Simone Weil: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and Today’s Feminist Critique of Patriarchy

Publication Type

Book Chapter

Year of Publication

1996

Author

Beauchesne, Richard J.

Editor

Sloyan, Gerard S.

Book

Religions of the Book

Series Volume

38

Pages

173-192

Publisher

University Press of America

Place Published

Lanham, Maryland

Language

English

Series Title

Annual Publication of the College Theology Society

Keywords

Christ, Carol
Christianity
collective
decreation
God
Judaism
incarnation
individualism
Islam
power
Ruether, Rosemary
war

Annotation

Beauchesne begins with a brief description of feminism in France during Weil's lifetime. He then looks at modern feminist critiques of power, war and patriarchy drawing largely on the work of Carol Christ and Rosemary Reuther. He next turns to Weil's view of power in the Jewish, Islamic and Christian traditions, arguing her concept of decreation and incarnation, are in some ways the antithesis of such views, especially the Jewish and Islamic. He then examines Weil's writing on 'war and warrior Gods'. Here he discusses Weil's thought on the relationship of the individual to the collective in religion especially her notion that the nation comes to operate as a warlike deity in collective focused religions. He concludes by briefly considering the question of historical accuracy and ideology in relation to Weil's views before turning to a brief discussion of the results of the relationship between patriarchy and concepts of divinity.