{"id":832,"date":"2013-12-03T12:26:53","date_gmt":"2013-12-03T16:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=832"},"modified":"2013-12-03T12:26:53","modified_gmt":"2013-12-03T16:26:53","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjavascript-ga-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=832","title":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\">  var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25646250-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);  (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();  <\/script>  <\/heat> The Rape of Dinah: Part 2 &#8211; Held on Sunday, November 24, 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Outline of Post on the Scripture Session held on 11\/24\/13<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Previous Week\u2019s [11\/17\/13] Review<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>SEE PREVIOUS POST FOR #1 ABOVE.\u00a0 THIS POST WILL ADDRESS THE NEXT THREE ITEMS<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Background to today\u2019s Reading<\/li>\n<li>Reading: Gen. 33: 18 \u2013 34:31<\/li>\n<li>Discussion<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Background to today\u2019s Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Most probably the editors of your version of the Bible have titled this episode as <b>The Rape of Dinah.\u00a0 <\/b>What has proven helpful is to walk through the passage verse by verse which we did; doing that however limits what can be covered in the allotted time.<\/p>\n<p>V. 02: The passage states clearly in this verse that Shechem \u201cseized her and lay with her by force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The remainder of the passage, however, tells a conflicting and probably different story about the relationship between Shechem and Dinah, directly from the words and deeds of Shechem and what might be assumed or implied by the account of Dinah in the passage.\u00a0 Jacob\u2019s sons interpret what happened to Dinah in different terms as well and the sons themselves carry out not only a violent but deceitful revenge that includes raping.<\/p>\n<p>V. 03: Immediately after the \u201crape\u201d we read that \u201cHe [Shechem] was strongly attracted to Dinah, daughter of Jacob, and was in love with the young woman. So he spoke affectionately to her.\u201d Later in the passage similar terms are used.\u00a0 Thus in v. 08 we read \u201cMy son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter\u201d and in v. 19 \u201c .. he wanted Jacob\u2019s daughter.\u201d\u00a0 These are not the words of a rapist as we understand that term.\u00a0 In our world rape is understood in terms of an act of domination.\u00a0 It is a crime that psychologically is inimical to love, tenderness, marriage etc.<\/p>\n<p>As we move forward it might be helpful to read two passages, one from Exodus and the other from Deuteronomy that reflect the legal tradition \u00a0the Israelites developed to protect and preserve as much as possible women who were violated in this way.<\/p>\n<p>Ex. 22: 16 \u2013 17: \u2013 \u201cWhen a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall make her his wife by paying the bride price. If her father refuses to give her to him, he must still pay him the bride price for virgins.<\/p>\n<p>Dt. 22: 28 \u2013 29: &#8211; If a man comes upon a young woman, a virgin who is not betrothed, seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, the man who lay with her shall give the young woman\u2019s father fifty silver shekels and she will be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her as long as he lives.<\/p>\n<p>In light of these two passages we will read in verse 08 &#8211; 12 that Hamor, the father of Shechem, and Shechem himself not only comply with these laws, they exceed them.<\/p>\n<p>V. 04: As we read this verse, we need to place it in the context of a patriarchal society in which marriage was a prearrange event that occurred between the two families of the bride and groom.\u00a0 The word translated \u201cget\u201d really has the connotation of negotiating with the bride\u2019s family to arrange the marriage.\u00a0 Up to this point, we know next to nothing about Dinah\u2019s feelings, thoughts, desires; a point brought out later in our discussion by Heber.<\/p>\n<p>V. 05: We are not told by whom but Jacob finds out what has happened.\u00a0 The term that is used to name what has happened is a \u201cdefilement.\u201d \u00a0Almost at every turn the biblical world leaps out of the words used.\u00a0 What does \u201cdefilement\u201d in this context mean?\u00a0 A clue can be uncovered in the words and deeds of Jacob\u2019s sons.\u00a0 When they hear of what has happened, their response is described in<\/p>\n<p>V. 07: We learn that this act of Shechem is \u201can outrage in [against] Israel.\u201d\u00a0 We move from what has happened to Dinah to what it means in Israel.\u00a0 There is a bit of a time lapse in that one word \u201cIsrael.\u201d\u00a0 Now it means not Jacob renamed but the Israelite community at a different time in human history.\u00a0 In their world, and we need to expand our consciousness to hear them speaking, what has happened to an individual, Dinah, has impacted all of them, Israel.\u00a0 Thus they \u201c\u2026 were indignant and extremely angry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vv. 08 \u2013 12: Hamor and Shechem are willing to far exceed the demands of the Israelites in order to win their daughter, Dinah.<\/p>\n<p><b>Reading: Gen. 33: 18 &#8211; 34: 31 <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/34\">http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/34<\/a><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion<\/b><\/p>\n<p>What is the narrator\u2019s point in this passage what my question.\u00a0 Annette however shared that she could identify with the story from events that had occurred in stories told about her dad and his efforts to marry her mom.\u00a0 At that time, her dad felt obliged to talk with her\u00a0 grandfather about his desire to marry.<\/p>\n<p>Rosemary\u2019s question, why didn\u2019t anyone try to stop Shechem, assumed a setting that might not actually have existed.\u00a0 Our story doesn\u2019t really tell us the details of when, where, etc.\u00a0 After all sexual intercourse is normally an event that occurs in private.<\/p>\n<p>We began to discuss the notion of \u201cdefilement\u201d when \u201cthe bell rang\u201d and our session was over.<\/p>\n<p>For those who might be interested, John P. Meier, A<i> Marginal Jew: <\/i>Vol. IV, Law and Love, Ch. 35 \u201cJesus and Purity Laws\u201d P. 342 ff. presents an illuminating account of an aspect of Jewish life that is quite foreign in our world view.<\/p>\n<p>You are invited to respond to these or other questions that might arise within you as you read this passage.\u00a0 Your comments, observations, questions are welcomed.\u00a0 See \u201ccomment\u201d link below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outline of Post on the Scripture Session held on 11\/24\/13 Previous Week\u2019s [11\/17\/13] Review SEE PREVIOUS POST FOR #1 ABOVE.\u00a0 THIS POST WILL ADDRESS THE NEXT THREE ITEMS Background to today\u2019s Reading Reading: Gen. 33: 18 \u2013 34:31 Discussion Background &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=832\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,5],"tags":[15,18,19],"class_list":["post-832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-scripture","tag-historical-method","tag-religion-and-culture","tag-scripture-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=832"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":835,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions\/835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}