A hermeneutics of sexual identity: A challenge to conservative religious discourse

Verbum et Ecclesia

 
 
Field Value
 
Title A hermeneutics of sexual identity: A challenge to conservative religious discourse
 
Creator Hill, Samuel
 
Subject philosophy, hermeneutics homogenital acts; queer theory; Deuteronomistic history; Jewish national grand narrative; politics of survival
Description I argue that since two significant periods (that form part of what is called ‘Deuteronomistic history’) in the history of the Jews contributed to the development of the Biblical narrative in the format that we have it in today, it can be said that what we have in the Old Testament is really a Jewish national grand narrative. As such, part of the function of this text is to create a strong national identity for the purpose of a people to survive as a people in a hostile environment. Understanding the Old Testament (specifically the books Genesis to II Kings) in this way, and using the insights of the queer theorist Judith Butler with regard to performativity and interpellation, I demonstrate that the Biblical narrative, while condemning homogenital acts, nevertheless has limited application when trying to establish normative guidelines around contemporary issues regarding sexual identity, especially homosexuality, since laws and attitudes that are seen to proscribe homogenital activity arose in a context of a politics of survival.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2009-11-06
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Hermeneutic
Format application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ve.v30i2.92
 
Source Verbum et Ecclesia; Vol 30, No 2 (2009); 6 pages 2074-7705 1609-9982
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/92/278
 
Coverage South Africa 2007-2008 N/A
Rights Copyright (c) 2009 Samuel Hill https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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