Jephthah's Daughter

[DCMorrison]

Hi everyone. One of today’s readings for Mass contained the tragic story of Jephthah’s Daughter (Judges 11:29-39a). Essentially, Jephthah makes a vow to God that if God gives him victory over the Ammonites (something which presumbably God wants anyway) he will sacrifice the first person who comes out from his house to greet him on his return. Sacrifice meaning “burnt offering” with the person being burnt.

Now, I am intrigued as to how the Church understands this passage, especially in the light of the passage where God actually appears to call on Abram for human sacrifice but then relents - and which leaves the impression that God did not accept human sacrifice in part to make the distinction between Himself and the idols worshipped widely (Baal, Molech and the like). Is it merely a case of the near-east prejudice that sacrificing a daughter would be somehow acceptable but sacrificing a son would not be? How does the Church understand this apparent contradiction between Isaac and Jephthah’s Daughter (who is not even named)?

 

[legeorge]

The priest on EWTN this morning said he had to research for this too. I didn’t catch all of it, but I think what it boiled down to was that Jephthah made a rash vow, not thinking about the consequences. Then he felt obliged to follow through. God didn’t want this to happen. The bible is just chock full of admonishments not to kill the innocent and warnings against the type of sacrifices the pagans made. So, therefore, Jephthah didn’t win the battle because of his vow, but in spite of it. God willed for the battle to be won, not for the daughter to be sacrificed. Jephthah made that vow out of his own free will, not according to God’s will. Anyway, that’s what I gathered. Hope that helps?

Oh, and by the way, Welcome to CA Forums!! :tiphat:

 

[DCMorrison]

That’s what I have gathered from the Fathers of the Church on the subject. St. John Chrysosome makes a similar point that I blogged upon here.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

DCMorrison:

Hi everyone. One of today’s readings for Mass contained the tragic story of Jephthah’s Daughter (Judges 11:29-39a). Essentially, Jephthah makes a vow to God that if God gives him victory over the Ammonites (something which presumbably God wants anyway) he will sacrifice the first person who comes out from his house to greet him on his return. Sacrifice meaning “burnt offering” with the person being burnt.

Now, I am intrigued as to how the Church understands this passage, especially in the light of the passage where God actually appears to call on Abram for human sacrifice but then relents - and which leaves the impression that God did not accept human sacrifice in part to make the distinction between Himself and the idols worshipped widely (Baal, Molech and the like). Is it merely a case of the near-east prejudice that sacrificing a daughter would be somehow acceptable but sacrificing a son would not be? How does the Church understand this apparent contradiction between Isaac and Jephthah’s Daughter (who is not even named)?

I have a theory about this ​

The plot is similar to some other stories. For example, in Greek mythology, Agamenon, the leader of the army against Troy, has to sacrifice his daughter Iphigeneia before the fleet can set sail. When he does so, Iphigeneia is snatched away & a doe replaces her; she herself has been taken to Tauris, among the savage Thracians, were she becomes a priestess of Artemis, the goddess whom Agamemnon (or a member of his family) offended, thereby causing Artemis to stop the fleet sailing. (In the end, although Agamemnon is murdered by his wife and her lover, his son and another daughter are re-united.)

In both stories:

• the father sets out to go to war
• he does something to set a god in motion: by a vow, or by offending the god
• he loses his daughter
• she is taken away fron everyday civilised life…
• and is given over to the god

Isaac, like Iphigeneia, is replaced by an animal.

Genesis has quite few stories in it which are like Biblical stories outside it and which have points of contact with various non-Biblical tales.

Suggestion: the Biblical accounts are using the same sorts of motifs as the non-Biblical tales which resemble them.

Mesha king of Moab sacrificed his son to Chemosh, the national god of Moab, to gain victory over Israel - according to his account, on the “Mesha Stela”, with success. A son was the most valuable possible sacrifice, because he was the person who would perpetuate the family name, and, if an eldest son, the identity of the nation. The king personified the nation in the ANE, so to kill the male heir was a pretty desperate step: and so, a good way of ensuring Divine favour - because one can hardly give a god more than one’s own son. Conversely, as Greek legends and the OT show, giving an inferior offering was a gross insult, which was sure to bring severe punishment: gods tended to be rather touchy on this point.

A less deadly way of serving a god is to give one’s offspring to the life-long service of a god - the gift of Samuel to the service of God at Shiloh is an OT example of this. The Iphigeneia story is another, outside the Bible. That’s what an “oblate” is - someone “offered” to the service of God. ##

 

[robert_ambrose]

it was quite common in those days to sacrifice your eldest child to God.either to thank him for a good crop , or ask him to help save a crop that was failing.In modern day times the eldest boy or girl were offered to God to become a priest or a nun.

