Summary: In the first half of the final chapter, Penner and Vander Stichele survey their gender-critical assumptions and reading strategies. Echoing their statements in previous chapters, the systems of interpretation – literary/rhetorical, historical, postcolonial, gender, critical theory - are key to realizing the multiplicity of interpretation that lies within ancient Christian texts. The authors point out the limitations in their argument, as this is only one way of approaching early Christian texts with a gender-critical lens before delving into their key methods. Instrumentality is one approach examined where the reader examines “the ways in which the text operates in and through structures of power” through the use of arguments in the text (p.185). This instrumentality is critical to identifying the ideology-critical nature of gender-criticism according to Vander Stichele and Penner. They argue that this allows the reader to conceptualize the rhetoric used in antiquity. This launches the discussion into the history of rhetoric and the use of progymnasmata manuals within the Greco-Roman world and the influences this had on early Christian writers. Using the rhetorical tropes from the progymnasmata, early Christian writers reconfigured and inverted these forms of argumentation thus undermining the dominant cultural understanding (p.187). This leads the authors to discuss how the actions and interactions with the text are coded in terms of the sociocultural expectations of that gender. After having explained some assumptions and strategies Penner and Vander Stichele use in their gender-critical approach, they explore how this approach is used in the context of reading early Christian texts. They outline the three worlds that David Barr believes the reader deals with when reading texts – the world behind the text, in the text, and in front of the text (p. 195). These approaches to reading ancient texts help the reader assess their own analysis of the text when encountering it.
Analysis: The transformation of Greco-Roman rhetoric that early Christian writers implore is an interesting literary technique. By opposing the norm, Christians assert their authority over non-Christians through the texts. This is an interesting juxtaposition at times and at other times the Christian writes use the classical Greco-Roman rhetorical tropes to emphasize aspects of masculine authority. For example, Paul’s letter to the Corinthians describes that although he is weak, through Christ he is strong. However, in the book of Acts, Paul is portrayed in a more normative masculine light by opposing other male characters or groups by the author. The switch between these two different images of Paul shows how rhetoric was used differently through Acts to assert Paul’s authority as a Christian leader and then asserting God’s superiority over Paul in his weakness. Thus creating an authoritative image of Christianity over any non-Christian traditions.
Summary: In chapter three, Penner and Vander Stichele explore the ways that boundaries and bodies are used within the sociocultural world of ancient Christianity. Beginning with examining the boundaries of the canonical bodies of text, the rhetoric of prominent church fathers are analyzed. These church fathers established the authoritative texts with a predominant male authority, thus “excluding alternative Christian traditions that might bolster female authority and power” (p. 95). This ideology was solidified using language to emphasize male authority and slander anything outside of that. The authors point out that modern scholarly interpretation and gloss over the marginal influences that are left out of canonical texts (p. 101). From the textual bodies, the authors move to cultural bodies that influenced the early Christian texts. The gender-critical lens is described to see these cultural bodies as fluid and porous without rigid structures defining them. Despite this Christians used language to establish a stable cultural image of themselves within their communities. This stabilization is reinforced by creating “an image of the Gentiles as sexually out of control” and Christians as the more stable identity. For example, Paul in Romans 1 refers to Gentiles as being out of control, which the authors argue this displays the effeminate qualities of non-Christians. This rhetorical imagery of “nurturing self-identity in positive terms and in denigrating the outsider” producing a certain image of Christianity using cultural language tropes (p. 109). By emphasizing this point, Penner and Vander Stichele want the reader to understand that although cultural identity may seem structured, it is really in flux with the cultural influences. From culture the authors switch to discussing the socio-political boundaries that exist within the gender-critical lens. By understanding the political aspects, boundaries provide a context to understand the religious traditions in the Greco-Roman world. In antiquity, the prominence of the Roman Empire proved to have a significant influence on Christianity by creating literal boundaries in which people had to follow. Outside of this lay the figurative, rhetorical world in which Christians could set their own imaginative boundaries. It was through these narratives that the Roman Empire could be subverted and the power of Christianity could be asserted. Social settings are then observed in relation to space and its influence on creating boundaries for gender and sex. Through discourse, Christians used space to configure authoritative figures as more powerful than slave, women, and other non-Christians. Penner and Vander Stichele then conclude the chapter by emphasizing the importance of boundaries, whether real or imagined, as these are critical for understanding early Christian discourse on gender, sex, and sexuality.
