Jesus’ Feminine Self-Presentation in the New Testament

[Rajni]

"It is a matter of Christian doctrine that God is neither male nor female; God is spirit. The Scriptures, however, use both male and female imagery to talk about God’s identity and activities. At the same time, it is also true that God incarnate was a Jewish male. This means Jesus used only male imagery to reveal himself to us while he was on earth, right? Wrong."

Article: Jesus’ Feminine Self-Presentation in the New Testament

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[Fantine]

Very interesting. I think that some of the metaphors were a bit of a stretch, but Jesus obviously embodied the best aspects of both masculine and feminine traits.

 

[Paidiske]

I have a hunch that obsessing about whether every little thing is "masculine" or "feminine" is actually very much a problem of our age, sometimes dressed up anachronistically as "traditional."

Take this prayer written by Anselm of Canterbury sometime circa 1100:

Jesus, as a mother you gather you people to you:
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride:
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgement.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds:
in sickness you nurse us, and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life:
by your anguish and labour we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness:
through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead:
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy, hear us:
in your love and tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness:
for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.

If that were written today, it would have theological conservatives condemning it for its unorthodoxy or its unconventional treatment of gender, but apparently when Anselm wrote it, it was thought edifying enough to have been preserved and to be incorporated into official liturgies.

 

[Fantine]

What a beautiful prayer. I am going to save it. St. Anselm was a Benedictine (I think most of the early monastics were, since St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Ignatius, and the founders of other orders were all born after the 11th century).

There are some quotes from Blessed Julian of Norwich as well.

“Our Savior is our true Mother in whom we are endlessly born and out of whom we shall never come.”
― Julian of Norwich

 

[archer75]

What a beautiful prayer. I am going to save it. St. Anselm was a Benedictine (I think most of the early monastics were, since St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Ignatius, and the founders of other orders were all born after the 11th century).

There are some quotes from Blessed Julian of Norwich as well.

“Our Savior is our true Mother in whom we are endlessly born and out of whom we shall never come.”
― Julian of Norwich

Another one from Blessed Julian:

"And thus I saw that God enjoyeth that He is our father, God enjoyeth that He
is our mother, and God enjoyeth that He is our very spouse, and our soul is His
loved wife."

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

"It is a matter of Christian doctrine that God is neither male nor female; God is spirit. The Scriptures, however, use both male and female imagery to talk about God’s identity and activities. At the same time, it is also true that God incarnate was a Jewish male. This means Jesus used only male imagery to reveal himself to us while he was on earth, right? Wrong."

Article: Jesus’ Feminine Self-Presentation in the New Testament

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Jesus brooding over those in Jerusalem reflects back to the Spirit's brooding over the water. The Spirit can be likened to Wisdom that is the female aspect of God. Jesus became wisdom for us. His brooding was the wisdom of the Spirit being grieved.
Jesus the example exemplified the travailing that is part of every believer's life.

 

[Dave-W]

I believe most of what is presented here as "feminine" is only such when viewed with modern western eyes. In first century Judea those attributes were not that decidedly feminine.

In fact, in the Tenach (also called "old testament") God the Father was called Father (masculine) but most of His attributes could be taken as feminine. One of His Names - El Shaddai - seems to be a prime example since "shad" is the word for breast.

In modern western thought and viewpoint - things are all separated out and dissected for analysis. In 2nd Temple period Judaism, things were viewed as integrated together. So those things seen as feminine (aka NOT masculine) by us was (to them) just part of a greater package.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Song of Songs 1:3b,4c
Thy name is an ointment poured out.
The King has brought me into His chambers.
Let us rejoice and be glad in Thee.
We will love Thy breasts more than wine.
Equity hath loved Thee.

(Song of Songs are from the interpretation of scripture according to Origen)

1 Peter 2:2-3
as newborn babes desire earnestly the pure mental milk of the word,
that by it ye may grow up to salvation,
if indeed ye have tasted that the Lord [is] good.

 

[Paul Yohannan]

MOD HAT

This thread has been moved to Controversial Christian Theology, as discussions of a divine feminine are offtopic in the Egalitarian forum.

 

[PloverWing]

Note that the essay being discussed says that "Jesus was most certainly not a woman, and God is most certainly neither male nor female, but spirit." So the essay is not asserting a divine feminine, but merely the use of feminine metaphors in the Bible.

 

[JCFantasy23]

MOD HAT ON

Thread has been permanently closed per OP Request


MOD HAT OFF​