Customer Reviews

Battered Love (Overtures to Biblical Theology)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Battered Love is about how the Hebrew Bible prophets portrayed the relationship between Israel and God. Many times the metaphor of God as husband and Israel as wife was used.

Weems points out in a fascinating study, that God was often portrayed as setting up all the rules and that strict obediance of the rules was necessary for people of Israel, the subordinate partner in the divine/human relationship. If the Israelites disobeyed the rules, then God was permitted to beat up Israel. If Israel later returned to God, then God would love Israel again.

Renita Weems explains how a metaphor works and how metaphors are used by people. Furthermore she explains quite lucidly that for many people the human husband represented God, and the wife represented the subordinate partner. Therefore, husbands throughout the centuries have believed that they have permission to beat up their disobedient wives. Renita Weems especially looks at the prophets Ezekiel, Hosea, and Jeremiah to prove her case.

Words do hurt!

Even if you have no real interest in women in the Bible this book is beneficial. Weems aptly explains the use of metaphor in scripture with regard to textual interpretation. If I have a small criticism it is that she over-explains just a little bit, but her writing here is applicable to many scriptural texts as a basis for understanding context. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in better understanding the Bible as a whole.

If you are particularly interested in women in the Bible you will find this book fascinating. If you enjoy studying prophecy you will find this book insightful. It's an easy read - it won't take much of your time to read it, and the benefit is well worth it.

Oh my goodness. This book has a good point, which it makes over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. In different words. In a different order. With different emphasis. She could have said what she wanted to say in a magazine article and left it at that. Got it.

Prof. Weems has contributed a helpful critique of the social implications inherent in the Prophets' choice of metaphors. This book will alter - for the better - the way you view the Hebrew Prophets, God, and yourself.

Overall, I found this book was rather interesting. The writing was solid and easy to understand.
However, the author made the assumption that the reader would agree with the basic premise that the biblical world was an inherently sexist society, in which women had no status. While I would agree with that, since she did not examine or support her presumtions, it made her conclusions harder to accept because she did not lay a good foundation. She does seem to presume that the reader would have more difficulty with the role of metaphor in the Bible.
In essence my low rating comes from the viewpoint, that I wanted more content in the structures of sexism within ancient Israel rather than an explanation of metaphor in the Bible. I should say I was torn between giving this book three or four stars. If there was a button for three and a half, that is probably what I would have given it.