The #MeToo movement has made many women raise their voices in numerous sectors of society to say without fear that they have been victims of abuse or sexual harassment at some point in their lives.
Now, the professor of theological studies at the British University of Sheffield, Katie Edwards, has launched an issue on the web portal “The Conversation” that puts into question the following: should Jesus be considered a victim of sexual abuse in all the process that led to the crucifixion?
For Edwards, despite the fact that the story is enormously known and that each of the events that took place until death on the cross is known in detail, there seems to be something that is obvious: the evident nakedness of Christ.
For the teacher, Jesus was stripped of his clothes with the sole intention of being humiliated in front of the people, which in his view should be considered as an act of sexual violence.
For those who had not raised it before, the teacher reminds us that the act of punishment to which was subjected was one of the worst and that leaving him naked was not something that could be considered accidental. On the contrary, it was a deliberate action used by the Romans to degrade those who were going to be punished, thus breaking the little emotional or psychological strength they had left.
Edwards points out that if Jesus were to be considered a victim, it would make a big difference in how to connect with movements like #MeToo and contribute to tangible change in many countries and in many societies.
Even so, this teacher understands that many Christians, despite having the idea in front, had never considered whether the act itself was being crucified could be considered sexual abuse. But for Edwards, “if the purpose was to humiliate in public, then it is entirely justified to recognize it as such.”
A clear example of how difficult this approach is within Christian society, and with which the researcher had to deal, is when this past December a lecture was held on this topic in her university.
Many were those who complained about the subject and made it appear in networks: “There is zero biblical or historical evidence that Jesus was a victim of sexual abuse This is a way of insulting and belittling all Christians, Instead of feminizing Christ, why not highlight their achievements to foster a lasting role for women in the Church. ”
There is 0 biblical or historocal evidence of Jesus beinf a victim of sexual assault. This is insulting and demeaning to all Christians. Instead of trying to feminize Christ, why not highlight his efforts to foster a lasting role for women in the church?
— AB (@AlexBickel16) December 19, 2017
