Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

MEYEKS:\X'IIEKE1l1EGIKl_"AKE 43

solidarity.Suchnetworksmayprovidea lessvisibleandmorediffuseform
ofagencyandpowerthandomen's(formal)groups,buttheyarehardly
casualaffairs.In ancientIsrael,theywouldhavecontributedinmanifold
andoftensubtlewaystotheviabilicyofthecommunicy.Forexample,ethno-
graphicevidencesuggeststhatwomen'scommunicyconnectionshelpedto
solveeconomicproblems(suchasdeployinglabororotherresourcesto
householdswheretherewasillnessorhardship);theywouldalsohave
functionedtoidentifysuitablespousesformarriageableoffspring,andthey
would have provided information tomale leaders about quarrelsthat
neededformaladjudication.
Itmaybea longwayfromgrindingstonestosocialand personal
power,withinandacrosshouseholds,butthejourneyisworthtakingwith
studentstohelpcombatthenotionsthatwomenwere"onlywivesand
mothers"andwerepowerless:mdleduninterestinglives. "Wife"clearly
has buill-in economic and thus sociopolitical features for [ron Age
women,featuresthatwecannoteasilyrecognizeinthetwenty-firstcen-
tury. Withthisinmind.it isworthnotingthattraditionaltranslationsof
Prav31:IOas"capablewife"(NKSV;N)I'S)doa disservice 10 theHebrew,
)esetpayif.Justas)isJ;Jayildenotesa "warrior"orMmighcymanofvalor,"
thephrasedenotingthefemaleheadofhousehold in Proverbsshould
moreaccuratelybetranslated"strongwoman" or';powerfulwoman."26
Indeed.it wouldbeworthwhilehavingstudentsgivesomeattentionto
Prov31, a biblicaltext that couldserveasanentree intoconsidering
women'shouseholdroles.

CASESTUDY2:WOMENANDRELIGION

ManystudentsdecidetotakeintroductoryBiblecoursesbecauseof
theirowninvolvementsininstitutionalizedreligion.Theyareinterestedin
biblicallybasedbeliefsand praxis.Thus,examiningthelivesofwomen
withrespect toreligion wouldbeanappealingaspectofanattemptto
bringarchaeologyintoagenderedconsiderationoftheHebrewBible. J
havetriedtodojustthaiinanotherpaper,"FromHouseholdtoHouseof
Yahweh: Women'sReligiousCulturein AncientIsrael," andI will draw
fromthat indescribingwhat mightbecalled"women'sreligion"forthe
periodoftheHebrewBible.2'

26 CaroleR.fontaine,"Wife(I'rovS:Ili-19;12:4:18:22:19;1}-14;21:9,19:25:24:27:15-
16:30:23:31:103D:inMeyers,Craven,:mdKraemer,\f~omC>IinS<;riplllY'C,303.
27 CarolMeyers,"FromHouseholdtoI-louseofYahweh,Women'sReligiousCulturein
AncientIsrJel:inCongress\'bf/lme.Basel, 2001 (c..-d.A. Lemaire:SupVl·92;.eiden:Brill,
2002),277-303.