This also is an example of noble submission. J's daughter has such a
reverence for her father's vow to God that she is willing to give up her
life for it.
Dr. Clinton Atchley
Department of English
Box 7652
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR 71999
Phone: 870.230.5276
Email: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.hsu.edu/faculty/atchlec
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 12:06 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: children and the drama of persecution.
>
>
>In a message dated 1/10/01 11:05:01 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
>
>> The daughter of Jephthah is another Biblical example of a child being
>> sacrificed (Judges 11:30-40). Unfortunately, she didn't
>fare as well as
>Isaac and > her story was not used as a negative exemplar.
>
>It seems to me that the motif of child sacrifice is
>incidental, rather than
>central, to the story. Like the story of King Midas and the
>golden touch,
>it's actually about the bad things that happen if one is foolish or
>unthinking in what one vows, wishes, or prays. The story
>_assumes__ that
>child sacrifice is an abomination. Jephthah, because he made a
>foolish vow,
>finds himself backed into a corner where he's compelled to commit an
>abomination (child sacrifice). If Jephthah (and the reader) had had no
>objection to child sacrifice, than the story would have no moral.
>
>I believe it's Leviticus that emphasizes the importance of
>vows, and also of
>care in framing them, so that foolish vows will not be made. I
>guess it's the
>call to self-awareness which is timeless. In modern terms,
>don't pledge a
>million dollars to a charity if you don't happen to have a
>million dollars to
>give. The stop-and-think axiom, I guess.
>
>pat
>
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