(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

You may recall a discussion of the doctrine of the Virgin Birth here a little while ago, some of which addressed the debate around the exact words used in the Bible which are translated today as "virgin". I'm reading a book on the Canaanite goddess Anat right now, so I thought I'd throw this into the discussion: Anat is frequently called btlt 'nt. The first word, from the Ugaritic language, is the equivalent of the Hebrew bethulah, one of the controversial words. Since Anat had a consort and a son, it's unlikely that the title means "the Virgin Anat" - more likely "the young woman Anat".

But the book also says that Ishtar was often called "the Virgin Ishtar" - in which case there is no way the word means a woman who hasn't had sexual intercourse! The question this raises in my mind is whether Akkadian texts use the word batultu, the Akkadian equivalent of betulah and btlt, to describe Ishtar.

(The book is The Violent Goddess: Anat in the Ras Shamra texts by Arvid S. Kapelrud.)

Comments

[thegameiam.livejournal.com]

A couple of relevant facts:

betulah = virgin, and nobody disagrees with that. The phrasing betultah da (who is a virgin) shows up in the traditional form of the ketubah (marriage contract), unless one has a different status according to Jewish law (such as "widow" or "divorcee").

alma is the word used in Isaiah which Christian sources translate as "virgin" but Jewish sources translate as "young woman."

So betultah isn't the controversial word, alma is.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Plus, just because a word originated with one meaning doesn't mean that the meaning hasn't changed over time. Even if "bethulah" started out as "btlt'nt" = "young woman" as suggested, it may only have taken a century or two (or less) for the Hebrew version of the word to shift meaning to "virgin".

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

(Just quickly - 'nt is Anat's name, so the cognate is btlt.)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

*waves hand about vaguely*

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

*awed by your icon*

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

betulah = virgin, and nobody disagrees with that.

That's true of modern Hebrew, but (I'm relying on Wikipedia here!) there are a couple of Biblical passages where it doesn't seem to mean that:

Genesis 24:16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her.

Joel 1:8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the husband of her youth.

I agree that 'almah is the crucial word because of its appearance in Isaiah; however, I think the meaning of betulah helps our understanding of 'almah. It suggests that these terms mean a woman who ought to be a virgin. :-)

[thegameiam.livejournal.com]

The quote from Genesis reinforces the usage of betultah to mean virgin - it's describing Rebecca, and there's no story of which I'm aware which would characterize her otherwise at that point.

I can see why you would see the verse from Joel as ambiguous. The commentators understand the reference to "the husband of her youth" to mean her intended husband - thus showing exactly how painful a lament this means (the context is that Joel is describing the fall of Jerusalem).

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Ooh! There's a scholarly article on the debate:

Betulah 'A Girl of Marriageable Age'
Gordon J. Wenham
Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 22, Fasc. 3 (Jul., 1972), pp. 326-348

I'm gonna snavel that from JSTOR next week, when I'm back at work at the library.

[kalibex.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere about 'virgin' possibly meaning 'free' or 'unattached' - not sure if that is wishful feminist revisionism or sooth...

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

I've heard that 'virgin' once meant 'unmarried'. I wish I could remember where I saw that.

[murasaki-1966.livejournal.com]

Let's start using "virgin" in that sense again.

[endis-ni.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I suspect this could be similar to the old concept of virgin vs. maiden- a virgin was unknown to man, whereas a maiden was simply a woman who hadn't birthed children yet.

Everyone starts that way...

[drox.livejournal.com]

Since Anat had a consort and a son, it's unlikely that the title means "the Virgin Anat" - more likely "the young woman Anat".

Not really up on my ancient texts, but looking at modern beliefs and practices, is it perhaps possible that "the Virgin Anat" means exactly what it says on the tin, and people were (are?) worshipping Anat as she was before the consort and the son?

Analogy time: Some pagans call upon the Maiden, even believing that as the wheel of the year turns She becomes the Mother and then the Crone. Does anyone dispute the meaning of "Maiden" in this context, just because She doesn't remain a Maiden forever?

Some Christians venerate the baby Jesus too. Must we redefine "baby" (to "son" or "young man" perhaps?) just because it's pretty clear that Jesus grew up?

Re: Everyone starts that way...

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

That is a sharp piece of thinking. I'll keep reading and get back to you.