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The Nursing Father’s Breasts : Transgender Metaphoric in the New Testament and After-biblical Christianity
Kügler, Joachim (2025): The Nursing Father’s Breasts : Transgender Metaphoric in the New Testament and After-biblical Christianity, in: Molly Manyonganise, Masiiwa Ragies Gunda, Linda Naicker, u. a. (Hrsg.), Religion, Gender and Masculinities in Africa : Essays in Honour of Ezra Chitando, Bamberg: University of Bamberg Press, S. 441–464, doi: 10.20378/irb-106058.
Faculty/Chair:
Author:
Title of the compilation:
Religion, Gender and Masculinities in Africa : Essays in Honour of Ezra Chitando
Publisher Information:
Year of publication:
2025
Pages:
ISBN:
978-3-98989-042-8
Language:
English
DOI:
Abstract:
The article contributes some remarks on variations of God’s masculinity that appear quite queer from a modern perspective. These variations partly can be found in sources belonging to the New Testament canon, while the majority of the sources are post-biblical writings belonging to Early Christian literature of the 2nd to 4th century CE. In both cases, the sources show a transfer of characteristics read as typically feminine to God respectively his Christ. Thus, these texts create a transgender concept of masculinity that might be of interest for modern discussions on gender and the transformation of gender roles. Yet, one must acknowledge that these imaginations of God are framed by a culture of Masculine Domination (Bourdieu 2001). Older examples from the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East show, that the maternal characteristics attributed to masculine deities are not meant to feminize the respective deity but to make their power complete. Thus, these transgender imaginations of breastfeeding God/gods will only develop a liberating impact if they are de-framed and read beyond patriarchal patterns.
GND Keywords: ; ; ;
Bibel. Neues Testament
Patrologie
Transsexualität
Metapher
Keywords: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
New Testament
Church Fathers
trans
masculinity
breastfeeding
Gender Studies
Queer Theology
history of religions
Hebrew Bible
Ancient Near East
Greek-Roman antiquity
DDC Classification:
RVK Classification:
Type:
Contribution to an Articlecollection
Activation date:
February 13, 2025
Permalink
https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/106058