Should we take a contemporary viewpoint or opinion and try to make it universal?
How did ancient societies view rape?
Famous rape stories include the rape of the Sabine women by the males followers of Romulus (the mythical founder of Rome) ...
he Rape is supposed to have occurred in the early history of Rome, shortly after its founding by Romulus and his mostly male followers. Seeking wives in order to found families, the Romans negotiated unsuccessfully with theSabines, who populated the area. Fearing the emergence of a rival society, the Sabines refused to allow their women to marry the Romans. Consequently, the Romans planned to abduct Sabine women, during a festival ofNeptune Equester and proclaimed the festival among Rome's neighbours. According to Livy, many people from Rome's neighbours including folk from the Caeninenses, Crustumini, and Antemnates, and many of the Sabines attended. At the festival Romulus gave a signal, at which the Romans grabbed the Sabine women and fought off the Sabine men. The indignant abductees were soon implored by Romulus to accept Roman husbands. Livy is clear that no sexual assault took place. On the contrary, Romulus offered them free choice and promised civic and property rights to women. According to Livy, Romulus spoke to them each in person, "and pointed out to them that it was all owing to the pride of their parents in denying the right of intermarriage to their neighbours. They would live in honourable wedlock, and share all their property and civil rights, and—dearest of all to human nature—would be the mothers of free men." [2] War with the Sabines and other tribesOutraged at the occurrence, the king of the Caeninenses entered upon Roman territory with his army. Romulus and the Romans met the Caeninenses in battle, killed their king, and routed their army. Romulus later attacked Caenina and took it upon the first assault. Returning to Rome, Romulus dedicated a temple to Jupiter Feretrius (according to Livy, the first temple dedicated in Rome) and offered the spoils of the enemy king as spolia opima. According to theFasti Triumphales, Romulus celebrated a triumph over the Caeninenses on 1 March 752 BC. [3] |
And then in the OT, there is the attempted rape of a levite (therefore, male) by Israelites from the tribe of Benjamin. The storyteller takes a while to get to the point of his story (starts in Judges 19:1), but by verse 22 he has the house where the levite is an overnight guest surrounded by the men of the city. Let the NIV continue ...
| While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.” |
The Levite seems to have a headache that day and his host offers his virgin daughter and his guest concubine (maybe wife) to them (heard this one before, havn't you?). so the levite takes his concubine/wife outside for the sexually ravenous men to screw, which they do all night long (GOOD STORY, HUH?).
You can read the rest for yourself, but particularly note the reaction of the rape victim's husband/owner.
As a result of this rape, there's a war by Israel against the Benjaminites, which results in Yahweh insisting that the Benjaminites by massacred and their cities burnt down. Most of the Benjaminites are dead (600 survivors) and apparently no women are left. So the other tribes then wonder about the survival of the 12 tribes (gotta have 12 tribes still around for the Revelation, haha) and the other tribes will not let THEIR women marry any surviving Benjaminite. So they decided then to kill all the men, women and children in the region of Jabesh-gilead, except virgins (did that need a digital examination?) and to give the proven virgins to the surviving Benjaminites, thuis ensuring there still will be 12 tribes for the Revelation author to discourse about.
You'll find an interesting discussion about this rape in http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/concubine-of-levite-bible
in the case of both the Sabine women and the Jabesh-gilead women, their experience was surely rape, but apparently not REAL rape (me being facetious again)
Be sure to note Yahweh's part in all this story of sex and mayhem.