The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture
"Spirit of God, in the original Hebrew, is ruah Elohim. Ruah, the word meaning," Spirit," is a feminine noun. Elohim is a grammatical feminine plural form of God. Nothing is said about a bearded old man in flowing white robes. What is said is that Spirit, denoted by a feminine word and a feminine plural word, is Creator and moves. There is no fearsome Father to run from, no overbearing Mother, no absent parent to search for. Remind yourself, make a note if you need to: No matter what you might have heard before, the Creator is not a large man. This reminder will help clarify the Bible for you. The Creative God of the Bible is described as feminine Spirit.”
The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture
By Lynne Bundesen
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Jossey-Bass (March 30, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0787984957
ISBN-13: 978-0787984953
"We all know that the Bible has a long history as the backdrop for
domestic, national, and international relations. And, we know that
history extends to our time, when the domestic and foreign policy of
the United States is currently dictated by the biblical beliefs of
some of our leaders. We also know, or think we know, that the Bible
is a book about men who lived long ago in the desert with robed women
trailing after them. And, that is where we are wrong. The Bible can
be read as a narrative of spiritual power for women of all ages
through all time, to today.
I am privy to no special knowledge of the Bible but I have been
sufficiently interested in the Book's impact on the female body, mind
and spirit to have learned cursory Hebrew, how to use a biblical
Concordance, and how to read the original texts for myself. I am
surprised at how easy it is to do that and how radical that seems
even in 2007 AD, or 5767 in the Jewish calendar.
In making my own notes and in writing The Feminine Spirit:
Recapturing the Heart of Scripture, two biblical themes are featured.
First, my book offers a corrective and nondenominational reading of
the Bible that has, by interpreters for centuries, claimed an
exclusively male God. The Feminine Spirit looks at the textbook of
current western culture from interpreters of the original text and
traces the biblical, textual narrative of a female gendered Spirit,
God.
Second, in the light of this female Spirit, my book looks at familiar
accounts of the stories of women and men in the Bible and offers a
view of their stories in the light of the female nature of God and
how that view impacts lives today.
No previous Bible knowledge is required to read The Feminine Spirit,
but what if the Bible was easy to read and-in just the turn of a page-
you could find the comfort, inspiration, and answers you need today?
Here are some tips from The Feminine Spirit that you might find
helpful if you want to tackle the Bible or if you are already a
reader and student of its texts.
How can you read the Bible easily? Begin by reading the Bible as the
woman or man you are today-as the sum of all your experience.
Take the Book, go into a room alone and shut the door behind you. Or,
if you prefer, take the Book and go out for a walk.
This simple approach is deliberate. The Bible becomes more immediate
if you read it alone. No one hears with your ears, sees with your
eyes, knows what you need, what you want, or where you want to go in
just the way that you do.
Allow yourself to be alone with the Bible and your own unlimited
potential for understanding it. The Bible is a lens that magnifies
your spiritual self. Reading glasses, mirrors, camera pictures, and
the approval of friends are poor substitutes for the vision that
exists when you see the Book as a guide to your own consciousness. A
Bible of your own is the passport to the greatest adventure of all-
the adventure toward self-realization. Each reader in each age is
always discovering the Bible. You are on a voyage of discovery.
The Bible you choose should be one that is yours, that speaks in a
language you appreciate. Choose the Bible that suits you, just as you
choose the music you listen to in your most private, personal
moments. Unless you read Hebrew-the original language of the Jewish
Bible-or the biblical Greek language of the New Testament, you will
be reading a translation.
Ever since the King James Version of the Bible was first published in
1611 and the Bible became available to the individual lay reader, the
idea that God is male has informed literature, language, and national
and international policies. But there is a female aspect to the
biblical Spirit, the Creator, that already exists in the Book. To
read the Bible as it is written, to appreciate the feminine aspect of
the God of the Bible, may lead you to revise your view of God and of
yourself, improve your sense of self-worth and your spiritual,
emotional and some say, even your physical health.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 KJV
Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 describes the Creation of the universe by an all-
good, all-powerful God. The Creation-not just of all objects, but
also of all ideas-sets the tone for the entire Bible. All else, all
the remainder of the pages that make up the texts of the Hebrew and
Christian holy words, are commentaries. Backgrounds and foregrounds,
highlights and dim places, all politics, history, art, relations
between men and women, all stand in relation to the first chapter of
Genesis.
Spirit of God, in the original Hebrew, is ruah Elohim. Ruah, the word
meaning," Spirit," is a feminine noun. Elohim is a grammatical
feminine plural form of God. Nothing is said about a bearded old man
in flowing white robes. What is said is that Spirit, denoted by a
feminine word and a feminine plural word, is Creator and moves.
There is no fearsome Father to run from, no overbearing Mother, no
absent parent to search for. Remind yourself, make a note if you need
to: No matter what you might have heard before, the Creator is not a
large man. This reminder will help clarify the Bible for you. The
Creative God of the Bible is described as feminine Spirit. And, there
begins a new journey for all of us, and the beginning of The Feminine
Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture.”
The Feminine Spirit: Recapturing the Heart of Scripture
By Lynne Bundesen
Reviewer: Mary C. Yeh"The WORD eater" (Richardson,TX USA) - See all my reviews
This book is excellent. It is full of truth from the Scriptures. I am thankful for how much Lynne Bundesen has dug out the riches and presented to the reader to meditate and digest on. I love this book very much. It is one I will keep as my most favorite. I keep my most favorite books by my bed to pull and refresh upon ever now and then. Her writing is that special to me.
The references she gives are good tools for serious Bible students. I have known God as the great Utter, drinking from the breast, nurturing me as a mother and raising me in wisdom, which wisdom is nothing but the Holy Spirit that Christ Jesus has given me to understand all aspects of my God. I am female and know I am made in His image as female. It is experiential and very personal. I am glad this aspect of God is being presented so others will hear the truth and can act upon to experience for themselves. Being a Christian, this is my inheritance that she presents. Excellent book!
Disclaimer: Our material may be copied, printed and distributed by referring to this site. This site also contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the education and research provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance freedom of inquiry for a better understanding of religious, spiritual and inter-faith issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
