the previous feminist and sacred story has been totally deconstructed . For better or worse, we are all hostages of this Adamic, anti-feminist, and guilt-ridden story.

Why write about this? To support the work of the feminist theologians who show us how deep are the roots of the domination of women. Rescuing the most ancient feminist story, they propose a more original and positive alternative, in which a new relationship with life appears, with its variety, its power, with the sacred, and with sexuality.

- Leonardo Boff, Theologian, Earthcharter Commission

Free translation from the Spanish sent by Melina Alfaro, done at REFUGIO DEL RIO GRANDE, Texas, EE.UU.

https://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/148732