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OBIORAH 41
Those without formal education adhere strongly to the traditional views about
women. They do not think that there should be changes in the societal structure.
They are content with the situation and make little or no effort to effect reasonable
changes. For these women the Old Testament texts contain other interesting things
besides its positive or negative views about women. These include the mighty work
of God in creation, his self-revelation, and the beautiful songs in the Psalms and in
other parts of the Bible. The texts on the status and social depiction of women are
received no differently from how this is perceived in their own culture. For them it
is normal that revelations are made only to men who are the heads of families. Male
superiority and the gender inequality prevalent in the Old Testament are part of the
world’s sacred order. An interesting point, and indeed a positive one, about women
in this group is their childlike disposition towards, and their ardent faith in, the
message of the Bible. Some passages are actually difficult to understand, especially
those that challenge morality. Why should the dwellers of the land of Canaan be
displaced or even exterminated because of the divine promise? But who can probe
the mind of the Mighty God? He alone knows why this should be carried out.
Women in the second group have had a formal education but have not
undertaken any in-depth study of the Bible. These are the ones who, in spite of the
high level of education that some of them have acquired, are still considered as
“women”—with all the connotations that this word evokes in the society—by their
male counterparts. These are the ones who suffer unjustly at home, in their places
of work and in society. Listening to the Scriptures and the explanations, and
reading them in their private studies, many of them find themselves questioning the
implications of some elements of their culture in these texts. Many of them do not
go farther than this, especially the fervent believers among them. Their faith helps
them to accept all this as part of God’s plan for human salvation. However, they
perceive traces of injustices and inequality in the presentation of women in the
Sacred Texts. 11 They also see their role models in the characters of some women. 12
Hannah, the mother of Samuel, for instance, becomes a model of assiduous prayer
and faith in God for whom nothing is impossible. Deborah, judge and prophetess, is
a brave woman who challenged the men of her own time; she is worthy of
emulation for she points to that equality for which many women in this group
yearn. Ruth is a model of faithfulness and identification with other women in their
sufferings. In the life of Ruth it is feasible for women to unite and achieve a
common purpose. Women in the life of Moses are ideal mothers and models of
what every woman should strive after. They are icons of tenderness and
¨¨Biblical passages that mention God’s solicitous attitude toward women are often
treasured and cited in defense of the right of women in the society (cf. Nwaturuocha,
Widows in our Society, 38–39).
Asogwa, Widowhood, Human Dignity and Social Justice, 48–51, focusing on
widows in the Old Testament, highlights the significant roles of these women in Ancient
Israel.
¨