Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence, and Judeophobia in Text and Church

In this chapter, scholars reflect on sexual abuse in contemporary church settings as well as the sexual violence to be found in New Testament texts and other early Christian literature. Miryam Clough’s work deals directly with sexual harassment and abuse in religious settings and the ways in which biblical texts may serve to heal as well as to harm survivors. David Tombs addresses the sexual violence implicit in Jesus’ crucifixion and implications for today’s church settings. Meredith Warren and Eric Vanden Eykel interrogate the language and narratives of rape and rape culture, noting the overlapping concern of Judeophobia in early Christian literature and the dangers of supersessionism that afflict both the texts themselves and their interpreters.