 

[mozier]

Atheists love to quote this story, for they apparently think that it makes Christians squirm. Don’t squirm. Rather, see it in its proper context.

As I have read it, oaths mean something. Therefore, the message I get from reading this is DON’T MAKE STUPID OATHS TO GOD. Jesus took this idea further when he told his followers not to makes oaths in the first place. Say yes when you mean yes, and no when you mean no. Don’t say things like “I swear to God” or “As God is my witness,” for if you say this foolishly, then you are calling on God to hold you accountable for your foolishness.

Consider these orthodox jews who recently placed a “thirty day curse” upon Ariel Sharon because of the Gaza pull out. Essentially, if God doesn’t kill him within thirty days, then these men must kill themselves. Stupid, isn’t it? Their time is running out.

Or look further in the scripture, where in the Acts you have a group of jewish men who swear an oath to not eat until Paul is dead. You can imagine that they ended up dying a very slow and agonizing death.

Words mean things, so don’t swear oaths (unless you are prepared to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth).

 

[Tibbar]

DCMorrison:

Hi everyone. One of today’s readings for Mass contained the tragic story of Jephthah’s Daughter (Judges 11:29-39a). Essentially, Jephthah makes a vow to God that if God gives him victory over the Ammonites (something which presumbably God wants anyway) he will sacrifice the first person who comes out from his house to greet him on his return. Sacrifice meaning “burnt offering” with the person being burnt.

Now, I am intrigued as to how the Church understands this passage, especially in the light of the passage where God actually appears to call on Abram for human sacrifice but then relents - and which leaves the impression that God did not accept human sacrifice in part to make the distinction between Himself and the idols worshipped widely (Baal, Molech and the like). Is it merely a case of the near-east prejudice that sacrificing a daughter would be somehow acceptable but sacrificing a son would not be? How does the Church understand this apparent contradiction between Isaac and Jephthah’s Daughter (who is not even named)?

I don’t think the Divinely inspired author(s) of the text chose to present the story to in order to condone human sacrifice as an acceptable practice. In context, Jephthah had made a vow to the Lord and because of the favor that he received, which he saw as coming directly from the hand of God, so to speak, kept his word. One must remember that Jephthah was influenced by the pagan cultures around him which often engaged in and embraced human sacrifice.

For us, the story reminds us to be careful of our promises and “vows,” and of the commitments we make before the Lord. It demonstrates that, however awkwardly, Jephthah believed he was obeying God and demonstrated that he was a man of sincere character for he sacrificed that which was nearest and dearest to him rather than disobey what he believed God demanded of him.

Other readings that day brought forth the truth that God considers obedience a much better offering than sacrifice. Often the two co-incide, but our focus must be on pleasing God. This is why we are so blessed to have a Holy Spirit led and Divinely appointed Magisterium that can help us understand what God really demands of us. If only Jephthah had been blessed with such. His conscience would have been much better informed.

 

[magdalisa]

I was wondering whether the verses regarding her “mourning her virginity” might have some bearing on our understanding of the vow of chastity for religious? She was sacrificed for service to the Lord and therefore bore no children in her lifetime… I don’t know if this makes any sense, but just a thought.

peace,
magdalisa

 

[Grace_and_Glory]

magdalisa:

I was wondering whether the verses regarding her “mourning her virginity” might have some bearing on our understanding of the vow of chastity for religious? She was sacrificed for service to the Lord and therefore bore no children in her lifetime… I don’t know if this makes any sense, but just a thought.

peace,
magdalisa

At that point in history, the Jewish people did not have a well-defined idea of the afterlife. Because they didn’t believe in a heavenly reward, they saw earthly prosperity as a sign of God’s favor. One of the chief signs of God’s favor was children, because in a sense a person lived on through his children (remember, they didn’t really have the concept of the immortal soul yet). A person who died without children was in a sense more “dead” than a person who left descendants. Jephthah had only one child, his daughter. Because she died a virgin, she had no heirs, and it also meant that her father’s line would not continue. That’s why she mourned her virginity.
Later scriptures, such as the book of Wisdom, reveal a development in Jewish thought. Wisdom states that it is better to be virtuous and childless than evil and have many children. It also attests to hope in immortality (as does 2 Maccabees).

 

[tee_eff_em]

## I have a theory about this

The plot is similar to some other stories.

Indeed. This device occurs so frequently that folklorists refer to it as the Jephthah Motif. And the lesson is, invariably: Don’t make foolish promises.

In Grimms’ Faerie Tales, these promises need not result in a death, but in other consequences also, usually in the set-up: The poor woodsman and his wife were childless and dearly wanted children; he said “Oh, I wish I had a son. I would love him even if he {were only the size of my thumb/looked like a hedgehog/what ever}…”

tee