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The "Old Testament" as the Origin of the Patriarchy : A Comparison of the German and Swedish Debate

Liljefors, Hanna LU orcid (2023) In Nordisk Judaistik - Scandinavian Jewish Studies 34(1). p.82-98
Abstract
This article explores and compares two similar debates in Germany and Sweden duringthe 1980s, in which feminists blamed the Hebrew Bible, or ‘Old Testament’, for being the origin ofthe patriarchy. In Germany, the psychologist and pedagogue Gerda Weiler articulated the discoursein several writings, which led to a scholarly debate on anti-Jewish tendencies within Christian femi-nist theology. In Sweden, the debate mainly became a media event, initiated by the author BirgittaOnsell. Instead of criticising the discourse, as in the German debate, other actors reinforced it, forexample by highlighting Jesus as a feminist and a contrast to the Old Testament religion. The articlefurther examines ideological consequences of the discourse, including... (More)
This article explores and compares two similar debates in Germany and Sweden duringthe 1980s, in which feminists blamed the Hebrew Bible, or ‘Old Testament’, for being the origin ofthe patriarchy. In Germany, the psychologist and pedagogue Gerda Weiler articulated the discoursein several writings, which led to a scholarly debate on anti-Jewish tendencies within Christian femi-nist theology. In Sweden, the debate mainly became a media event, initiated by the author BirgittaOnsell. Instead of criticising the discourse, as in the German debate, other actors reinforced it, forexample by highlighting Jesus as a feminist and a contrast to the Old Testament religion. The articlefurther examines ideological consequences of the discourse, including the interdiscursive link to thenotion of Judaism as responsible for the patriarchal moral that enabled the Holocaust, also expressedin the public sphere in Germany and Sweden. (Less)
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author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
The Old Testament, Patriarchy, The Hebrew Bible, Anti-Judaism, Gerda Weiler, Birgitta Onsell, Reception Criticism, Matriarchal research
in
Nordisk Judaistik - Scandinavian Jewish Studies
volume
34
issue
1
pages
17 pages
publisher
Sällskapet för judaistisk forskning
external identifiers
  • scopus:85163399778
ISSN
0348-1646
DOI
10.30752/nj.125918
language
Swedish
LU publication?
no
id
14bbec4c-a584-41c2-bae1-dfa769139d86
date added to LUP
2024-02-02 11:44:55
date last changed
2024-02-06 14:23:44
@article{14bbec4c-a584-41c2-bae1-dfa769139d86,
  abstract     = {{This article explores and compares two similar debates in Germany and Sweden duringthe 1980s, in which feminists blamed the Hebrew Bible, or ‘Old Testament’, for being the origin ofthe patriarchy. In Germany, the psychologist and pedagogue Gerda Weiler articulated the discoursein several writings, which led to a scholarly debate on anti-Jewish tendencies within Christian femi-nist theology. In Sweden, the debate mainly became a media event, initiated by the author BirgittaOnsell. Instead of criticising the discourse, as in the German debate, other actors reinforced it, forexample by highlighting Jesus as a feminist and a contrast to the Old Testament religion. The articlefurther examines ideological consequences of the discourse, including the interdiscursive link to thenotion of Judaism as responsible for the patriarchal moral that enabled the Holocaust, also expressedin the public sphere in Germany and Sweden.}},
  author       = {{Liljefors, Hanna}},
  issn         = {{0348-1646}},
  keywords     = {{The Old Testament; Patriarchy; The Hebrew Bible; Anti-Judaism; Gerda Weiler; Birgitta Onsell; Reception Criticism; Matriarchal research}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{82--98}},
  publisher    = {{Sällskapet för judaistisk forskning}},
  series       = {{Nordisk Judaistik - Scandinavian Jewish Studies}},
  title        = {{The "Old Testament" as the Origin of the Patriarchy : A Comparison of the German and Swedish Debate}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.30752/nj.125918}},
  doi          = {{10.30752/nj.125918}},
  volume       = {{34}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}