Role of women in Hebrew scriptures Research Paper

Role of women in Hebrew scriptures - Research Paper Example The scriptures record that Eve the first woman, was created as a companion of Adam (Kassian, 1992, p28). In this regard, God set forth a patriarchal society, since he created woman from man, but not the other way. From the onset, God granted man the authority to rule all creations. The appearance of Abraham, whom the Jews refer as ‘the father of nations’ affirmed the authority of men over women, and Kassian (1992, p31) notes that even today, a Jew male is referred as Abraham’s son. In the Old Testament God, commanded man to procreate and fill the earth and this placed a lot of pressure on women from the onset (Clarence, 1968, p61). In this respect, the most important role of women in Ancient Israel was getting married and bearing children to ensure posterity of Jewish race. The Old Testament prohibited relationships such as incest and adultery, which ensured that a woman could not be related to a man in more than one way. However, a man was allowed to marry a sister to his wife even in cases where the wife was alive.