This is a brilliant and rich offering, Amichai. So many threads.
I would like to say something about the word "patriarchy". The common cultural association is, I believe, that patriarchy=men who abuse power. It is basically a perjorative. The word literally means father-power, and yes, in the historical, mythical, and biblical narratives fathers are the clan and kingdom rulers. They happen to be fathers because fathers (men) sired the generations and created the dynasties, True enough. But the problem isn't with fathers, it's with power (archy). Lord Acton famously said that ,"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I daresay that matriarchy---were we to have a historical and mythical record of such---would have its own corruptions.
What is impressive about the "archos" of the surviving male (written) traditions is how evident the sins of the fathers are. One finds there very few stories of benevolent and admirable fathers, certainly very few in the Bible. Sad.
This is a brilliant and rich offering, Amichai. So many threads.
I would like to say something about the word "patriarchy". The common cultural association is, I believe, that patriarchy=men who abuse power. It is basically a perjorative. The word literally means father-power, and yes, in the historical, mythical, and biblical narratives fathers are the clan and kingdom rulers. They happen to be fathers because fathers (men) sired the generations and created the dynasties, True enough. But the problem isn't with fathers, it's with power (archy). Lord Acton famously said that ,"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I daresay that matriarchy---were we to have a historical and mythical record of such---would have its own corruptions.
What is impressive about the "archos" of the surviving male (written) traditions is how evident the sins of the fathers are. One finds there very few stories of benevolent and admirable fathers, certainly very few in the Bible. Sad.