What Has Aeneas To Do With Paul? Gender, Head Coverings, And Ancient Appeals To Origin Stories -- By: Heather M. Gorman

Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 30:3 (Summer 2016)
Article: What Has Aeneas To Do With Paul? Gender, Head Coverings, And Ancient Appeals To Origin Stories
Author: Heather M. Gorman


What Has Aeneas To Do With Paul?
Gender, Head Coverings, And Ancient Appeals To Origin Stories

Heather M. Gorman

Heather Gorman teaches New Testament at Johnson University near Knoxville, Tennessee. She holds an MA in New Testament from Abilene Christian University and the PhD in Biblical Studies from Baylor University. Heather’s husband, Jamey, is also a professor at Johnson University, and they have a daughter named Anna Marie.

For better or worse, 2016 is another year for a United States presidential election. Beyond featuring the ever-increasing polarization in American politics, the election year also highlights how politicians will do just about anything to present themselves as the best candidate. One of the more common rhetorical appeals during election season is the appeal to the founding fathers. For example, Marco Rubio, formerly a contender for the Republican presidential nomination, when asked what limits he would place around the second amendment, said the following: “As few as possible. The Second Amendment, as I’ve said before, is not a suggestion. It is the constitutional right of every American to protect themselves and their families. . . . It is right after the defense of the freedom of speech for a reason, for clearly the founders of our nation understood and the framers of the Constitution understood that you cannot have life and you cannot have liberty and cannot pursue happiness if you are not safe.1

Candidates from both parties make such appeals, but regardless of who does it, such appeals make an important point: the founding fathers are a source of authority; what they did and how they envisaged the United States is somehow significant to many Americans today. Politicians invoke the founders in support of big government and in opposition to big government; they invoke the founders in support of the separation of church and state and in opposition to it; and the list could go on. The founding fathers are made to support whatever side of an issue the invoker is on. Why? Because many Americans believe that the founding of our country has bearing on today’s beliefs and practices.2

Like modern America and many other societies in today’s world, ancient societies’ founding stories both shaped and reflected the identity of their people. Ancient people groups appealed to their founding myths as a way of explaining or justifying many realities and ideals, including their religious practices and beliefs.3 Here I am interested in ancient appeals to origin stories as a way of explaining or justifying religious practices, particularly in relati...

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