Crucifixion of masculinity : a gender critical (re)reading of the narrative of the cross as portrayed in the Gospel of Luke

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African society is violently sick to the core regarding gender and sexuality. Shockingly high statistics of gender-based violence and the everyday occurrences of gender injustices and gender discrimination are not unfamiliar to South Africans. All men and women, representing all sexual identities, are affected to a greater or lesser degree. The Christian church, as an influential social institution in the South African context, is often silent on these acts of violence, injustices and discrimination. Some argue that the church is not merely silent, but actively contributes to these injustices and violence by means of its teachings and practices. The church's inadequate response to such a crisis in society is, however, not surprising in light of especially two factors: firstly, the patriarchal and heteronormative roots of the Christian church that still, up to this day, have an enormous influence on the Christian tradition globally; and secondly, the manner in which the Bible is often misused to direct discourses and opinions regarding gender and sexuality. Ahistorical and selective readings of biblical texts serve as validation of contemporary (and very popular) stereotypical and discriminatory views on gender and sexuality, with little or no recognition of the socio-cultural contexts in which texts originated. Central faith narratives, such as the crucifixion narratives and its portrayals of Jesus of Nazareth as a male, has a great influence on the manner in which gender and sexuality is understood within the Christian church. The Lukan crucifixion narrative portrays Jesus of Nazareth as a hypermasculine character who is able to uphold and even increase his socially-constructed male honour and power throughout the most shaming event of antiquity, namely the Roman crucifixion. Often this type of portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth is preferred in the Christian church, at the cost of the less hypermasculine portrayals that can also rightly be found in the Gospel narratives, and misused to validate essentialist notions of gender and sexuality. This study suggests that a queer reading or a reimagining of specifically the Lukan crucifixion narrative is needed in order to put forward alternative interpretations of the maleness of Jesus of Nazareth, and consequently the manner in which gender and sexuality is popularly understood from a Christian perspective. This is possible if the socio-cultural context of the world behind the narrative, namely the 1st century Mediterranean world and Greco-Roman society, is taken seriously. In this manner the crucifixion narrative might become a narrative that blurs the lines of simplistic gender categories, rather than enforcing it as is often still the case. By offering fresh perspectives on such an influential narrative, the church might be able to engage critically with itself as well as society regarding the disturbingly large amount of injustices, discrimination and violence based on gender and sexuality.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University