Creation and Salvation are deeply feminine and masculine. Our scriptures tell us so, but we have blotted this out in our translations. Let’s start a simple revolution, namely to translate the bible using the gendered language of the bible!
Here is an example from today’s reading in the Liturgy of the Hours.
Romans 8:18-21
18 The sufferings of the present are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us. 19 Indeed, the whole created world eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God. 20 Creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but by him who once subjected it; yet not without hope, 21 because the world itself will be freed from its slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
Here is the Greek text, or at least one major version of it.
18 Λογίζομαι γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς. 19 ἡ γὰρ ἀποκαραδοκία τῆς κτίσεως τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπεκδέχεται· 20 τῇ γὰρ ματαιότητι ἡ κτίσις ὑπετάγη, οὐχ ἑκοῦσα ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὑποτάξαντα, ἐφʼ ἑλπίδι 21 ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ θεοῦ.
Now let us take the same translation, but replace or insert the gendered terms (in brackets) found in the Greek text.
18 The sufferings of the present are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us. 19 Indeed, the whole created world, [she] eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God. 20 Creation, [she] was made subject to futility, not of its [her] own accord but by him who once subjected it; yet not without hope, 21 because the world itself [herself] will be freed from its [her] slavery to corruption and share in the [her] glorious freedom of the children of God.
Notice that “created” is feminine, “revelation” is feminine, “creation” is feminine, “hope” is feminine, “world” and “creation” are the same word in Greek hence both feminine, “slavery” is feminine, “corruption” is feminine, and “freedom” is feminine. Now, one could translate the gender character of the language in a variety of fashions, but my point here is to draw your attention to how gendered the language is, even in Greek which tends to be less gendered than Hebrew (at least from my observations – perhaps someone could correct me?)
Reflect for a moment on the significance of this seemingly small change in translations. For those who deeply love man and woman, male and female, masculinity and femininity when that love and appreciation is genuine and not deformed, the Revelatory side of these passages breaks forth and one is reminded of how God’s Revelation comes through men and women (husbands and wives, mothers and fathers) down through history. One becomes more attuned to the deeply mysterious way that all things come to be including in that masculine and feminine dimension of all created acts and all salvific acts.
It was no accident that the gender dimension of language was removed decades ago from most of scripture. And this is not unconnected with the fact that wide-spread gender confusion and even hatred for gender exists today.
I beg any one with ears to hear to begin calling and even demanding a simple change in all modern translations. Include the original gender dimension of words and passages wherever that language is found in Greek, Hebrew, or Latin (especially when it is found in all three languages). And for those who knew better decades ago, you should be ashamed.