Bible translators do women great injustice
Matthew 12:9-13
9: And when he was departed from there he went into their synagogue 10: And behold there was a person [invisible women] who had the hand withered And they inquired of him saying Is it Lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him 11: And he said to them What person [invisible women] shall there be among you that shall have one sheep and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day will they [invisible women] not lay hold on it and lift it out? 12: How much then is a person [invisible women] better than a sheep? Because of this it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days 13: Then he said to the person [invisible women] Stretch forth your hand And [it was] [invisible women] stretched forth and it was restored whole like as the other
Comments: Matthew 12:9-13 Neither the text nor context of this passage gives any indication of whether the person with the withered hand was male or female. The Greek word, Strong’s G444, anthropos, which was translated as man can mean a male human when context indicates, but just as often means human being, or generically every individual human.
All the text indicates in this passage is that the person with the withered hand was a human being. In this passage, women have been **eliminated from the Bible—wiped out of the picture of possibilities—six times in only four verses.
Extrapolate this ratio across the whole of scripture, and the number of times women are deleted from the Bible by gender-biased-Bible-translators is astonishing.
** The Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible do not discriminate against women in this way. It is self-appointed gate-keepers-of-knowledge, of which Bible translators are at the top, that do women such great injustice.
Jocelyn Andersen is author of, Woman this is WAR! Gender Slavery and the Evangelical Caste System.
What readers are saying
For those who take the pursuit of truth seriously: This book is well written, well researched, and a real eye opener. When one is changed by the spirit of God and comes into right relationship with Him, through Jesus, then the words of the Bible come alive, and He is revealed on every page. The honest student of scripture will look into the Greek, and Hebrew text, to know what is said to understand "apparent" contradictions. The scripture was not written in English. What is very clear in the text is that men and women in God's church (not the institutions) are equal in worth before God, and there is no such thing as "men rule and women submit". The false "teachers" in Christianity need to be exposed for their greed and lust for power over others. I believe that process will be ongoing. ~~ Elise (5-stars)
A unique approach to the modern-day evangelical "war" over women: Andersen is a gifted writer, and the book was easy to read even as it covers thoughtful and sometimes technical information. I am glad I read it. I’ve read a great deal about women in the church and home, and it is easy to think there is nothing new to be learned or considered – but this book has a unique approach and covers aspects overlooked by others. Everything is well documented with footnotes in case you have questions or want sources.
Andersen, from time to time in the book, had an idea that I, myself, considered quirky and could not agree with, yet usually these things were not critical to the overall argument and not a concern to me. There is a place for quirky, and unique thoughts can get us thinking! However, I had more serious concerns with the chapter on Trinitarian marriage and views of Jesus, but this is a technical issue. However, I think that Jesus being the eternal Son, eternally begotten of the Father, is an important teaching – and I disagree with Incarnational Sonship views. I also think there is more than ample evidence that the Johannine Comma is an interpolation. But that is said respectfully, as the author is not only a gifted writer but clearly well-studied and informed.
In the opening chapters of this book, I had never made the connection between the abolitionist or anti-slavery movement in the late 1800’s and the women’s rights movement. As Christian women back then began to speak out against slavery, they took push-back and criticism because they were stepping outside the women’s sphere of the home – and speaking in public, even from pulpits, when an anti-slavery meeting would take place in a church. There is interaction in the book with Frederick Douglas who saw similarities between how women and blacks were treated. Women were bound by a caste system too, thus the book’s subtitle: Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System.
From the book: “Women’s rights movements rarely seem to have begun from what would have been a legitimate effort to simply better the condition of women themselves, but rather out of frustration from attempting to better the condition of others and finding themselves seriously handicapped in the process.” (page 34-35)
Early feminists were Christians and they, along with modern evangelical Christian feminists, are sadly mis-characterized, sometimes grossly, by certain Christians and complementarians. It is shameful, but more than that it is unfair. They should at least fight fair. They sadly often do not, truly distorting Christian egalitarian views.
There is much food for thought and “prophetic” words – meaning much needed straightforward truth speaking. Perhaps the book title seems a bit extreme, but it really is not.
Finally, I was pleased that translation bias was covered in a chapter, an issue that needs to be addressed, and one that I find quite hard to bring up with lay people or everyday believers who lack knowledge about Bible translation. We can trust our Bibles, but we also need to acknowledge that certain passages are hard to translate, and bias can come into play. ~~ L. Martin (4-stars)
An Eye-opening Look at Societal issues Among Christians: If you think Jocelyn Andersen's title of her book is inflammatory and loaded with gender-bias, please note that she is quoting the attitude of John MacArthur in his introduction to "The Fulfilled Family," "Gentlemen, don't even think about marriage until you have mastered the art of warfare."
Andersen shares with us the horrific pattern she discovered in her research—a pattern of war against women—especially in Christian churches. Although disagreements abound between denominations, the attitude toward women is very similar in nearly all of them. Even some women join in the war against women. Although similar to the cold war against the USSR, with propaganda and innuendo being the key tools, it is also a war that has been and is being waged from many pulpits. Scripture has been twisted, mistranslated, and misinterpreted, and the twists, mistranslations, and misinterpretations repeated until a large majority of Christians believe the human changes to scripture ARE scripture, and insist that to deviate from the misinformation they have been taught is to rebel against God. ~~ Waneta Dawn (5-stars)
Game Changer: Living in a predominantly Baptist area, women are taught to submit to their husbands. And I have struggled with what was being preached behind the pulpit many, many times.
Ms. Andersen’s novel is a game changer. We shouldn’t simply accept what is being interpreted and fed to us. We should do our research and not be afraid to question inconsistencies.
~~ Kristine (5-stars)
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