Poor Banished Children of Eve
Woman as Evil in the Hebrew Bible
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Fortress Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2003
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Publisher's Description
What gave rise to symbolizing woman as evil in the biblical tradition and other ancient Near Eastern societies? Taking her title from a Roman Catholic prayer called "Hail Holy Queen," Yee investigates the history of this hostile tradition of symbolization, including Eve in Genesis, Gomer in Hosea, Oholah and Oholibah in Ezekiel, and the "strange woman" of Proverbs. Employing a materialist literary criticism, ideological criticism, and the social sciences, she investigates how this negative imagery crops up in a variety of forms. Among her important conclusions is that gender conflicts in ancient Israel could be deflected forms of class conflict—the struggles between the king and peasants are deflected to men and women.
Endorsements (3)
“A tour de force. . . . Gale Yee takes feminist scholarship on the Hebrew Bible to new levels. Combining traditional feminist critique with analyses of ethnicity, class, and colonial status, Yee discloses the complex forces that invisibly shape the symbolic representation of women. . . . This book is essential reading for all who are interested in the future of feminist study of the Hebrew Bible.”
“Gale Yee has written a book that significantly advances our critical thinking about the ways in which ideology permeates scripture. The power of her analysis is that she offers . . . grounded, well-articulated critical theory alongside a careful, attentive reading of texts . . . a rare combination in current discussions!”
“Yee studies texts from the 10th century b.c.e. to the post-exilic period where 'female' is a signifying code for 'evil.' . . . This work [is] a welcome entry point into ideological criticism of texts whose ostensible subject is gender. For someone who is serious about the Bible or justice, this book is a 'must-have.'”
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