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 by Miss Poppy Dixon ATTENTION:
The following article references female
genitalia and female reproductive functions and correlates them with the
allegorical life of Jesus and Christian symbolism. If any of this offends
you, please leave now and do not read the following piece.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let
me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy
wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from
wrath and make me pure.
 This beautiful hymn was written in 1776 by Augustus M. Toplady
as he sheltered himself during a storm amidst the rocks of Cheddar Gorge
in England. He penned the hymn on a deck of playing cards.
In Galatians 3:28 Paul states that in Christ there is no male
nor female. And, as with Adam, the gender of Jesus was dual. Adam gave
birth to Eve and all humankind through a gash in his side, just as Jesus
gave birth to the church through his wound. While beginning life as males
both Adam and Jesus were/are intersexual, or hermaphroditic, by function.
They represent the range, from female to male, of the sexuality of God.
When the disciple Thomas was confronted by Jesus he would not
believe it was Him until he placed his finger within the wound in Jesus'
side. The rupture that took place between Jesus and his followers would be
healed when they became born again. The imagined unity and wholeness which
is shattered when the child realizes that her/his mother is a separate
person can now be mended by a second birth that restores this necessary
fiction. Woman caused the break with oneness by her very being, Jesus now
heals this breach through His wound. Thomas was literally climbing back
into the womb.
When the side of Jesus was pierced at the crucifixion the
gospels report that blood and water flowed forth. This echoes the water
and the blood that issues with the birth of a child. A contemporary Catholic
meditation on the passion of Christ is quoted:
From the side of Christ comes the
life-giving grace we need to return safely to the Father. In times of
temptation and danger, we can hide ourselves in the Side of Jesus,
finding strength in the sacraments which flow from that place of
salvific grace.
An intercession in the same work:
Jesus, your side was opened by a
lance and poured forth blood and water to symbolize the birth of your
spouse, the church.
From the movie 'God Told Me To' directed by Larry
Cohen |
Many Christian theologians believe that it was the piercing of
Christ's side that actually killed him, not the crucifixion per se. These
attribute more symbolism to that particular wound. Others believe that
Jesus was dead already and that it was water that had gathered near his
heart that flowed from the wound. This belief allows the believer to
maintain anti-Semitic prejudices of Jews as the killers of Christ. (2)
In the same way that women do, Jesus bleeds yet does not die.
His blood and water are represented in the sacraments of baptism and
communion. While you are born once of woman, you must be born again of
Jesus. You are washed by the blood of Jesus.
She's My Sister, She's My Daughter...
The 18th century Moravians of Germany worshipped the side wound
of Jesus ('seitenhohlchen,' or 'little side cave'). Within this sect
copulation was raised to the status of communion with God, and Jesus was
considered the husband of all people, as all souls were considered to be
female. Highly sexualized rituals were performed and hymns written in the
community. The wounds were described as, "worthy, beloved, miraculous,
powerful, secret, clear, sparkling, holy, purple, juicy, close,
long-suffering, dainty, warm, soft, hot, and eternal."
The followers were described as those "who feel at home in the
Sidehole and crawl in deep." The church was born from the side wound of
Christ and at the same time was his bride and wife. (3)
The Christian Fish Symbol
 Even today, ordinary Christians routinely
make use of the fish symbol, not fully understanding its origin. As with
many religious symbols it was coopted from Pagan sources. The symbol of
the fish can be found in ancient Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman
and Scandinavian goddess religions. One Greek fish goddess, Aphrodite
Salacia, was worshipped on Fridays by followers who ate fish and engaged
in sexual activities. This practice, sans the sex, was later appropriated
into the Catholic tradition.
The fish symbol consists of two facing crescent moons,
representing the waxing and waning of the moon. While the sun generally
represented the god, the moon is traditionally a goddess symbol.
Additionally it mimics the shape of the vulva, or 'mons veneris.'
'Veneris' comes from 'Venus,' meaning both love and worship. The words
'venereal', 'venerate' and 'reverend' all share this common root. In
French, Friday is 'Vendredi', in English Friday, from the Scandinavian
name 'Freya', the goddess honored by the eating of fish. (4)
Additionally, the original eucharist included not only bread and
wine, but also fish. When Jesus fed the masses he served them bread and
fish.
The Lance that Wounded Christ
Cults grew around the relic of
the lance that pierced the side of Christ. Several lances competed for the
honor of being considered the true lance. One of these, the Spear of
Longinus, could be traced to the time of Constantine and had led the
charge into many bloody Christian battles. Adolph Hitler believed in the
power of this true spear to guarantee the battles of anyone who held it in
possession and seized it from the House of Hapsburg. Hitler committed
suicide within 80 minutes of its seizure by the United States. (5)
From
'Videodrome' directed by David Cronenberg
The Wound in Contemporary Cinema
Two contemporary movies explore the theme of a generative side
wound, Larry Cohen's 'God Told Me To' and David Cronenberg's 'Videodrome.'
In 'God Told Me To' an alien Christ figure asks his brother to impregnate
him through his wound so that they can generate a super race. For more on
this see Lights,
Camera, Blasphemy. In Cronenberg's 'Videodrome' the Christ figure Max
Wren, played by James Woods, develops a wound which allows him to act as a
human VCR, the 'video-word made flesh.' "Long live the new flesh," he
cries as he stalks the proprietress of the "Mission of the Cathode Ray
Tube." These two movies illustrate the horror associated with depicting a
fully female spirituality through the bodies of men.
The Cleansing Wave
Oh, now I see the cleansing
wave!
The fountain deep and wide;
Jesus, my Lord, mighty to
save,
Points to His wounded side
The cleansing stream I see! I
see!
I plunge, and oh, it cleanseth me!
Oh, praise the Lord! It
cleanseth me!
It cleanseth me - yes, cleanseth me. (6)
Summary
Patriarchal Christianity met great resistance by peoples who had
for millennia worshipped the goddess and female generative powers. In the
end Christianity subsumed the powerful symbols of these religions within
its own. Jesus showed great compassion to women in his ministry, and in
fact his ministry was financed by the women that followed him. It is
unlikely that early Christianity was as hostile to women as legalistic
churches are today. While contemporary patriarchal dogmas threaten to
drown out the voice of Jesus we have but to put our finger in His wound,
and believe.
NOTES:
1. Top
Painting, "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas," by Michelangelo Merisi da
Caravaggio, 1601,02. Neves Palais, Potsdam, Germany. [back]
2. Death by
Crucifixion, by Steve Febbraro, Vessel Ministries. [back]
3. Gollin, Gillian Lindt, MORAVIANS IN TWO WORLDS, A STUDY OF
CHANGING COMMUNITIES (Columbia University Press, 1967). [back]
4. PRINCIPAL CHRISTIAN
SYMBOLS: THE FISH (ICHTHUS), CROSS AND CRUCIFIX, Ontario Consultants
on Religious Tolerance. [back]
5. Hitler And The
Holy Lance, by Bill Kalogonis. [back]
6. CLEANSING WAVE, Words and Music by Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1839
- 19808) [back]
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