April 4, 2022
The Hebrew Bible is filled with sexual violence. But how should we read biblical rape stories? Rhiannon Graybill, associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College, challenges the idea that we should use consent as the centerpiece in the discussion about sexual violence. Her talk analyzes three biblical rape stories: Dinah (Gen. 34), Tamar (2 Sam. 13), and Lot’s Daughters (Gen. 19) and then offers strategies for understanding sexual violence that tends to the ambiguity and confusion that often surround these experiences.
Her lecture at Holy Cross is part of the Hebrew Bible Lecture Series, supported by the Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding.