How can women “Rise to Life” amid gender-based violence? Rev. Dr Janet Wootton has recently retired as a Congregational Minister and Director of Studies for the Congregational Federation. She is on the editorial committee of Feminist Theology Journal, and an active supporter of movements against the trafficking of women, and for gender equality. She is an author and hymn-writer.
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here is an extraordinary story at the end of the book of Judges (chs 19-21). It begins and ends with the assertion that there was at this time ‘no King in Israel’ (vv 19:1, 21:25) and the whole event takes place against the backdrop of a society that is sliding into confusion and chaos. Through this lawless landscape, a small-time religious leader (a Levite) sets out in pursuit of his concubine (a sort of sex-slave, owned by a man as part of his household), who has run away back to her father. Far from protecting his daughter, her father welcomes the Levite with open arms, and the two men get drunk together. On the way home, the Levite accepts overnight hospitality in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, but a night-time mob storms the house, demanding sex. The terrified Levite throws his concubine out to the crowd, who rape her, all through the night, till she is dead. Devastatingly, she dies at the threshold of the house where she is staying, with her hands stretched out to the door, which is closed against her. What follows is akin to bitter farce. Burning with rage at the violence committed by the Benjaminites, the men of the tribes of Israel, muster for war. Ah, but they are also tortured by remorse – ‘How can we rise up against one of our own tribes?’ What to do? They turn to the Lord, who tells them to fight. So they slaughter the Benjaminites, destroying men, women and children. Right! But then they are racked with remorse again. ‘Now that we have killed all the women, the survivors of Benjamin will die out’. Oh no! And, back when they were still burning with rage, they all swore an oath not to give their daughters to the men of Benjamin. Oops! But, hang on, there is one town whose men-folk weren’t there when the oath was sworn. Aha! So they rush off to that town, slaughter the men, plus the married women and children, and carry the virgin women off to give to the Benjaminites. And when that isn’t enough – well, read it for yourself. It’s not pleasant. 42 INSiGHT MARCH 2022
