a messy comparison

place the following story beside the Red Light District, beside the women in the windows.

there were two women, sisters. in the place they grew up, when they were young, they were promiscuous - they were caressed and fondled. Oholah was the oldest and Oholibah her sister. and they married, having sons and daughters.

But Oholah cheated on her husband - longing after her lovers: doctors and lawyers, nobility, handsome young men, drivers of expensive, face cars. She bestowed favours upon them, these choicest of men; and she gave herself over to their addictions and followed the lifestyle of all those whom she lusted. She did not give up her promiscuous ways from where she used to live; for in her youth men had lain with her and fondled her bosom and poured out their lust upon her. And she was brought into the hands of her lovers, for whom she lusted. They uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and they killed her. She was judged, and she became infamous among women.

Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt than her sister in her lusting and in her promiscuity, which was worse than those of her sister. She longed after her lovers: doctors and lawyers, rich, drivers of expensive, fast cars, handsome young men all of them. And her husband knew of her adultery; she was like her sister. And yet, she carried her promiscuity further! She saw paintings of men, images of men in flashing suits and tuxedos, with dashing smiles and perfect hair, all of them looking like nobility and movie stars. When she saw them she lusted after them, and sent messengers to them. And they came to her into her bed, and they defiled her with their lust; and after she defiled herself with them, she turned from them in disgust. When she carried on her promiscuity so openly and flaunted her nakedness, her husband turned in disgust from her, as her sister had also been turned from. Yet she increased her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the prostitute in the land of her birth and lusted after her lovers there, who were like donkeys in their size, and stallions in their lust. Thus she longed for the lewdness of her youth, when her bosom was fondled and her breasts were caressed.

But her lovers arise against her - from all sides, doctors and lawyers, rich, drivers of expensive, fast cars, handsome young men all of them. And they judge her according to what she has done. They deal with her in fury, they strip her of her clothes and take away her fine jewels. She is delivered into the hands of those whom she hates, into the hands of those from whom she turned in disgust; and they shall deal with her in hatred, and take away all the fruit of her labour, and leave her naked and bare, and the nakedness of her whorings shall be exposed. She shall be scorned and derided, she shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. These are the consequences of her lewdness and whorings, consequences and judgment that her husband agreed with.

And her husband said, "Ah, she is worn out with adulteries, but her lovers still carry on their sexual acts with her. They go in to her, as one goes in to a whore. They went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, wanton women. And the righteous shall declare them guilty of adultery because they are adulteresses. I will put an end to lewdness in the land, so that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done. You shall be repaid for your lewdness, and you shall bear the penalty for your sin."

The story above is an adaptation of Ezekiel 23 (a text I've worked on). Not included in the story above, is the switching in pronouns. About halfway through the above passage, the pronoun, "she" is most often referred to as "you." The story is told to the prophet, Ezekiel. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

There is a lot of excitement around about doing cross-cultural reading of the Bible. Reading the story of God's people, the prostitute, beside the stories of prostitutes today can provide a way of seeing the biblical text above in a different light. And the text and the women in the windows can be seen in a new light when one reads Matthew 21.31b "Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.'" (NRSV)

But one also has to be careful in placing the biblical text beside culture. One cannot simply transpose the text's proclamation of deserved judgment onto all of the prostitutes who live in my neighbourhood - especially not when the words of unfaithfulness - words directed toward prostitutes - are directed towards you/me.