God S Phallus And Other Problems For Men And Monotheism

God's Phallus explores the dilemmas created by the maleness of God for the men of ancient Judaism and for Jewish men today.

The God of the Hebrew Bible is clearly male, yet until now no scholar has asked how God's maleness affects human men. In this groundbreaking volume, Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, an ordained rabbi, uses close readings of the Hebrew Bible, as well as insights from feminist & gender criticism, anthropology, & psychoanalysis, to explore the dilemmas created by the maleness of God for the men of ancient Judaism & for Jewish men today. In this absorbing & provocative exploration of the problems raised when men worship a male god (while trying to avoid the sexual implications of that worship at the same time), he uncovers many of the tensions & contradictions that bedevil conceptions of masculinity & male bonding to this day.

Explores the theme that women are objectified as sexual and reproductive bodies by symbolic beheading in myths and by such practices as veiling, head coverings, and cosmetic highlighting. Shows how women's heads link them to speech, identity, and mind, all characteristics classically reserved for men, and how beheading women reduces them to mute and anonymous flesh. Most of the examples are drawn from Oriental, classical Greek and Roman, and early Christian contexts, but some modern cases are also examined. The seven essays were presented at a panel of the American Academy of Religion, date and place not noted. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

By means of a threefold approach--typological analysis of literary forms, investigation of religious ideology, and study of didactic aims and methods--Weinfeld shows that the deuteronomic composition was the creation of scribal circles who began their work some time prior to the reign of Josiah and were still at work after the fall of Judah. Includes a 46-page detailed appendix on deuteronomic phraseology. This volume is a reprint of the 1972 Oxford edition.

Before there was anything, there was God, and a few angels, and a huge swirling glob of rocks and water with no place to go. The angels asked God, "Why don't you clean up this mess?" This collection of short, funny stories is one man's interpretation of how God did just that -- with some very unlikely help. There was Adam, who decided to number the animals instead of giving them names -- until he lost count. There was Max, a matchmaking angel disguised as a camel. And who could forget the kindly dolphins of the Red Sea or the builders of the spectacularly chaotic Tower of Babel, whose foundation rests in one small girl's question: "Mommy, does God have a big toe?" Reflecting Mr. Gellman's lifelong love for his subject, this witty collection of midrashim provides a wonderful way to learn about and to share the stories of the Bible. Distinguished artist Oscar de Mejo brings the right blend of reverence and humor with his magnificent oil paintings. Notable Books of 1989 (NYT) Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1989 (NYT) Children's Books of 1989 (Library of Congress)

Wenham's study on the Book of Leviticus is a contribution to The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Like its companion series on the New Testament, this commentary devotes considerable care to ahieving a balance between technical information and homiletic-devotional interpretation.