Reading notes: Bible women, part A

Michaelangelo's "The Creation of Eve." Source: Wikipedia

I started taking notes at the very beginning of humankind -- with Eve. Most of what I took out of these readings was the theme echoed in all the stories, but I did take note of one sentence in Eve's story. When Eve was created, Adam called her the "bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh." I thought that imagery was really beautiful.

Beyond that, though, I took note of what I've always hated about this story: the way Eve was blamed for the eating of the apple. It's true that she was the first to eat the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, but Adam did not refuse when she offered it to him -- yet he told God, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of tree, and I did eat." And let's not forget that the original sin was caused by the serpent -- a male serpent.

Tissot's "Jacob and Rachel at the Well." Source:
Wikipedia

The theme I mentioned above is that of childbirth -- that women's main purpose is to bear children for their husbands. That theme emerged in the very first story of the Bible, when Eve was punished for eating the apple with painful childbirth.

That theme continues with the stories of Leah and Rachel, the sisters who both married Jacob. Because the conflict of these stories lies in Rachel's jealousy that Leah could bear children but she could not, it's clear that at the time, women's only purpose was to bear children (specifically sons) for their husbands.

Honestly, my main other takeaway from this story was sympathizing with Dinah. Could you imagine being the only girl with 12 brothers and half-brothers -- especially in a society that valued men far above women?

The last Bible women story I took notes on was that of Hagar. Again, the crux of the story was Sarah's and Hagar's abilities to bear children. When Sarah thought she was too old to have a child, she instructed Hagar to bear one instead. But then God bore Sarah a son, Isaac, and she grew angry and refused to have Hagar's son, Ishmael, share an inheritance with her son.

Tiepolo's "Hagar in the Wilderness." Source: Wikipedia

What stood out to me was Hagar leaving Ishmael under the shrub to die. It was obviously difficult for her -- she prayed that she wouldn't have to witness his death -- but why did she leave him to die? Out of fear of Sarah? The story left me wondering.

When thinking of my own storytelling, I want to explore the theme of women's purpose further. We're worth more than just childbirth, and I want to write about it. I also hope to emulate the beautiful language in Genesis that I mentioned.