THE BRIDE WHO ARGUED WITH GOD

A Christological view of the text compels us to interpret the entire Biblical narrative in light of who God is in Jesus Christ. We recognize God through Jesus. We know how God resolves this issue based on how Jesus answers the question. And what is His resolution? Despite the law, tradition and the weight of human history, Jesus redefines the very nature of the feminine.

He taught women, and spoke to them in public. Women were his friends and companions. He sent women to be apostles to the apostles. It is women to whom he first appeared after his resurrection, since women were the only ones brave enough to be present at his crucifixion. Quite simply we are to go and do likewise. For too long the church has been dominated by her masculine half, and she is desperate for her feminine side to make her whole.

And what would women bring to the male dominated, franchise making, metrics-oriented, commodity-based, McDonalization of church life in America?

The Bride Who Argued With God: Tales from the Treasury of Jewish Folklore

Women would bring themselves. They would bring peace into disunity. They would bring flexibility instead of control. They would support instead of dominate. They would tell stories instead of forming systematic theologies. They would offer conversation instead of dogma. They would encourage interdependence instead of autonomy. They would be committed to people and place instead of growth. As one who has been marginalized, they would bring compassion to the outcast. Simply put, a church that embraces the fully human woman completes the image-bearing qualities of the church to the world. The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission.

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I recommend checking Bailey before explaining any parable or story about Jesus in the gospels. There are other ways to read the texts you disagree with such as the text in Timothy, and those who take them as addressing a limited and local situation are quite easy to find.

Similarly with the texts in Corinthians. In find Jesus in the gospels continually challenging the patriarchal system and narrow readings of the OT. If you follow this link and click on the M.

Of course, the woman won the argument, if you must put it that way. But Jesus had a deep, spiritual intuition into every situation, and if you read Bailey, you will discover that Jesus used this incident to discredit the very patriarchal manner in which the disciples were operating. The story is not specifically about what Jesus learned from the woman or what Jesus learned from a Gentile, although that can be involved. The overall message is of how Jesus was training the disciples and challenging the foundations they stood on, which was the patriarchy.

If you read my book, The Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence, chapters , you will discover how God was undermining the patriarchal system from Abraham onward. The Biblical story is not a defense of patriarchy and, as a story, does not marginalize woman. And this is where forgiveness enters the Biblical story. Also with Genesis 2 in mind, we can understand why Ishmael could not be the chosen heir. Patriarchy has been falling for years. It was shaken in Genesis and in Exodus, received its death warrant at the cross, and began slowly crumbling wherever the gospel has gone in a sociological process over time that can be documented.

The wide range of settings: In much of the world, particularly North Africa, Asia and the non-Israeli regions of the Middle East, the Jewish communities are slowly dying out— a fact that makes this preservation of their oral traditions particularly meaningful. An important piece of public history. With the impressive scholarship used by Ben-Zvi to support the work, it should prove a valuable contribution to the literature of Jewish folklore.

The Woman Who Won an Argument With Jesus - Missio Alliance

Above all, Hava Ben-Zvi gives us a fresh example of the story-telling tradition that has always been the repository of Jewish culture and the source of Jewish vitality. A Life , and King David: The work is scholarly, authoritative, wide in scope, and well organized.

But most importantly for the school-age reader, it is just plain fun to read! My school library colleagues in elementary through high school will find it a valuable addition to their folktale collections. Many of the selections have not had wide publication in the past, so that the book serves as an excellent resource for club and camp, classroom and study group.

The book has given me hours of pleasurable reading and is a valuable resource on my bookshelf. The wide selection in this volume is based on the work of great anthologizers of an earlier age. The major themes of Jewish life continue to be important — even in our complex modernity — but the hopes and longings expressed in these tales continue to perplex the modern Jew, while the stories about these hopes and longings can delight the Jewish and general reader alike.

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Indeed, tradition says that since the Master of the Universe finished creating the world, He has occupied Himself with arranging matches. The wife is the active core of the marriage, for good or for ill. Using her wisdom, industry, and piety, she can bring riches and blessings to her home. Or, she can make it a living hell with screaming, scheming, and physical abuse. The men, in contrast, seem passive: There is plenty of magic in this world, with the Prophet Elijah often appearing to lend a helping hand, and visits from the Angel of Death, who can apparently be persuaded to postpone his duty by clever argument, as long as he clears it with his Boss first.

The tales taste of love, resilience, and dark humor in the face of hardship. As the rabbi says to the poor widow who asks if the chicken is kosher: She lives in California. Write to her at hava. December To order or arrange for programs please contact the author at hava.

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