Consent in the Hebrew Bible and Contemporary Culture

• In Event: Gender, Sexuality, and the Bible

Abstract

This paper will interact with and build on the recent work of Rhiannon Graybill (2021) and Manon Garcia (2023) on sexual violence, exploitation, and consent. Graybill created a framework for examining these issues through the narratives of sexual violence and exploitation in the Hebrew Bible. Garcia examines sexual violence, exploitation, and consent as it has evolved and is evolving from a culture centered on male domination. Based on their work and an examination of popular media from the 1970s to 2024, this paper will argue that biblical notions of sexual consent based on male domination have shaped notions of consent in Western culture. As Western culture evolves into a secular culture, the idea and understanding of sexual consent is changing and will continue to evolve to a notion of consent that is both more conversational and equalitarian.

This talk will be framed through the lens of sexuality studies and critical studies of consent. It will examine the biblical stories of Hagar Dinah, Tamar, and Lot’s Daughters to explore the nature of consent in the biblical world. By drawing upon Manon Garcia’s work on consent (2023) as a lens to examine the biblical notion of consent, as reflected by the culture of the time, and how this differs from the evolving of contemporary society’s understanding of consent. Graybill examination of sexual violence through the lens of ordinary life allows for “capturing the ambiguity, ambivalence, and difficulty of sexual exploitation, and consent,” which she calls “fuzzy, messy, and icky.” This framework allows for “setting” with the text to understand better the complexity of consent and the ambiguity of sexual expoitation.

The paper will construct a map of the changes in the notion of consent through an examination of popular media, particularly the TV series M.A.S.H. and HAPPY DAYS of the 1970s and 80s. It will explain how this was influenced by the notion of biblical consent and how the notion of consent has changed as seen in recent TV series and movies, including the Netflix series SEX EDUCATION and the Hulu series NORMAL PEOPLE.

Author

• James Bunton, Des Moines Area Community College