Adam’s
not so invisible phallus
The character of Lone
Male sexuality emerges as another veiled revelation
of Genesis. It can
be safely and soundly stated that
Genesis is all about
phallic power.
Others might counter that
the phallus is not visible, and, because there
is no sacred
sexuality act of a god and
goddess mating, that genitality
is not part of Genesis' revelation at
all.
Here it is important to call to mind
that the Hebrews have no word
for god, and that they never call
him by name. Everything about god and his holy person is
expressed indirectly or metaphorically or allegorically.
In other Big Story accounts, the main meaning of
a key narrative or action is veiled, often obscured by mis-direction or
indirect, substitute imagery.
It seems increasingly apparent that Genesis' core message
and imagery is masked. How is this evidenced?
Go back to the Rib.
Assume that you are hearing Genesis for the first time.
You are in a crowd of males and females. Like the
others, you understand the simple "facts of life." So,
when the Rib is mentioned it is not such a stretch
for you to clearly grasp that the Rib is
a substitute image for the penis. You know this
because you understand symbol and metaphor. Clearly, in nature,
there is no Rib power of procreation.
However, you
definitely know that there is phallic power.
Rather than believe that
Eve is actually created from Adam's Rib, you
ponder,
"Why is the storyteller not calling the penis a
penis?"
You are an experienced traveler, who has
heard several Big Stories and their story of origin.
You quickly figure out, as you have recognized in other creation
stories,
the
use of
mis-direction
and the practice of expressing truths about gods and humans by using
substitutionary imagery, which is quite often animal imagery.
In Genesis, instead of
using animal imagery, a body part of Adam is used.
One insight to the ancient Semitic mentality is
that animal
imagery could not be
used because Adam had dominion over animals and therefore he
would not define any humanness in terms of this
lesser, subordinate life form.
Also, the point to be made is that only Adam's
body has creational and procreational power.
Continue—Abrahamic
