One of the most important things to remember when reading a translation of the Hebrew bible is that written Hebrew has no vowels.  As a result a word can have more than one 'correct' translation depending on who is translating the text.   According to Jewish Law there are four steps to the Midrashic, or reinterpretation of the bible (Labowitz 23-24).

1.      P’shat or the literal meaning: what do the words say?

2.      Remez or symbolic meaning:  what do these words imply?

3.      D’rash or inquiry of the relationship between 1 & 2: what do we learn from this story?

4.      Sod or the spiritual meaning for the individual reader:  What do I learn from this passage that applies to my life?

It is very important in the Jewish tradition to remember that these words can mean many things and that we should all interpret the words that are given to us for ourselves.

Miriam & Moses; biblepicturegallery.com
    Over the centuries it was men who translated the word of God.  The Jewish Fathers tended to interpret the bible in patriarchal ways that shaped our view of the women in the bible.  For example, Miriam (root: mara) was generally translated to mean “bitter” (Labowitz 20).  (Miriam was the older sister of Moses).  However, now that women have been educated they can take the original Hebrew and look at it through a new light.  When Shoni Labowitz, a contemporary female Rabbi, began translating the bible she found that many words that have negative connotations for women can actually be translated in a more positive way that still makes sense with the story. Going back to our example of Miriam, it can also be translated as “one who rises above, to fly, or to soar”.   In this case Miriam is not an example of a bitter and over tired Matriarch, but instead is someone to look up to as one who has overcome adversity.  It was Miriam who saved Moses from certain death by having the courage to approach Pharaoh’s daughter and persuade her to take Moses in.  The Patriarch, who then led the Jews from Egypt, was saved by his sister and able to fulfill his duty because of her.

In the Christian tradition, the Old Testament, which was translated from Greek and Hebrew and is now the version that is used by the Catholic Church, was interpreted by St. Jerome in 328 CE (Myers 75).  St. Jerome was a misogynist and as a result we have inherited an extremely negative translation of the bible where women are concerned (Myers 76). It was after St. Jerome translated his version of the Old Testament that the theme of female sin became widespread throughout the western world.  The first time Eve is associated with sin is in the writings of Ben Sira which now only appear in the Catholic bible.  Not only do the words of the bible influence our views of sin, but so do outside texts.  In the 2^nd century B.C. the book of Adam and Eve was published and furthered the ideas that Eve was the mother of sin and therefore all women should be punished.  Although John Miltons's, Paradise Lost, was written centuries after the bible, it is reflective of religious thought and is an example of the continuing the patriarchal oppression of women through written texts (Myers 76).

     Since we have this history of patriarchal interpretation and we have seen how it can be reclaimed by women it is very important that we take our chance to take the bible and see it for our selves.  Lets look at some more examples of stories that have been reclaimed.

Carol Myers, a Professor of Religion at Duke University, has reclaimed the Eden story from the bible.  She first went through the text and took a closer look at the words which many of us take for granted.  During the story of creation, God created the Heavens and the Earth, all the fish in the sea and birds in the air.  Finally he created the first human, Adam.  When translated correctly, Adamah, is literally translated as ground, earth, or human.  It is important to note that in this case God created a human, and it is not until Eve arrives on the scene that man and woman are differentiated.  It is also interesting to note that God creates Adam and Eve in  “our image” suggesting that there is more than one God in heaven and that gods are both male and female, so that one is not necessarily more important than the other.

Adam & Eve: download-free-pictures.com

       
       Arthur Frederick Ide has also begun to reclaim Genesis in the name of women.  Through his translations he claims that Yahweh (God) is neither male nor female and as a result cannot stand sexism.  Male and female are equal in his eyes.  In the first creation story of Genesis, Adam and Eve are created at the same time, which would imply that they are equal.  Ide also addresses the second story in which Eve is created from Adam’s rib.  Ide claims that the second creation story would have to have been written much later than the original creation story (and thus less accurate) because it would have required a knowledge of surgery.  For someone to write about God putting Adam to sleep and removing his rib to create Eve, they would need to have an understanding of the inside of the human body, and of surgery.  As a result, the translation in which woman is created after man was most likely written in an already patriarchal society.

 

clipart.christiansunite.com/index.shtml

Other scholars also agree that Genesis may have had misinterpretations.  Many emphasize the fact that before Eve ate off the tree the serpent was not cursed by God and so Eve was not wrong in talking to him (The Good Book of Love).  Others such as Carol Myers conclude that Eve was the strong one, the one who chose to eat the apple while Adam sat idly by and did not protest when Eve gave him the fruit.  Some even say that we have misinterpreted the idea of Original sin.  It was not sex that was the original sin, it existed before the tree of knowledge and before procreation was necessary.  It was instead disobedience to God that is our original sin (The Good Book of Love).  As a result of their disobedience, both Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden.