YHWH and Marginalization: Israel’s Widows and Abuelita Theology Katrina Armas
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the Lorberbaum argues that the theological message underlying the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The idea of human first chapters of Genesis is that humanity is created or born in the rights—fundamental rights for each human irrespective of his image of the divine king (read with the backdrop of royal theology prevalent in the ancient Near East). Different interpretations or her gender, social status, or origin1—is a characteristic of our offer a range of meaning for what it means to be made in God’s modern world and a fruit of the Enlightenment. However, many image. For example, one understanding is that God created for scholars believe that the tradition-historical root of human himself an image to serve as an extension of himself on earth. rights is the Hebrew Bible, as its ideas of social justice remained Other interpretations assume there is “a divine spark” in human subversively effective, impacting modern views of social justice.2 beings that establishes humanity and grants humans unique The theology of the book of Deuteronomy and the anthropology status among God’s creation. This view assumes that the divine of the creation traditions of the Hebrew Bible had a deep impact image is the basis for the equality in principle among human on the formation of the modern world, particularly as it pertains beings, for all are in the image of the Creator.4 to justice for the marginalized in society. Going further, some have likened human dignity to When it comes to human rights, ancient Israel was the imago Trinitatis, drawing out the relational dynamics commanded by YHWH to protect and honor the dignity of one of equality, mutuality, and reciprocity. of society’s most vulnerable groups: widows. Today, Christian theology still expects care Where the imago Dei is Catherine La Cugna argues that this characterizes the intra-relationality of the for the “least of these” (recall Matt 25:40), particularly those who may not seem to degraded or humiliated in persons of the Trinity.5 Dignity of human have anything to contribute to society. This one of us, so it is for all of us. persons is to be understood in relationality. As James Hanvey argues, dignity has a social not only has physical implications, but dimension: “in some way our dignity, qua Christians are left to wonder about honoring our person and identity not just our status, is held in and by the the vulnerable theologically. What role do the vulnerable play ‘we’ of our relationships. In terms of theology, we encounter here in shaping theological understandings? Modern theologies, the reality of solidarity which has both natural and supernatural including womanist and mujerista theologies, have attempted dimensions.”6 The natural dimension that Hanvey refers to to answer these questions. is the moral obligation we owe every person by virtue of our In our modern contexts, poor, marginalized women or the common humanity. abuelitas (grandmothers) in our midst are often overlooked for In On Human Dignity, Jürgen Moltmann encapsulates this many of the same reasons widows were overlooked in the ancient idea of human dignity and common humanity, particularly world. These factors include age, physical vulnerability, social the struggle between having dignity and actualizing it—the status, and gender. However, these abuelitas have historically foundation for abuelita theology. Moltmann argues that, served as unofficial theologians and backbones of the faith. This article will introduce and expand on a lesser-known theological Human dignity lies in the fact that each particular concept, namely, abuelita theology. It will argue that YHWH’s human being and all human beings are, in common, instructions concerning widows in the Hebrew Bible are human . . . this presupposes the difference between foundational to understanding abuelita theology as a theology the existence and the essence of the human being: that upholds the dignity of marginalized women. The human being is a human being, and ought to be a
The Basis for Human Rights and Dignity
When considering the dignity of humans, it is important to begin at the beginning, as the creation narrative sets a basis for how all persons—even those who do not seem to have anything to contribute to society—are to be understood. Much like the widow in ancient Israel, abuelitas often fall into a similar, marginalized category, as they are physically vulnerable and unable to provide for themselves. However, how does the imago Dei speak into the dignity of persons? Yair Lorberbaum explains that the concept of human dignity and the sanctity of human life is historically bound up with the biblical idea of humankind created in the divine image.3 Similarly,
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human being. The being-a-human contains his or her humanity initially only as possibility, but not yet as constant reality.7
He then explains what happens when the hominitas (being human purely in the sense of belonging to the zoological species) and the humanitas (human nature, civilization, and kindness) are at odds, putting the humanitas at risk: It can be actualized, but it can also be blocked. So the dignity of human beings consists in this, that they are human and should be human. Their existence is gift and task simultaneously. It presents them with the
Priscilla Papers | 35/1 | Winter 2021 • 3