Analysis: Tertullian was a key figure that played a role in the authors’ arguments on gendered boundaries. Although Tertullian’s arguments are generally seen as incredibly patriarchal, Penner and Vander Stichele point out that his arguments could have been influenced by the socio-political conflicts in North Africa at that time. With a greater understanding of the cultural and political influences, the reader is empowered to view Tertullian’s discourses in a new light. Thus it is important for readers to understand the root of why certain aspects of early Christian discourse are gendered in the way that they are. By critically analyzing behind the text to the socio-cultural influences, the reader is able to perceive the various ways the rhetoric might have been used in antiquity.
Physiognomy is presented as the overarching theme throughout this chapter. It is introduced by describing the physical appearance of Paul and how it is perceived in antiquity. Penner and Vander Stichele walk through how Paul’s short, bow-legged appearance was interpreted in a masculine light as a heroic, ideal man. This seemingly backwards interpretation is explained by Maud Gleason’s research on relating physiognomy to the performance of the orator and by Bremmer’s theory on using ugliness to make a philosophical point. Using these strategies, the orator manages to captivate the audience either by non-normative performances or by drawing on inner beauty instead of outer. Thecla’s appearance is introduced to lead into how to approach ancient descriptions of bodies. In the ancient world, the categories of male and female were not static and dependent on physical sex but on how the Greco-Roman world viewed this narrative, visual display. This display plays into Dreger’s interpretation of hermaphroditic individuals as challenging the concept of sexual dimorpism creating a spectrum of gender. Additionally, the act of homosexuality is described to be a product of modern interpretation where in ancient practice it was assertion of authority. The ancient framework, homosexual dreams appear to show how reading sexual acts denotes the power one has or does not have over another. Penner and Vander Stichele draw upon Foucualt’s perspective that sex was about social and economic relations to emphasize the power dynamic. These theoretical paradigms are then translated into models for interpreting the data extrapolated from ancient texts. Thomas Laqueur’s one-sex model of interpretation is explained to demonstrate the link between gender performance and bodily conception. The one-sex model is one in which females are an imperfect derivation of males. Another model that is explored in the teratogenic grid which explains the ideal active male and the model passive female that are counterbalanced with their opposites, the passive male and active female. Both models highlight the different gender-critical approaches to ancient texts. The authors then return to the theme of physiognomy in the context of Greco-Roman politics. In analyzing the physical features of an individual, it reflects the nature of the physiognomy of the society. The example used was effeminizing Persians from the Roman perspective. Additionally the Roman civilization held in high regard the ability to be seen by society. Public displays of oration, power, and pageantry created the context of control and power within the empire. Post-colonial thought is introduced to emphasis the gendering of literature that comes from countries outside the empire. This results in modern scholars devaluing the novels based on the parameters of Greco-Roman discourse. By ending with the physiognomic properties of literature, Penner and Vander Stichele show the diversity of physiognomic gender interpretation with ancient Christian texts.
II. Analysis
Physiognomy, although an ancient practice is still one that is quite prevalent in the modern era. The ancient world focused on emulating those that hold prestige: orators, heroes, philosophers, and even doating wives. In the modern world, people attempt to imitate celebrities, political figures, or religious figures of importance. When this occurs the individual can be perceived by the societal stereotype that is casted to categorize a group of people based on their physiognomy. A modern man is perceived to be homosexual if he has effeminate qualities such as his gait, the way he dresses, and the pitch of his voice. This categorization is defective in creating assumptions on the nature of this man based on his outward appearances. In the ancient world, this case held true about analyzing the physiognomy of a person and thus influenced how the modern world interprets people’s body language.
Contextualizing Gender culminates with a focused look at three examples of gender critical readings of ancient texts. Vander Stichele and Penner describe the way the “three worlds of the text” interact with 1 Corinthians 11.2-6, Acts 18.1-18, and The Acts of Paul and Thecla. A gender critical approach as applied to Corinthians requires an examination of the passages rhetorical argument. Paul invokes cultural standards of normative femininity by condemning women with shaved hair or men with long hair as unnatural. According to both Epictetus and Paul, “hair is an important ‘natural’ indicator of sex difference, a difference that needs to be respected and reflected in human behavior and appearance” (207). The authors argue that this reference to nature is a rhetorical device to convince the reader that gender roles are fixed and unchanging.
