The Woman's Bible

Chapter I:

First, the author discussed the first Genesis story, and the importance of the Genesis 1: 26-29, in which God created man in his own image, male and female. The author explained that this meant that male and female were equally represented. She also elucidated that this meant that the multiplicity of beings, usually interpreted as the Holy Trinity, would be more rationally represented as a Heavenly Father, Mother, and Son, since male and female were created from God's image. In other words, since male and female were both created from God's image, God must contain male and female personages. The author also pointed out that without female, nature would not exist, since without females, males could not reproduce. Thus, in order for the natural order to persist, female must be created, and had equal importance in the creation of humanity. She also noted that equal dominion was given to both male and female, granting them authority over all things God created in nature. Furthermore, the first Genesis story did not contain any information stating that female would be subjected to male.

Secondly, the author explained that the two creations stories were entirely different, and very contradictory. She noted that these stories were written far after the time the story originated, and were translated directly onto the same leather roll. It was very easy, thus, for the translators to make mistakes and to confuse or fuse certain aspects of the two stories. Furthermore, the author discussed the concept of Elohim and Iahveh, one used more prominently in Genesis 1 (Elohim) and the other more prominent in Genesis 2-3 (Iahveh). Thus, this led to the naming of the different Genesis stories Elohistic and Iahoistic. She then listed six differences between the two creations stories.

1) The order of creation in the first Genesis story ended with the creation of mankind, male and female together. The second Genesis story ended with creation of women, and man was created before the animals and plants.

2) In the first, male and female are created together. In the second, man was created from clay, while woman was created from man, after man (obviously).

3) Man and woman have joint dominion over all things created, without limit. In the second, woman is subjected to man.

4) In the first, everything was characterized as "good." The second story contained many good things, but also contained an element of evil, the Tree of Knowledge.

5) In the first, man and woman can eat from every tree, while the second had a forbidden tree.

6) In the first, all animals were under the rule of the male and female (including the snake). In the second story, the snake was given power over Adam and Eve, and even proved himself "more truthful" than God.

The author then explained her view about the second story. She was more inclined to believe in the first story, and predicted that the second story was merely manipulated by a Jewish author, in order to given males "heavenly authority" over woman when they married. Also, the author further exemplified the notion that a duality of beings in one God would explain how male and female could be created both in the image of God in the first Genesis story. Thus, God must contain female and male aspects.

Chapter II:

Here, the author shared her interpretations of Genesis II: 21-25, in which Eve was created from Adam, and Adam declared his emotional and physical connection to her. She explained that she believed the second Genesis story was "a mere allegory, symbolizing some mysterious conception of a highly imaginative editor." In other words, she did not interpreted the second story literally. The first creation story glorified woman equally as man was glorified, but the second made woman second-best, a "second thought" in the ultimate creation of the universe. The second story glorified Adam in the beginning, but did not do so equally with Eve.

She further explained that the Old Testament and New Testament, through Genesis 1, both agree that man and woman were created equally and at the same time. Paul in fact stated that there would be no inequality between man and woman, despite their differences, for they are all "one in Christ." Furthermore, the author explained that the origin of evil and sin existed before the fall of man, and thus, woman was not originally the cause of sin.

The author went further to discuss that Adam's proclamation of Eve, "bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh," was a clear indicator of the equality of man and woman, since there was no "hint of her subordination." Also, the word woman indicated that she was a man, in fact more than a man from the literal translation and her maternity. This was why woman became the head of the household.

Chapter III:

Here, the author discussed Adam Clarke, who was completely baffled by the concept of the snake. Because of the snakes speech and clear control and equal or greater intelligence than man, Clarke attempted to argue that the snake had a much more anthropologic form, an ourangoutang. However, he came to the conclusion that it had to be a snake. Furthermore, a professor at Yale argued that the fruit could not have been an apple, since it did not grow in the area, and believe the fruit was a quince.

Secondly, the author described the many ideas that arise from Genesis 2-3, such as "the doctrines of original sin, the fall of man and woman, and the curses of the snake, female, and male. The author then mention the Darwin theory of evolution, describing it as hopeful and encouraging. It seemed that the Genesis 1 story had much more similarity to the evolution theory as opposed to the second, which created man, the highest creature in complexity and intelligence, first, before its subordinates. The author then described that the second Genesis story should be interpreted as a demonstration of the "courage, dignity, and lofty ambition of the woman." She was not tempted by materialistic goods, such as jewels, pleasures, luxuries, but by the "promise of knowledge, with the wisdom of the Gods." The fact that she pursued knowledge rather than materialistic goods clearly exemplified her superiority to man. Furthermore, her curse of painful child births seemed to merely increase the heroism of a woman, and in fact gave her more room for respect and dignity. The act of child birth, one that is essential to our existence, requires that a woman go through pain and agony in order to produce this miracle. Thus, the notion that a woman sacrifices her life for the rest of humanity clearly brings her to a level greater than man in this aspect of life.

The curse of woman's subjection to men, the author explained, was merely an idea to make woman subordinate to men in cultures. However, as historians have proven, woman in some ancient societies had dominant roles and experienced freedoms equal to and surpassing some men. However, at one point in history, this shifted to a dominantly male ruled society, due to certain beliefs such that stories like Genesis 2-3 produced. Furthermore, Clarke explained that psychologist predict that humans will eventually develop a sixth sense, one that can read minds and communicate without speech. Since the snake demonstrated superior knowledge and control over Adam and Eve, Clarke explained that the snake must have possessed this sixth sense.

Also, the author explained that there was always a "fall of man" but never a fall of woman. However, it was clear that Eve had superiority to Adam in many aspects of the second Genesis story. Even though Adam was given the command to not eat from the Tree directly from God, Eve was merely repeated this order from Adam, not directly from God. Another demonstration of Eve's superiority was as follows. The serpent, who was "supernaturally endowed," (according to the author, not the text), attempted to encourage Eve to eat from the Tree. Eve at first does not listen to the serpent, and resists his temptation. It was when she realized that she would live forever, and thus possessed an immortal soul, that she finally gave in and ate the fruit, deciding that knowledge was good reason to eat from the Tree. Adam, however, was merely instructed to eat from the Tree because his wife told him to do so. Not only did Eve not possess supernaturally powers like the snake, but Adam was directly told by God not to eat from it. Thus, Adam was the inferior being, and his sin was more at fault then Eve's. Furthermore, Adam cowardly shielded himself behind Eve when accused of his sin by God. Thus, Adam's inability to accept responsibility for his actions clearly demonstrated lack of superiority over Eve. Lastly, the author noted that the actual text called the woman Life, rather than Eve (designating evil). Thus, "Life" was the origin of all life, and was essential to the persistence of the human race.