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

44 UE1WEENTEXTANDARTIFACr

Notethat thenameofmy essayuses{he phrase"religiollsculrure"
ratherthantheterm·'religion."Thatphraseallowsforabroadunderstand-
ingofwhatisinvolvedinreligioninapremodernsociety.Itacknowledges
thefactthatreligioninvolvesnotonlybeliefinoneormoresupernarural
beingsbUIalsoappropriate"responses"tothem.SuchresponsesCaobe
activities or actions, with or without accompanying words. Indeed,
women'sreligiollslivesintraditionalsocieties,moreoftenthanthoseof
men,areChaf:1CICrizedbynonverbalornontextualaClivities.2flThus,our
contemporaryJudea-Christianfocusonscriptureandliturgy,onspoken
prayerandhomiletic:.!discourse,shouldnotbeallowedtoprivilegeverbal
religiousbeh:lviorsoverperformativeonesinconsideringwomen'sreli-
giouslivesinancientIsrael.Norshouldwesidewiththebiblicaltextand
assumethatthepublictemple/tabernacle/highplaceritualsrepresentthe
mostimportantaspectofIsraelitereligiousactivities.
ConsideringreligiousculturealsoallowsuStoincludebehaviorsthat
might betermedmagicand thustodaywouldbeconsideredmarginal,
quasi-religious,orevendeviant.Again,wemustnOtapplythevaluesof
thepresenttothepraxisofthepast,eveniftheformaltextsofthepastare
likewisenegativetowardcertainpractices.Intraditionalsocietiesmagical
behaviorsoftenplayavital role in helpingpeopledeal withlife-death
issuesthatwenowresolveprimarilythroughmedicine.Performingmagi-
cdritu:11acts,lffordspeoplesomesenseofcontrol:mdthusmentalease:IS
theyfacedangeranddeath,<lndwomeninpremodernsocietiesareoften
theritualexpertswhocarryoutsuchprocedures.However,toooftenthe
studyofmagicandreligionisgenderized,withhigherreligionconsidered
masculineanddebasedmagiclabeledfeminine.^29 Therichnessandimpor-
tanceofinformalreligiouscultureaspracticedbywomen(andalsomen)
arethusoverlookedorevennegated.
Thisbringsustothequestionofwhethertherecouldbeanythingdis-
tinctlyfemale,asopposedtomale,ininformalreligiollsculture.Although
Iamgenerallyreluctanttoessentializebehaviorsandclaimthatanyreli-
giousactivityisimrinsicallyfemaleormale,Iwouldnonethelesssuggest
that religiousactivities associatedwithwomen's reproductivecapacity
canbeconsideredlargelyfemale. Israelitewomen,likethoseofwomen
intrJditionalsocietieseverywhere,wouldhavemarkedthelifeprocesses
andproblemsassociatedwithchildbirthwithbehaviorsperformedonly

28 Rita1\1.Gross.Fell/ii/ismandReligion:An/lUrodliClioll(Buston,lk:lcon.t996),8t;
NancyA.falkandKil:1r.t.Gross.cds.,Un.'ifJOllenWon£\":Womell'sKellgiollSU~'C!i(13clmOlll,
Calif.:Wadswonh.2001).
29 MdisS:lA. Aubin."Gemlcrin,ll.Magicin L.at~Anti{juc)udlism"(Ph.Ddiss..Duke
University.t')98)