God's Phallus: And Other Problems for Men and Monotheism
Explores the dilemmas created by the maleness of God for the men of ancient Judaism and for Jewish men today.
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God's Phallus explores the dilemmas created by the maleness of God for the men of ancient Judaism and for Jewish men today. Publishers Weekly In recent years, feminists have argued that male images of God in the biblical religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have served to diminish the power of women within these faiths. Yet, while such conversations have focused primarily on gender and the traits of masculinity, little attention has been paid to male sexuality itself or to the problems it engenders for men. Eilberg-Schwartz here opens that issue, contending that making God in a man's sexual image either requires the feminization of the man or implies a homoerotic relationship between father and son. Through a detailed study of the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and Freud, the author demonstrates the tensions latent in any tradition within which men must engage the image of God's phallus. Eilberg-Schwartz brings to this study a rich experience of writing about both the body and Judaism, and readers will be greatly rewarded by his careful scholarship and crisp writing. While the book challenges feminist assertions about gender and religion, it is a significant contribution to the ongoing conversation about the centrality of sexuality to religion. (Aug.)
AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroduction: The Divine Phallus and the Dilemmas of Masculinity1Pt. IDivine FatherhoodCh. 1Feminism, Freud, and the Father God13Ch. 2Analytic Phallusies30Pt. IIGod's Body: The Divine Cover-UpCh. 3The Averted Gaze59Ch. 4Indecent Exposures81Ch. 5Genital Speculation110Pt. IIIFor the Love of GodCh. 6Unmanning Israel137Ch. 7Women Rabbis and the Orchard of Heavenly Delights163Pt. IVLike Father, Like Sons?Ch. 8A Sexless Father and His Procreating Sons199Ch. 9The Virgin Birth and the Sons of God223Conclusion: Embracing Our Fathers: Theological Musings of a Son238Notes243References281Index305
\ Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly\ In recent years, feminists have argued that male images of God in the biblical religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have served to diminish the power of women within these faiths. Yet, while such conversations have focused primarily on gender and the traits of masculinity, little attention has been paid to male sexuality itself or to the problems it engenders for men. Eilberg-Schwartz here opens that issue, contending that making God in a man's sexual image either requires the feminization of the man or implies a homoerotic relationship between father and son. Through a detailed study of the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and Freud, the author demonstrates the tensions latent in any tradition within which men must engage the image of God's phallus. Eilberg-Schwartz brings to this study a rich experience of writing about both the body and Judaism, and readers will be greatly rewarded by his careful scholarship and crisp writing. While the book challenges feminist assertions about gender and religion, it is a significant contribution to the ongoing conversation about the centrality of sexuality to religion. (Aug.)\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalIn psychological and cultural terms, what society has become can be based on the known and unknown anatomical features of God. Eilberg-Schwartz (The Savage in Judaism, Indiana Univ. Pr., 1990) has used texts of the Hebrew Bible, psychology (mostly Freudian), and feminism to explore the unanticipated and unconscious effects of combining gender and religious symbolism. What is left after the analysis is society's inability to imagine the divine body because of the difficulties in addressing the consequences. The author draws personal conclusions in her exploration of masculinity and monotheism but overall provides unbiased challenges to known conceptions that men as well as women experience difficulty in the worship of a male God. A scholarly book appropriate for larger collections.-L. Kriz, Sioux City P.L., Ia.\ \ \ BooknewsComplementing the many feminist studies on how the maleness of the Jewish and Christian god impacts women, Eilberg-Schwartz (religious studies, Stanford U.) examines the dilemmas it has created for Jewish men from the time of ancient Judaism to the present. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
