Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-06-14
A WOMAN'S BIBLE.
Holy Writ Being Revised by
Women,
TO PROVE THAT MAN ISN'T
MASTER.
Mrs Elizabeth Cady Stanton the Origin
ator Of the Idea


1t is not generally known that for the past
SIX years a committee Of women have been
engaged in the work of revising the Bible.
for the purpose of determining whether the
sacrei book does or does not declare that
man is the master, and women must defer to
him.
Prominent women IN this "woman's cen
tury," have long contended that careful re-
vision OF portions of the Bible would show
that woman has not been dealt with fairly by
Bible students, and that there Is no basis in
the Bible for the assertion that man is mas
ter, and woman must yield obedience to him.
The first five books of the Bible have been
carefully revised. and the committee fear
lessly proclaims that there is abundant evil
dence of the equality of the sexes, and the
position of woman fixed with absolute pre-
cislon. This point settled new difficulty
confronted the committee; what word to
use to express the equality of sex. The
women went to work, however, and after ex-
haustive research, coined a new word
amphiarcate-w will hereafter signify
"the absolute equality of man aud woman"
The committee has decided not to issue
any portion of the work until the whole Is
completed. There has been prepared how
ever, an Interpretation or pharaphrasing of
certain important passages. verses PC, - and
2S of the first chapter of Genesis, which in
the King James version, read as follows
p. And God said Let IL make man in our i'm
age. after our likeness: and LEI them have do
minion over the fish OF the sea, and over the
fowl of the air. and over the cattle, and over all
the earth. and over every creeping thing that
Creepeth upon the earth
T.. So God created man in his own image, in
the image Of God created he him. male and f.
male created he them
-. And God blessed them and God said unto
them, BE fruitful and multiply, and replendlsh
the earth. anu subdue Il. and have dominion
over the fish OF the sea. and over the fowl OF the
air. and over every living thing that mOyeth
upon the earth.
These verses are considered vitality import
ant a. they tell of the creation of Adam and
Eve. In these verses is the account of the
advent Of woman-a simultaneous creation
OF man and woman, made in the image of
show that there was consultation IL the God
head, and that the masculine and feminine
elements were equally represented "a heav-
euly mother a we'll a. a heavenly father
a. there could have been no perpetuation of
life without these two elements in the Crea-
tor. in man, in the mineral, vegetable, and
animal world. Woman was created equal in
power and glory with man. with dominion
over every living thing but not one word Is
said of mans dominion over woman.
Verses t. Il, y, -, and D, of the second
chapter of Genesis, in the King James YER
sion, read as follows
". And the Lord God commanded the man
saying OF every tree Of the garden thou mayest
freely eat:
l., But Of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil thou shalt not eat OF it: for in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
y. And the Lord God caused deep sleep to
fan upon Adam, and be slept and he took one Of
his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof !,
= And the rib, which the Lord God had
taken from man. made he a woman, and brought
her unto the man.
3. And Adam said. This is now bone OF my
bones, and flesh OF my flesh she shall be called
Woman because she was taken out of Man
These verses, the women reyisers claim;
convey the idea of woman as an afterthought,
to cheer the solitude of Adam and contra
chapter. rejecting alike on the wisdom of
God and the importance of women As a fac
tor in the perpetuation of the race. Accord
ing to the revlsers now at work, there Is
majesty in evolving order out of chaos, light
out of darkness, in fixing the paths Of the
planets, absurdedly inconsistent with a sur
gcal operation on a sleeping man to find
material for the mother of the race, and
gives rise to the question: why should there
be two accounts of the same occurrence?
This second version, the revisers claim, is
an allegory. found in some form in the ira
dtions of all races, and is the battery ram
which the enemies of woman use III their at
facts upon them. The women revisers OBJ
Ject too, to the phraseology of the twenty
third verse. Nomanhood is the primal sact,
wifehood but the incident.
INTERVIEW BETWEEN THE SERPENT And WOMAN
J. Now the serpent was more subtle than any
beast Of the field which the Lord God had made
And ne said unto the woman. y ea. hath God said.
Ne shall not eat OF every tree OF the garden
u. And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for TODD, and that II was pleasant 10
the eyes and a tree 10 be- desired 10 make one
wise she took OF the fruit thereof aud did eat.
and gave also unto her husband with her, ard
he did eat.
II Unto the woman hc said I will greatly
multiply thy sorrow and thy conceptions in sor
row thou shalt bring forth children: and thy de
sire shall be 10 thy husband. and he shall rule
over thee
~ In the sweat Of thy face shalt thou eat
bread tll thou return unto the ground; for
uiit OF II vast thou taken: for dust thou art.
and unto dust shalt thou return.
In these verses is given the eventful inter
view between the serpent and woman, the
Lord God and Adam, in which is shown the
lauddble ambition of the first woman for
knowledge, which would give her power over
life the same passages make equally PLAN
that Adam had no such ambition.
In commenting upon these passages, the
committee says II l. incompatible for God
loving justice and mercy To command Eve
in one breath TO multiply and replensh the
earth, and in the next tell her that if she
does this she shall be cursed IN her maternity.
To bring forth her children ia sorrow and
suffering, and TO be always in bondage TO
Adams tyranny and caprice. Adams curse
Il not 80 heavy, but 1t seems rather hard TO
turn him ont of Eden to forage for his living.
and then plant such a variety of prolific
weeds all over the land that his labor would
be to little purpose.
The members of the committee who have
labored so indefatigably in this great work,