by cantleave 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
The Jephthah story has a parallel in the Greek myth of Idomeneus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idomeneus
"After the war, his ship hit a terrible storm. Idomeneus promised Poseidon that he would sacrifice the first living thing he saw when he returned home if Poseidon would save his ship and crew. The first living thing was his son, whom Idomeneus duly sacrificed."
Some references for Jephthah's daughter's story are:
Phyllis TRIBLE, Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives, OBT 13, Philadelphia, Fortress Press 1984; David MARCUS, Jephthah and his Vow, Lubbok, Texas Tech University Press 1986; Peggy L. DAY, From the Child is Born the Woman: The Story of Jephthah's Daughter, in Peggy L. DAY, Gender and Difference in Ancient Israel, Minneapolis, Fortress Press 1989, pp. 58-74; Esther FUCHS, Marginalization, Ambiguity, Silencing: The Story of Jephthah's Daughter, in <Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion> 5 (1989), pp. 35-45.
On the more general issue of child sacrifice in ancient Israel see Paul G. MOSCA, Child Sacrifice in Canaanite and Israelite Religion: A Study in Mulk and mlk, Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University 1975.
Without being able to comment on the Hebrew used, here's why that story never made sense: the fact that anybody should have to be sacrificed to YHWH, who apparently doesn't like that sort of thing, swayed me towards the Borg's conclusion. But then some things didn't add up--why did he bewail the fact that his daughter came out? If he'd intended to send her to become a celibate priestess, why would he be in so much grief? Wouldn't disappointment over lack of heirs be a better emotion? And wouldn't it be better to say that you give "a servant" instead of "a burnt offering" to YHWH, if that's what he really did?
Also, the translations were so inconsistent. You've got the Not Well Translated's PC version of events, where the girls "give commendation" to Jepthah's daughter year after year. And then you have some Bibles that claim the women went to lament over the fate of Jepthah's daughter every year. I like the NRSV, and that one says they "lament" Jepthah's daughter. I'm sorry, but if she's a priestess, don't you think they should be happy for her by now, and get over it? But a sacrificed virgin, on the other hand....that's a real tragedy.
Especially if she were hot.
I don't remember where I read this, but there was a discussion that it was customary for the Hebrew wife to greet her husband when he returned from battle. Maybe a-more-treacherous-than-the-bible-discloses Jephthah made the vow with this understanding - believing his wife would be the one running out to meet him after he returned victorious. Maybe YHWH saw through the underlying treachery and "arranged" for his wife to be otherwise occupied when Jephthah returned from battle.
It does seem that Jephthah sacrificed his own daughter. The bible contains some terrible things people did, some even in God's name. But the fact is that nowhere in that text does it say God actually condoned what Jephthah did. There are scriptures against such practices as child sacrifice. I do not understand why God is being blamed for Jephthah's actions?
We see the same situation today all over the earth, violence and killing, is God responsible for it all if the bible says he created man, or don't we have to live according to our own consciences? We have free will after all. Peace, Lilly
Lovely,
Isn't Jephthah given favorable mention Hebrews?
Hebrews mentioned lots of people who were faithful to God but yet did very bad things; David is mentioned although he committed adultery and had a women's husband killed, Rahab the prostitute is in there also, as well as others who committed serious sin. The Bible does not whitewash over the bad things that humans have done, even if they did it in the name of God.
How many of us have never sinned? You may feel some sins are worse then others. But to God, a sin is a sin and there are no varying degrees of it. However, even though we sin, we can still at the end of our lives, be considered an example to others for our faith. As long as we have life left, we can turn ourselves around, repent and come closer to God.
Jephthath showed remorse about his decision. Yes, God could have told him not to do it. But maybe he allowed it to teach Jephthah an important lesson, along with his daughter. As after all, she did not run away from being sacrificed did she? Perhaps she also felt God condoned her sacrifice. Pehaps the example was for others not to make the same mistake Jephthah and his daughter did? I don't know.
The point is though, whether it was a lesson or not, just because God did not stop it, does not mean he condoned the sacrifice. Also, just because Jephthah later was mentioned as being faithful to God, does not mean God condoned all his actions either. We know he did not condon David's sin, did he?
The bible is too ambiguous in Jephthah text to get the entire view of God's feelings about this practice, so we have to look at other scriptures in additon to this;
There are several verses that indicate that God is against child sacrifice. God expressly forbids it:
and its practice is described as evil:
Behold Lilly, a sister in Christ!
You rock, girl!
Sylvia
I have always wondered about this. One simple question would be - if it were not a real burnt offering, then why not just clearly say so - as in "Jepthah's daughter was put in lifetime service as a temple girl" or something like that?
It also brings up the question of why people would do a yearly vigil for her if she were just merely put into Jewish temple service? And, was there really a nun-like service position in ancient Judaism in which girls could not marry?
Methinks the WTS is just dancing around yet another very disturbing Old Testament image with which they are obviously not comfortable. And yet, it is hardly worse than some of the deeds of Samson, or the bears killing off the kids, or some of the sins of King David, etc.
I have a friend who just finished her Masters in theology and is on her way to being an episcopal priest. We talked about this record and she says it was clearly a literal sacrifice. (Doesn't mean god approved...
