| God is markedly absent in the three rape narratives in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 34, Judges 19, and 2 Samuel 13). Drawing on methodologies from literary criticism and gender studies, this dissertation situates rape in its historical context, then analyzes a pattern of four elements common to each scene: God's absence, a foreign presence, and a persistent problem that is resolved incorrectly to highlight consequences of Israel breaking its covenant with God. A close reading of the Bathsheba narrative confirms that these rape narratives have little to do with politics of gender; they illustrate a crisis in the covenant relationship between God and the people of Israel. This relationship crisis in turn highlights an identity crisis, since Israel's identity is defined in relationship to her deity. |