The next example in chapter 5 is Acts 18.1-18. In this passage Paul speaks to a group of Jews and Gentiles and asserts his masculinity. Vander Stichele and Penner explain that, “[Paul] embodies what it means to be a ‘true’ male, and the Romans, alongside the Jews, provide a foil for Paul’s superior display in word and action”(211). In this case difference of place is used to reinforce tropes about masculinity. There is a distinction once again between the natural, normal Christians, and the lesser “other”. Paul moves from a Jewish community center into a private Gentile home, showing dominance over both the domestic and public sectors. Ultimately Paul is the ‘winner’ of the passage, seizing respect from the lesser Sosthenes. This passage also reflects the reinforcement of Roman imperiality and colonialism, asserting power of Jewish and Greek culture.
Chapter 5 concludes with a final analysis of The Acts of Paul and Thecla. Again the authors stress that early Christianity had many divergent views, with Thecla corresponding to a view that was suppressed by the dominant patriarchal view. Boundaries are crossed repeatedly in this work, proving that there is no natural, pure Christianity but instead norms were created through rhetoric and myth building.
II.
Ultimately Contextualizing Gender reminds the reader that there are many lenses with which to view texts and offers one method of understanding early Christianity. The reader is encouraged to think beyond traditional historical narratives and deconstruct boundaries created by those who are in power. It is crucial to recognize the way these narratives have lead to problematic biases regarding issues such as gender roles, race, colonialism and more. Gender roles have been constructed through years of normalization and rhetoric, and patriarchal dominance has maintained these roles. Students and professors alike should be keenly aware of these influences. The three examples in Chapter 5 provide further evidence of the embedded sociocultural norms that exist throughout Biblical works and beyond.
Vander Stichele and Penner weave together various themes that are analyzed throughout Contextualizing Gender, and explore them in canonical and non-canonical texts (1 Corinthians 11.2-16, Acts 18.1-18 and the Acts of Paul and Thecla) through a gender-critical lens. They also explore how the three worlds of the text (behind, in, and in front of) are intertwined and how they assess “more clearly the gendered, sexed, and sexual lines of context, rhetoric, and interpretation” (204-05). In the (dis)closure, they summarize their ideas about how a gender-critical approach can help to deconstruct the center and let the “other” voices be heard, and to challenge notions of gender, sex and sexuality that subordinate anyone who doesn’t fit into the dominant center. Furthermore, they point out that questioning the power structures of the academy can help create “resistance to the hegemonic paradigms of the guild” (233).
II. Critical Analysis
Vander Stichele and Penner take a close look at 1 Corinthians 11.2-16 through a gender-critical approach and through the three world views, with a focus on the historical context in relation to the world in the text rather than on the history behind the text. The authors suggest that Paul is persuading his audience toward a specific stance on the proper comportment of men and women by using ancient rhetorical tools, with a focus on how the issue is presented and argued and not on what the exact historical issue is (veiling, headcovering, etc.). Then they suggest that these rhetorical tools work to prescribe a certain practice that Paul wants his audience to understand is a normative behavior, and that his rhetoric is reflecting the normative patriarchal gendered, sexed and sexual identity of his contemporary culture.
In 1 Corinthians 11.2-16, Paul starts by establishing his authority and power as the leader of this community, and then sets up a hierarchy where Christ is the top, then follows man and then woman. Next, he goes into his understanding of the normative cultural practices, that being his understanding that men are not supposed to wear anything on their head when they are praying but women are, which can be read from a world view of reading behind the text. Paul also wants this community to know that he is the authority, therefor, whatever he tells them is to be the true way of life. This part of the passage, verse 2-5, reflects Paul’s ideology and that of the patriarchal society in which he lives, where the man is superior to the woman and this is just common sense for the community and time period. This can also be seen in verses 7-8 where man is the image of God but woman is the image of man, and woman is made from man not the other way around (drawing back to Genesis 1 and 2 the creation accounts). Again, Paul is replicating the ideology of the normative patriarchal society that gives rise to Christian identity in the community. Paul’s rhetoric can also be seen looking through a world view of reading in the text, where his rhetorical questions are structured to guide his audience to a specific answer. Furthermore, Paul understands this to be part of “nature,” that women have long hair and men have short hair, reinscribing the normative belief which shapes the community’s identity and their understanding of the correct conduct of men and women.
The first half of the final chapter of Contextualizing Gender offers strategies to help the reader broach a gender critical approach and further explains the methods necessary for critical examination of early Christian works. One point Vander Stichele and Penner stress throughout the text is the necessity of acknowledging the intellectual biases the reader has gained from their own cultural context. As noted by the authors, “there is neither an absolute system of meaning nor a fixed methodology for determining meaning in texts...there is no one right way of studying the past” (182). Vander Stichele and Penner make it clear that a gender critical approach to early Christian texts is one of many approaches the reader could take, and that taking this approach affects the reading and understanding of these texts. It is the goal of this approach to topple the gender binary and challenge presumed normativity in the ancient world.
