Womens Spirituality: the Biblical Figure of Sarah - Research Paper Example

Women’s Spirituality: the Biblical figure of Sarah. Introduction This paper examines the importance of the figure of Sarah (also called Sarai and Sara), who appears in various ancient scriptures including the Hebrew Bible and the Quran as the wife of Abraham. The main source of information about her comes from the book of Genesis chapters 16-23. Three separate approaches are taken in order to tease out the different dimensions of meaning that attach to this complex character. First there is an examination of her origins and the incestuous terms of her marriage to Abraham. Secondly there is a study of the miraculous birth of her son Isaac and the difficult issue of her role in relation to Abraham’s second wife Hagar. The there are tensions in this relationship both in terms of the customs of that ancient time, and in terms of modern moral and spiritual interpretations. Thirdly there is a brief exploration of the meaning that Sarah has in later times, with reference to feminist theories. This essay concludes with a summary of why Sarah’s is one of the most significant women figures in the Hebrew Bible. Sarah’s origins and marriage to Abraham Sarah is introduced in the Hebrew Bible as Abraham’s half-sister and at first she bears the name Sarai. They share the same father, but they each have a different mother. Hepner (2003) points out that there is a prohibition against incest of this nature in Leviticus 20:17, although this ruling involves a concept that is difficult to define: “And any man who takes his sister, the daughter of his father or mother and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is חםד, loving-kindness-disgrace, and they shall be cut off before the eyes of their people. He uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he must bear his punishment” (Hepner, 2003, p. 148) This concept of loving kindness which is also disgrace is referred to by Hepner as a “Janus word” because like the Greek god with the two faces, it indicates two opposite meanings at the same time. In the Biblical narrative, Abraham certainly relates to her as a wife, and they set off together on their journey towards Canaan. Several times it is mentioned that Sarai is barren. It is clear that Sarai is very beautiful, because Abraham is worried about other men being jealous, and potentially seeing him as a rival in their attraction to Sarah. In order to minimize this possibility, he advises Sarai to tell the any powerful suitors that she is Abraham’s sister. This subterfuge and it works for a while until Abraham finally reveals the truth to the Egyptian Pharaoh, explaining that she was indeed his sister, as well as his wife. The couple travels their way, having been promised by God that one day Abraham will father a son and be the head of many generations of descendants. This issue of incestuous marriage can be explained with reference to the different types of Jewish prohibition that occur in Leviticus. Some crimes, such as murder, are so serious that they are punishable by death. Others, on the other hand, are regarded as not being subject to the justice of a human court, but rather are reserved for a divine penalty that is between the individual and God. The phrase at the end of the law which states that the person must bear his own punishment is an indication that this secondary kind of transgression applies (Hepner, 2003, p. 154). In terms of the larger scale narrative of the origins of the tribes of Israel, it is possible to read this passage as an object lesson in the different purposes that operate on earth among ordinary human beings, and on a divine place, between God and his chosen people. Sarai is from the same paternal line as Abraham, and together they will provide the foundation for the whole of Jewish history to come. This divine purpose is higher than the customary rules for ordinary people. Birth of Isaac and the relationship with Hagar This brings us to the miraculous birth of Isaac, which is another indication that the relationship between Sarai and Abraham is not just an everyday case of an older couple who cannot have children. The Bible states that it was Sarai’s idea to offer her servant Hagar to Abraham. God spoke to both Hagar and Abraham, however, explaining that this was not the promised son, and that Sarai herself would bear a child. Along with the instruction that Sarai would bear a son came another one to change her name to Sarah. An interesting perspective on the way this train of events is narrated is that that it may be carefully phrased in order to pass muster as a genealogy just as illustrious as the Egyptian dynasties. Double inheritance lines through father and mother are common in that culture, and according to Hepner “such a tendentious implication would be helpful to post-exilic leaders when trying to impose laws that may well have been post-exilic” (Hepner, 2005, p. 154-155). More support for this way of thinking comes from Midrashic writings in which Sarah is equated with the character Iscah, and her story is cited as evidence in support of uncle/niece marriages which were popular in some Second Temple writings (Segal, 1992, p. 427). Incest is not very common in the Hebrew Bible, and it is usually unwitting, as in the case of Lot, or reserved for very special instances where the Jewish royal lineage is a factor, as in the case of David and Abigail, for example (Hepner, 2005, p. 150). A very different and slightly more far-fetched interpretation of the story homes in on the physical location of Abraham and his wife when the angels arrive to bring the good news of the forthcoming pregnancy. Abraham is situated at the opening of the tent, and while Sarai remains hidden within. It is suggested that this is not coincidence, nor merely a reflection of gender