Hello, queens. I have begun working through a Bible commentary that covers the Christian Protestant Old Testament (which contains the same contents as the Hebrew Bible) and didn't make it very far before encountering a discussion of "headship" in relationships.

In the book of Genesis, this commentary (written by a man) makes the traditional assertion that because man was created before and independent of woman, that God has given him headship, the position of leader, in their affairs. It even goes on to assert that regarding the Fall of Man and Eve's deception by the serpent that her fault lies in that "she acted independently of Adam, her head. She should have consulted him instead of usurping his authority." The commentary continues later on reference and extol the God-ordained "subordination of the woman to the man" stemming from Creation, especially in the letters of Paul in which he (is thought to have) wrote that women should not teach or exert authority over men.

These assertions were written as if they were the most natural conclusion one could come to after reading the first chapters of Genesis. In this modern commentary, compiled by a theologian.

Bullsh*t.

Your sister did some background research after reading those lines about headship, because looking at the text itself, I see no subordination or submission there. In the lines previous, man and woman are created as equal counterparts. When God regards Adam, He says, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" (2:18). Here the word used for "helper" is used about twenty other times within Genesis, often in reference to God as helper to man. Is that an implication of submission?

Can you believe the audacity of this? Seeing how patriarchal systems and thinking twist religious narratives for their own benefit angers me, especially when considering the women throughout time who have been crushed or suppressed themselves to follow the "will of God". The fact that lines like these are used to convince women to stay with abusive partners and submit to their sin is unacceptable and also deeply ingrained in modern Christianity.

My question for you ladies is this:

Do you know of any resources, female theologians, or commentaries that consider the original Bible texts and the presence of women? In my research, I came across Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Women's Bible, which I had never heard of, but also lacks much scholarly basis. In a field inundated with male theologians espousing beliefs like these without shame and with all the conviction in the world, I want to find a clearer picture. I don't ever want to hear this kind of justification about the ordained submission of women and would like to dismantle claims like these using Scripture. My HVM is Jesus Christ; LVM can stay out of Bible study.