Contextualizing Gender seeks to read early texts not from a historical perspective, but rather as cultural, social entities reflecting the context in which they were created. The book explains that a gender critical approach focuses on rhetoric and the ideology that feeds the rhetoric, noting that there are many ways to interpret any one text. According to Vander Stichele and Penner, “in order to get to the heart of the gendered, sexed, and sexual nature of, in this case ancient, texts one needs to examine the ways in which texts operate in and through structures of power even as they appear not to be doing so” (185). Rhetoric operates in a way that often obscures its source, making the ideology hidden and seemingly invisible. However, no text is ever separate from the power system it was created in, and as such must be examined amongst its greater hierarchical context.
Following this is a lengthy discussion on the strong role of rhetoric in the daily life of the ancient world. The authors stress that texts were not written expressly for the dissemination of knowledge and narrative but instead served specific purposes of reinforcing social values and ideals. The section ends with a discussion on the distinctions made by David Barr which explains the contexts in which the reader consumes texts.
II.
This book is a lengthy and thorough argument on the validity of the gender critical approach and an example of how this approach can be used to further discourse regarding ancient texts. As such, the final chapter offers a synthesis of the concepts reiterated constantly throughout the work. Once again the reader is reminded of their biases and is encouraged to recognize the cultural and social climate of the ancient world that influenced texts produced during this time.
Vander Stichele and Penner offer some interesting insights on the role of rhetoric and its function in early Christianity. For modern readers it can be quite difficult to separate narrative from the power structure in which it was created and it is crucial to do so for a successful gender critical approach.
The second half of chapter 5 involves approaching case studies with a gender-critical mind. After using the last four and half chapters to discuss the theories to approach ancient text, examples are finally used. The three worlds of the texts are emphasized in fully grasping the underlying ideology that these ancient stories are perpetuating. Penner and Stichele start by examining 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 which deals with the outward nature to how gender is interpreted taking into consideration the rhetorical techniques used. This examination draws upon other Greco-Roman discoursers, Epictetus and Plutarch, who use similar rhetorical techniques. The rhetoric used distinguishes between the cultural values and assumptions regarding the nature of men/women. Paul and Epictetus parallel each other assuming that the hairiness of a man or woman is indicative of their gendered sexual nature. Alternatively, Plutarch describes the style of hair to be more of a customary practice that is generally the same for gendering a person. Thus the issue becomes one of the prescriptive versus the descriptive language used in ancient rhetoric.
As Penner and Stichele approach the second case study, Acts 18:1-8, we see techniques of post-colonial ideologies and power assertion in developing the gender-criticism of this excerpt. The authors point out throughout this case study that Luke focuses his rhetoric on spaces and places (210). By dramatically moving between the spaces, the power and authority of Paul is emphasized. This assertion of power allows Paul to be perceived as the “true” male within the Greco-Roman world he lives in. Penner and Stichele continue to point out the power of speech as Paul speaks to the Jews in Corinth, further asserting himself as an ideal male. As Paul rises in power, he is compared to the rise of the Roman imperial powers thus invoking the use of post-colonial thought on the interpretation of Acts.
Returning to the initial text of The Acts of Paul and Thecla, the element of interpreting the world in front of text is used in approaching it. Specifically, the authors focus on how the crossing of Thecla are interpreted by both ancient and modern readers and what the significance of the text is in comparison to the canonical texts (215). It is stressed that interpretation is depedent on the variables affecting the reader such as social location and the cultural value system of that time. All the features highlighted in the case studies work to show the variety of approaches that can be used when interpreting ancient texts from a gender-critical approach.
II. Analysis
The Acts passage moves between the public and private spaces to show how Paul asserts his power over the Jews. This action of movement genders what takes place in these environments. As Paul is in a public place, the man’s domain, he furthers his powerful position by delivering speeches to the Jews while defending the Christian agenda. When the text moves into the private space, the woman’s domain, the conversion of the Crispus effeminates this action. By using a private space to convert a Jewish official, Judaism is perceived to be the weaker, more feminine religion to Christianity. Additionally, this demasculinizes Crispus when compared to Paul by interpreting the interactions that take place within the public and private spaces. As a result Paul and Christianity are seen as having more power and authority over Crispus, the synagogue official and Judaism.
This last part of chapter 5 uses gender-criticism on three different examples, 1 Corinthians 11.2-16, Acts 18.1-18, and on The Acts of Paul and Thecla. In Penner and Vander Stichele’s analysis of 1 Corinthians 11.2-16, they discuss the ways in which Paul invokes nature as a teacher to hammer home the point that there is a clear gendered & sexed distinction to be made between men and women’s hairstyle as had Epictetus in years prior (206). This is in contrast to Plutarch who considers that though head coverings are unusual for men to wear and not so for women, it’s a matter of custom and not (208). In the next example Acts 18.1-18, Luke purposefully remaps the conceptual images related to the choseness of the people of Israel on the gentiles. Furthermore, Vander Stichele and Penner speculate that from a gender-critical perspective, Paul and Sosthenes could be viewed as two rival “males” contesting for authority in a public forum (212). The last example, that of The Acts of Paul and Thecla remind us that the work was more than just a challenge to patriarchy in that Thecla commits transgressive cultural actions alongside transgendering acts (216).
In the final section in the book entitled (Dis)closure¸Vander Stichele and Penner begin by referencing Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenze’s idea that it’s not enough to simply provide alternative methods of readings for historical analyses but rather also necessary to choose carefully what kind of interpretive choices we employ (227). They go on to talk about how theoretical discourses on resistance often function as just talk without action (230) and how the academy is seldom interested in changing the systems they critique themselves (231). Lastly, they make note of what Thecla first-and-foremost represents to us that is as a boundary-crosser and how “boundary-crossing” is important in any gender-critical analysis (234).
II) Critical Anaylsis of Acts 18.1-18.18
From the very beginning of this chapter a dichotomy is established between those on the side of God and those who oppose God, with those who are on the side of God masculinized and those against type casted as effeminate. Claudius was said to have ordered all Jews to leave Rome (Acts 18.2) though no specific reason for the expulsion of the Jews was given, leaving the audience to assume that Claudius had only done so because of an emotional outburst which is of course a feminine attribute. Furthermore, Paul is said to have been so brave and courageous (masculine attributes) that “Every Sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince the Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18.4). Public forums are perceived as masculine spaces and by Paul taking to them it adds to his masculinity.
As can almost be expected on the part of the Jews as portrayed throughout the bible, they ‘opposed and reviled’ Paul and Paul eventually tells them that they are a lost cause and he would go and preach to the Gentiles instead (Acts 18.6). God then came down to Paul and told him not to worry though and to continue taking to the public forum and proclaiming God’s word (Acts 18.9-18.11). God and Paul are both made out to be more masculine as a result – God is Paul’s all-powerful protector and Paul would continue taking to the public forum because God would give him the strength to do so. Thereafter though, the Jews united to attack Paul and surprised him by bringing him to a tribunal in which he was found innocent of any wrongdoing by the court (Acts 18.12-18.16). Cowardly tactics such as these used on the part of the Jews were/are associated with feminine behavior. Lastly, the Jews in a rage end up beating up Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue (Acts 18.17). Mob violence such as this and seemingly counterproductive tactics such as those employed by the Jews here are also things the ancients would consider to have been feminine.
In the second half of the last chapter, the authors implement the strategies that they have been outlining in all their previous chapters in analyzing several biblical stories. In their closing remarks, the restate the goals of the book and the importance of using a critical approach such as theirs in studying… anything, really. The first text they address is 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, in which Paul addresses the proper displays of women and men. Vander Stichele and Penner comment on the world in and behind this text, pointing out Paul assumptions and the goals of his rhetoric. They indicate how Paul addresses the audience obviously assuming that they will agree with him on several points of “fact”. These particular points about the appropriateness of women covering their hair must have been a shared cultural value, or Paul would not have spoken in such a manner. He also further perpetuates this standard, as he appeals to “nature” for these assertions about women and men’s body displays. Paul is also found to be inserting his ethos into the speech – further instilling these gender roles by performing his in a perfect “masculine” way – with his outward speaking and command of the audience. The next analysis is devoted to Acts 18:1-8. In this discussion, Vander Stichele and Penner speak of the spatial shift made in the text – from a center of the Jewish community to a Gentile house. The authors assert that this symbolizes a shift of the focus for conversion – from Jews to Gentiles. While this is happening, Paul is portrayed again as masculine and commanding, a proper male orator. He is foiled, however, by the Jewish authorities who attempt to have him tried in their fit of emotion. These foils, over whom Paul eventually triumphs, provide further gendering to the text – as they are the feminine players in this company. Corinth in particular is chosen as the setting for this scene, as its history as a Greek community (even after Roman colonization) provides some information on the world behind the text. The third and final text considered by Vander Stichele and Penner is the Acts of Paul and Thecla. The world in front of this text is namely discussed, with the modern interpretation of Thecla’s “crossings,” and the story’s effect on the canonization process being the main foci. The story has been interpreted in many different ways, with those of Tertullian, Ehrman, and several modern readings cited in the text. Tertullian denounced the text as a forgery that should not be considered true Christian tradition, while Ehrman valued it as liberation for women. While each of these interpretations are a product of male-dominated discourse, the authors conclude that the text at least creates a space for transgressing boundaries – and space is very important in this context.
