Sarahâs Laugh, Sodomâs Sin, Hagarâs Kin: Queering Time and Belonging in Genesis 16-21
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Abstract
The story of Sodomâs destruction bears the weight of a long history of violence against queer people. The now-standard revisionist view argues the story has nothing to do with sexuality, but rather the ancient ethic of hospitality toward strangers. This article reconsiders both Sodomâs sin and the hospitality ethic of âinclusionâ through a series of tropological readings linking Sodom to Sarahâs laugh and Hagarâs wandering. Parts 1 and 2 suggest that, in Sarahâs cynicism and Sodomâs violent grasp for control, the text shows readers competing modes of response to the temporality of strange fleshâto queer futures arriving as wandering divine visitors. Part 3 examines how this reading recasts contemporary debates among Christian interpreters concerning sexuality and among queer theorists concerning temporality and inclusion. Part 4 on Judeâs reinterpretation of Sodom and Part 5 on Hagar imagine ethical possibilities otherwiseâbeyond âincludingâ strangers, toward undermining the logic of estrangement itself.
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Sarahâs Laugh, Sodomâs Sin, Hagarâs Kin: Queering Time and Belonging in Genesis 16-21
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Matthew Elia in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
The story of Sodomâs destruction bears the weight of a long history of violence against queer people. The now-standard revisionist view argues the story has nothing to do with sexuality, but rather the ancient ethic of hospitality toward strangers. This article reconsiders both Sodomâs sin and the hospitality ethic of âinclusionâ through a series of tropological readings linking Sodom to Sarahâs laugh and Hagarâs wandering. Parts 1 and 2 suggest that, in Sarahâs cynicism and Sodomâs violent grasp for control, the text shows readers competing modes of response to the temporality of strange fleshâto queer futures arriving as wandering divine visitors. Part 3 examines how this reading recasts contemporary debates among Christian interpreters concerning sexuality and among queer theorists concerning temporality and inclusion. Part 4 on Judeâs reinterpretation of Sodom and Part 5 on Hagar imagine ethical possibilities otherwiseâbeyond âincludingâ strangers, toward undermining the logic of estrangement itself.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 913 | 143 | 21 |
| Full Text Views | 257 | 21 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 570 | 46 | 0 |
