The book for this month's Emerging Women book discussion is Hagar, Sarah, and their Children edited by Phyllis Trible and Letty Russell. The book is a collections of essays, originally presented papers, that examine the stories of Hagar and Sarah from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Feminist, and Womanist perspectives. I fully admit that the book was a dense read, but I found in it numerous treasures to ponder and new perspectives to consider. As Russell mentions, "There is a a long tradition of interpretation through rewriting. For instance, the church fathers followed Paul in using allegory to look for a deeper meaning of the story relevant to issues in their own times. Jewish writers made use of midrash in order to interpret the story with a new story. Claiming descent from Abraham and Ishmael for the tribes of the Arabian peninsula, the hadith or collected saying of Muhammad and his companions emphasized Hagar's role as pioneering woman and mother of the faith. Similar patterns of retelling the story are used by feminists of all three faiths as they reflect on their faith traditions, seeking ways to reconcile the two mothers." Having grown up in the conservative evangelical church, my exposure to the stories of Hagar and Sarah were limited and from a certain narrow perspective. I appreciated the overview Trible and Russel gave in chapter 1 of the various uses and interpretations of their stories. It is a wide tradition and Sarah and Hagar have been pushed into a variety of molds over the centuries. Many of the essays in this collected shocked me as they told how the story had been twisted over time. I found too that reading essays from a theological perspective that assumes a priori very different assumptions about the Bible than I was used to was a refreshing experience. Encountering and growing from this wide range of traditions has been a blessing.
I'm not entirely sure how to jump into this particular discussion. I have a feeling that it is a very small group that read the book this time, but as always the conversation is open to all. And while the book is packed with fantastic details that all deserve exploration, I've decided to limit my initial questions to a few more application oriented ones. Feel free to take this conversation wherever you would like, but here are a few questions to get us started.
1. The personal question. What did you like about the book, what didn't you like? What did you learn? What detail, quote, or story stood out to you?
2. What has been your exposure to the story of Hagar and Sarah? What interpretation(s) and applications of their story have you been taught? Did this book change your perspective on them?
3. Throughout the essays we were presented with the numerous ways this story has been interpreted and applied. From Paul claiming Hagar represents the law and Sarah the Christians, to church fathers similarly calling Hagar the synagogue and Sarah the church, to other church fathers using them support theologies of chastity and monogamy these two women have been forced into the molds others have created for them. Instead of letting their stories be told, they were used as examples to shore up some point the interpreter already believed. It made me consider how women in general have been used as pawns to prove/support a man's theology. What has been your experiences with this?
4. In Letty Russell's chapter "Twists and Turns in Paul's Allegory" the point is made that even as Paul was attempting to convey liberating concepts in his allegory of Hagar and Sarah in Galatians, he did so at the expense of some of those he was trying to help (namely women and slaves). Do you see that in the passage? Have you experienced unintended hurt (racism, sexism, ageism...) even when someone is trying to help?
5. As a result of the various interpretations of Hagar's story, Phyllis Trible notes that "Hagar has become a symbol with whom oppressed and rejected women can identify. She is 'the faithful maid exploited, the black woman used by the male and abused by the female of the ruling class, the surrogate mother, the resident alien without legal recourse, the pregnant young woman alone, the expelled wife, the homeless woman, the welfare mother." Do you resonate or find hope in these interpretations?
Feel free to add your own questions. I look forward to our discussion.
I have only made it through half of the book at this point. I will attempt to put into words what I think at this point.
It has been "deep" read for me. I know this sounds bad, but I haven't even read in my own Bible these stories, other than the bits and pieces I read in Sunday school as a child.
To answer a couple of questions:
1.)
I have realized in reading this book, and others recently, that the "minimal" exposure I have had in the "Christian" world doesn't even begin to scrape the surface. I also, appreciated the summary, and found many things very thought provoking. I am always amazed when I realize that a little tidbit can take on a whole different meaning or view than what I was given.
I realized how much I really didn't know about the "other" faith traditions, especially the Muslim side. The more sensitive I have become of these faith traditions, my perspectives have greatly changed, along with many stereotypes I had been taught.
2.)
I had been exposed to these stories, but ironically, in reading this book, I realized I had never really thought much about them. I had been taught these stories over and over, and yet it felt as if I was reading it for the first time. I think I was the most impacted thinking about Hagar. I had mixed emotions. I had a hard time realizing that she really had been disregarded as a living human being. Not just in the narrative, but even within my faith tradition. She was just a slave, just a "thing". We may have felt bad for her, but it's as if no one ever really thought of being in her shoes, position etc. I never had thought much about the connection of God with Hagar nor the promise of blessings. Neither had I really thought of the differences between Sarah in the narrative and Hagar. So much has been about "Father Abraham" and God's blessing through him -in direct connection with "my" faith tradition-that had been the "important thing". Again, so many things I just had never even thought about.
3. Even though I know that many of Paul's writings or interpretations of his writings greatly impacted my view of "being a Christian", I have realized how much I had not directly studied all of these implications myself. I am somewhat grateful that I haven't, in that, now that I have opened to other thinking, I feel I can approach those writings with a different eye. My experience, however, within many of my churches is that Paul and his writings were "extremely important". Sometimes, I feel that if compared with Jesus' teachings, Paul's writings would override Jesus.
Men have through time certainly twisted many concepts to fit their own ideas. I find it refreshing to hear from a feminine perspective, as men in general, especially in ancient times, wrote within cultural context as well as their own personal context.
As for 4 and 5:
I will add briefly.
I definitely have been hurt even when someone was trying to be helpful. We all are human, and make mistakes. I feel Paul has been put so far on top, that people forget he was a human, with human feelings, thoughts, opinions, and judgements.
Hagar has definitely taken on a different image in my mind. I feel more sensitive to "others" and she has become much more than the mowed over slave.
As a last comment, I appreciate these books and discussions. I have read more than ever. Books such as this are extremely challenging and "deep". I sometimes feel they are way over my head. Each step of the way, however, I have taken away some new thoughts, considerations, and perspectives. Other worlds have opened that I find completely fascinating...worlds I never thought I would enter.
While reading this book, I heard about a lectureship being presented through one of the local Jewish temples. The first night was held at our local university. The speaker was a Jewish professor who was speaking from a feminist perspective. The night I attended was called "Adam & Eve: Did they Fall or were they Pushed." She was a wonderful speaker, and I learned so many things that night. From translation differences to differing views between the differing faiths. It was awesome.
The only downside was when (always have to have at least one jerk!) a young man, asked her if she had "penis envy". At that point I was snapped back to the reality, that it doesn't matter which faith tradition you come from, views outside of patriarchal thought, die hard.