"The Samaritan Woman's Story" (Caryn A. Reeder)

TITLE: The Samaritan Woman's Story: Reconsidering John 4 After ChurchToo
AUTHOR: Caryn A. Reeder
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2022, (216 pages).
 

One of the many critiques of the Bible is about the patriarchal nature of the ancient culture. Pointing to the unequal status of gender, women throughout biblical history have been painted (or interpreted) in a rather negative light. Many are victims of some male schemes, such as the maidservants of Abraham and Sarah, made to bear children for them. Others include the stories of Dinah, Tamar, Hagar, etc whose lives were either sad or tragic. With the highly male-centric cultural norms at that time, modern readers find it hard to reconcile the stories of women with the biblical truths of grace, fairness, justice, mercy, tolerance, love, etc. The famous story of the adulterous woman exposes a woman to public disgrace while the man (or men!) were nowhere to be found. Wasn't adultery a two-person affair? Why only accuse the woman? Moreover, the Old Testament laws also placed an unfair burden on women as if there was no such thing as sexual equality. Rather than simply accepting the popular cultural narrative of the Bible being sexist against females, biblical scholar Caryn Reeder offers us a new interpretation of the "intersection of women, sex, and sin" as well as an alternative interpretation of the story of the Samaritan woman. 

Traditionally, many have interpreted John 4:16-18 and painted the samaritan woman with disdainful strokes. Tertullian called her a prostitute. John Chrysostom describes her as one with a "wicked, shameful sin." Even the reformed preacher Charles Spurgeon calls her a "shocking character." Modern preachers like Mark Driscoll accuse her of sexual sin. The conservative preacher John Piper labels her a "whore." The author lumps all of these opinions under the category of "majority interpretation," with a particular critique on Piper's skewed interpretations that lean toward gender hierarchy, misogyny, and sexism. She calls Piper's interpretations forms of "minimization, subordination, and sexual objectification of women." She calls for a re-examination of the majority view to reconsider the samaritan woman as:

• The victim instead of the victimizer
• Survivor instead of the perpetrator
• Women who can receive and reach divine truth
• Having alternative reasons that might be culturally acceptable for her six marriages
• Having lesser rights than men in a culture that marginalizes women
• Being one on the receiving end of any divorce/separation
• ... and how she was treated by Jesus.

My Thoughts

Author Caryn Reeder makes a compelling case to reconsider the Majority-View interpretation of the status of the samaritan woman at the well. By showing us the historical, cultural, and social background of women then, she urges readers to take a more sympathetic (and fairer) view of the Samaritan woman. Chapter Five should be an important read because it gives us contextual information to help us frame any interpretations beyond the majority view. It reminds us not to impose our modern cultural mindsets on ancient times. Many of the common experiences experienced by women at that time did not receive the same kind of female initiatives as the #MeToo movement currently dominating the headlines in many parts of mainstream Western society. For example, education for women was limited to those in elite families. Thus, a large segment of women in ancient times was not as educated like the women of today. Marginalization was not only widespread but largely accepted as a way of life. Unlike today's environment where duties and jobs could be done by all genders, roles at that time were also quite clear-cut according to gender. Understanding this environment helps the modern reader recognize the differences in upbringing and cultural conditioning. In fact, it could be argued that the Majority View of the Samaritan woman is also an unfortunate lack of appreciation of this ancient culture. 

Reeder constantly argues that the samaritan woman is more "unlucky" rather than sinful. She supports this by re-examining the meaning of marriages, divorces, widowhood, remarriage, and cohabitation in the first-century world. This is crucial in supporting her thesis of an alternative interpretation of the Samaritan woman. Significant too is the use of sources from both male and female writers in the writing of this book. Here I sense a problem. What is curious is the tendency to use multiple female voices to support this alternative interpretation versus some of the male voices depicted in the Majority View. This unfortunately projects a skewed perspective on an otherwise commendable effort. Maybe the significant figures in the Majority View would catch more attention. Unfortunately, the author might have unwittingly pitted male interpreters against female interpreters as if the interpretation is biased according to our genders. I know of several egalitarian writers who are male whose views could have been added to support a non-gender-biased position. Having said that, being open would be a good position to hold when we re-examine certain presumptions. 

All in all, Reeder has provided us a good alternative to help us correct (or augment) some of the views of the Majority interpretation. It is important to recognize that this book is spurred in part by the #MeToo movement, an awakening of the female voice against all forms of discrimination both present and past. My caution will be this. Like many movements of the past, there is a tendency for people to react by jumping to the other extreme. Do not let any reaction becomes an over-reaction. Do not let this alternative interpretation jettison everything that the Tertullians; the Dwight Moodys; the Charles Spurgeons; the John Pipers, etc. have diligently and honestly wrestled with. 

Caryn A. Reeder (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of New Testament and co-coordinator of the Gender Studies program at Westmont College. Her books include The Enemy in the Household: Family Violence in Deuteronomy and Beyond and Gendering War and Peace in the Gospel of Luke.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.