Part II.
The closing remarks restate many of the goals and strategies previously discussed several times in the book. However, it is broadened to areas beyond biblical criticism. Penner and Vander Stichele hope for the deconstruction of many power dynamics and unspoken norms that go beyond gender. They stress the importance of the study of humanities as opposed to the scientific method which, according to them, often only serves the status quo. While having this kind of society in many ways is something to aim for, this writer is wary of going to far on the other end of the knowledge spectrum. Though it would be beneficial and ideal to have a completely open society where everyone challenged normative structures – it does not seem to be something society as a whole gravitates completely toward. For example, Soviet Russia sought to open the eyes of the people to the oppression they faced in all their normative power paradigms. This included religion. While the government repeatedly tried to inform its people of the oppression they faced at the hands of the Russian Orthodox Church, they somehow could not convince them. Even after stamping out a great deal of the Church in the country, the people immediately rejoined years later, as it was allowed to grow freely once again. This suggests that even when people are alerted to all the unspoken power norms, they still prefer to take part in them. Some part of the human experience seems to crave structure and normalcy, at least once it has become so accustomed to having some. This is not to say that power paradigms should not be dismantled or challenged, it is only to be critical of the practical application of all kinds of dismantling.
The second half of this chapter consists of the application of David L. Barr's “three worlds” model previously discussed in the first half of the chapter. This model is applied across three texts: 1 Corinthians 11 2-2-16, Acts 18 1-18, and The Acts of Paul and Thecla. In dissecting 1 Corinthians, Vander Stichele and Penner touch on the how using the “three worlds” model can help us better understand what Paul means when addressing the topic of women and covering their heads. They stress that the importance in understanding Paul's meaning is found in the shared cultural value (205). This is due to the fact that a woman shaving one's head has a certain cultural value to the audience to whom Paul speaks, which could be confusing if one is not familiar with the cultural values of the time and place.
In taking Acts chapter 18 verses 1-18 apart Vander Stichele and Penner note that the model reveals the distinction between the public and private domain while also addressing the Jewish community in a synagogue vs the domestic gentile sphere in a private residence (210). This classification as it relates to politics was addressed in a previous chapter and brought back to the forefront here. Understanding the different cultures and values of the different people and cultures throughout Paul's journey is emphasized. Paul takes the role of masculine authority in the synagogue over the established authority.
In bringing the writings back to The Acts of Paul and Thecla Vander Stichele and Penner sum up several of their previous points. They address the importance of the multiple interpretations of the work and what it can accomplish in relation to the New Testament texts. They discuss how the work was suppressed by the dominant tradition (215). The authors end with a conclusion encouraging readers to understand that this is only one interpretation of the text and that several strategies are possible. In the back of Vander Stichele and Penner's work there is a brief disclosure that talks about the power of discourse and the role it plays in our lives.
II. Critical Analysis
My initial thoughts after reading this final section had to do with the final chapter or disclosure. I thought it was a very fitting way to end the discussion of gender and to address why we read other people's work and what it does for us in our lives. I enjoyed the quotes by Michel Foucalt, Chantal Mouffe and Terry Eagleton on the subject. I'd like to evaluate my thoughts on the section regarding the book of 1 Corinthians 11 2-16. I found this section to be a good representation of how woman are viewed in the New Testament. How it states that woman comes from man and that woman is created for the sake of the man. It does mention that man does come from the woman and that men and women are not independent of each other. The symbolic presence of the head covering in relation to women's authority was facsinating. The symbol of hair and how is relates to femininity goes hand in hand with this and I feel is essential to understanding the unique role that gender had in that setting.