In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

J U D I T H TAT E O ’ B R I E N Not Counting the Men The number of those who ate was about five thousand, not counting the women and children. —Matthew, 14:21 On the sixth day God created Eve and later fashioned Adam to be her fit helper. Suppose God called Sarai to set out for Canaan, and Abram tagged along, shamed, unable to beget. Suppose the covenant was marked by menstruation, and semen made men untouchable, unclean. Suppose Miriam led the Jews out of Egypt, and when Moses complained “Does God speak only to women!” the Lord struck him with leprosy. Suppose boy babies counted for nothing except sperm. Later, the story might go, Jesus called twelve women, and no one wondered about families they left behind. Suppose Jesus led the prayer “Our Mother who art in heaven,” and according to Matthew, Jesus multiplied loaves and fish and fed a crowd of 5000— not counting the men. Suppose Aquinas 230 ❚ The 1990s admitted in the Summa that, well, yes, men had souls—temporal ones. And what if, Her Holiness Ellen Marie IV in Rome penned Latin encyclicals explaining why God doesn’t want men ordained. As an exercise, just suppose . . . The 1990s ❚ 231 ...

Share