differences in household tasks, but that “Abraham and Sarah’s continuous movement toward openness and exteriority in the narrative of Isaac’s conception signals the movement toward new fertility and the covenantal promise of progeny that they receive” (Seeman, 1988, p. 109). This movement may well be indicated in the story of the three angels who bring God’s message to Abraham but it must be pointed out that the couple are not treated equally. Sarai is not informed by God, nor, in the first instance by Abraham, of the plan that is going to involve her so intimately. She overhears the conversation and so only learns about it indirectly (Jeansonne, 1990, p. 23) Later interpretations of the role and significance of Sarah Sarai’s change of name to Sarah is an outward demonstration of her new role as mother of the next patriarch, Isaac. With the miraculous birth of this promised son, she finally fulfils her true role as wife to Abraham. This brings her, however, into conflict with Hagar, whom she previously encouraged to bear Abraham’s first child Ishmael. The significance of this conflict is different for Jews than it is for Christians. In Jewish terms there is a major difference between the child of a freeborn woman and the child of a slave. Hagar’s slave status precludes Ishmael from being the head of the future tribes of Israel. For Jews, therefore, Sarah is the bearer of the legitimate line of Jewish patriarchs. It is well known that Jewish tradition values the matriarchal as well as the patriarchal line in tracing genealogies and this factor places Hagar very much in an inferior position to Sarah. Hagar, however, treats her mistress dismissively, exacerbating Sarah’s pain at being childless. There is clear rivalry also when Isaac is born later on as the two mothers compete for the honor of being the mother of Abraham’s illustrious patriarchal line. This rivalry and this has led some Christian commentators to criticize both Hagar and Sarah (Jeansonne, 1990, p. 24), as if their womanly sin were in some way more reprehensible than the faults that Abraham has displayed in his lies and inability to believe God’s promise. In Christian exegesis, Paul makes it clear in Galatians 4: 28 that the distinction between Hagar and Sarah must not just be seen in terms of free woman and slave, but in also in terms of bodily and spiritual union “But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now”. This means that in Christian teaching the Jews take on the role of Hagar, enslaved to their covenant of the law, while the Church takes on the role of Sarah, free to relate to God under a new covenant of the spirit (Cosgrove, p. 1987, p. 230). Yet another approach to the Hagar/Sarah relationship is taken by feminist scholars, who see the two women as both being affected by the prevailing customs of sexism, patriarchy, forced surrogacy, reproductive exploitation, etc: “at two different points in Sarah’s story, religious faithfulness means remaining sexually pure, so that she will carry only Abraham’s seed” (Kamitsuka, 2004, p. 205). Sarah applies a different moral code to Hagar, however, requiring that her servant submit to sexual relations in order to relieve Sarah of the burden of childlessness. Modern readers can detect also parallels between American slavery and Sarah’s treatment of Hagar, and encouragement for resistance and escape in the narrative of Hagar’s exile with her son to found a dynasty separate from the dominant line that Sarah takes from her. Kamitsuka sees a process of negotiation of gender roles in this story and urges a more nuanced interpretation of women’s acts beyond traditional concepts of sin, especially in the light of the strong social pressures that were placed upon them: “I believe it is possible to distinguish between performing gender conventions in empowering ways on the one hand and on the other being oppressed by those conventions or “sinning” by undue cooperation with them” (Kamitsuka, 2004, p. 210). Conclusion The Biblical wife of Abraham is a complex figure, who has to carry a heavy burden of childlessness which for most of her life defines her and makes her deeply sorry, despite the advantage of good looks, a respectable family background and marriage to Abraham. She is an object lesson in faithfulness, because she sticks by her husband and obeys his sometimes questionable desire to conceal her real identity from other men. Sarah’s troubled relationship with Hagar, both before her own son is born and afterwards, reveals a woman capable of great anguish, but also great courage in stepping up to the tremendous challenge that God puts in her path. Without her, the tribe of Israel would not have been born. Her many years of waiting were finally rewarded, and to an extent that she could hardly have imagined throughout most of her life. Sarah bears witness both to the courage and perseverance of women, and the greatness of God. Works Cited Cosgrove, Charles H. “The Law Has Given Sarah No Children (Gal. 4:21-30).” Novum Testamentum 29 Fasc. 3 (1987), pp. 219-235. Print. Hepner, Gershon. “Abraham’s Incestuous Marriage with Sarah a Violation of the Holiness Code. Vetus Testamentum 53, Fasc. 2 (2003), pp. 143-155. Print. Jeansonne, Sharon Pace. The Women of Genesis: From Sarah to Potiphar’s Wife. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1990. Print. Kamitsuka, Margaret D. “Toward a Feminist Postmodern and Postcolonial Interpretation of Sin.” The Journal of Religion 84 (2), (2004), pp. 179-211. Seeman, Don. “ ‘Where is Sarah Your Wife?’ Cultural Poetics of Gender and Nationhood in the Hebrew Bible.” The Harvard Theological Review 91 (2) (1998), pp. 103-125. Print. Segal, Eliezer. “Sarah and Iscah: Method and Message in Midrashic Tradition.” The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series 82 (3/4), pp. 417-429. Print. Read More