The Treatment Of Female Discharge In The Hebrew Bible

Abstract: This thesis seeks to demonstrate that the gender bias in the laws of Leviticus regarding genital discharge reflects both the fear of blood's power to give and take life, and the fear of a woman's power due to her unique God-given role of producing life. This thesis will first explain the different classifications of blood that occur in the Hebrew Bible, and then analyze the differences between male and female discharge. Leviticus 12 and 15 will be major areas of focus, with concentration placed on the rules and regulations accompanying the discharges, and on the animals chosen for purification and burnt offerings. Additionally, occurrences of female genital discharge outside of Leviticus will be analyzed. Finally, the natural processes of menstruation and childbirth will be compared to the human inflicted circumcision, demonstrating that infant circumcision was a male-manufactured attempt to reassert the male's dominant and "chosen" role in Hebrew society