In this innovative and important work Christl M. Maier argues that the way Israelites in the exilic and post-exilic periods spoke of Jerusalem as gendered space—a “female” city—helps us trace reactions to the crisis of exile and the emergence of a new national-religious identity. Taking up the Zion tradition, Isaiah of Jerusalem, Jeremiah, Hosea, Ezekiel, and Lamentations, Maier explores motifs of Jerusalem as mother, daughter, bride, whore, and injured victim. Her interpretation of gendered metaphors also helps us understand contemporary political and religious constructions of gender and political power.
Contents
• Introduction
• Power and the Construal of Space
• Pre-exilic Traditions about Zion and the Temple
• “Daughter Zion': The Feminization of Sacred Space
• The Destruction of Sacred Space and the Re-evaluation of Gender
• “Mother Zion': Symbolizing a People's Rebirth
• Post-exilic Developments
• Jerusalem on High: The Welcoming City