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Sarah the Priestess: The First Matriarch of Genesis
The only source in which Sarah is mentioned is the Book of Genesis, which contains very few highly selective and rather enigmatic stories dealing with her. On the surface, these stories tell us very little about Sarah, and what they do tell is complicated and confused by the probability that it represents residue surviving from two different written sources based on two independent oral traditions. Nevertheless, the role which Sarah plays, in the Genesis narratives, apears to be a highly energetic one, a role so active, in fact, that it repeatedly overshadows that of her husband.
In a patriarchal environment such as the Canaan of Genesis, the situation is discordant and problematic. Dr. Teubal suggests that the difficulty is eliminated, however, if we understand that Sarah and the other matriarchs mentioned in the narratives acted within the established, traditional Mesopotamian role of priestess, of a class of women who retained a highly privileged position vis-a-vis their husbands.
Dr. Teubal shows that the “Sarah tradition” represents a nonpatriarchal system struggling for survival in isolation, in the patriarchal environment of what was for Sarah a foreign society. She further indicates that the insistence of Sarah and Rebekah that their sons and heirs marry wives from the old homeland had to do not so much with preference for endogamy and cousin marriage as with their intention of ensuring the continuation of their old kahina -tradition against the overwhelming odds represented by patriarchal Canaan.
In a patriarchal environment such as the Canaan of Genesis, the situation is discordant and problematic. Dr. Teubal suggests that the difficulty is eliminated, however, if we understand that Sarah and the other matriarchs mentioned in the narratives acted within the established, traditional Mesopotamian role of priestess, of a class of women who retained a highly privileged position vis-a-vis their husbands.
Dr. Teubal shows that the “Sarah tradition” represents a nonpatriarchal system struggling for survival in isolation, in the patriarchal environment of what was for Sarah a foreign society. She further indicates that the insistence of Sarah and Rebekah that their sons and heirs marry wives from the old homeland had to do not so much with preference for endogamy and cousin marriage as with their intention of ensuring the continuation of their old kahina -tradition against the overwhelming odds represented by patriarchal Canaan.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 11, 2010
Part of the reason I so enjoy reading authors like Zecharia Sitchin or listening to Coast to Coast AM with George Noury (http://www.coasttocoastam.com/) is that I can then turn to authors like Steven Mithen, Clive Finlayson or Colin Tudge or even Gregory Cochran, whose The 10 000 Year Explosion How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution was disappointing in several respects, and learn about the mind-boggling complexity of the human story, and revel in the fact that we can’t know for certain so much of the tale.
Savina Teubal’s book Sarah the Priestess is a part of that latter tradition – A serious attempt to disentangle the historic and prehistoric threads that went into the make up of the stories found in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. In this case, the traditions behind the first matriarchs of Genesis: Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. This book does not argue against biblical theology, nor does Teubal want to. Instead it joins that large – and fascinating – genre that attempts to place the historical events of the Bible in context, in the process revealing just how unreliable the document is for reconstructing the world of the ancient Middle East.
Teubal’s argument is, briefly, this:
Probably the greatest strength of this book is Teubal’s deference to the limitations of her sources. Beyond their mere existence, we don’t know what these Goddess-worshipping cultures believed, or the rituals they performed and their meanings. For example, Teubal points out that it’s pretty certain that oracular priestesses in the southern Mesopotamian tradition were celibate outside of the sacred marriage ritual and not expected to have children but that this was not so in the Ugaritic tradition.
I don’t have the background to competently assess the basis for Teubal’s argument beyond its plausibility (and the trust that her Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies is not from a diploma mill) and in that regard I think she makes a very good case. In any event, she certainly proves that the Hebrew Bible is not a reliable source for historians attempting to put together Canaanite and Mesopotamian society 4,000 years ago (however inspired it may be for the religious).
For the interested, I would recommend this book.
Savina Teubal’s book Sarah the Priestess is a part of that latter tradition – A serious attempt to disentangle the historic and prehistoric threads that went into the make up of the stories found in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. In this case, the traditions behind the first matriarchs of Genesis: Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. This book does not argue against biblical theology, nor does Teubal want to. Instead it joins that large – and fascinating – genre that attempts to place the historical events of the Bible in context, in the process revealing just how unreliable the document is for reconstructing the world of the ancient Middle East.
Teubal’s argument is, briefly, this:
1. The stories of Abraham/Sarah and the first patriarchs of Genesis (Isaac and Jacob) reflect a transitional period between a prehistoric culture and religion where a Goddess was the predominant deity and women enjoyed far more economic and social importance, and a true patriarchy where (at best) women were relegated to permanent minority status or (at worst) were the chattel of their male relations. (Their survival in the anomalous form that comes down to us is explained by the fact that when the post-Exile redactors finalized the Hebrew Bible, the essential narrative was too sacred to tamper with extensively.)
2. Sarah was an oracular priestess in the tradition of her homeland of Ur, whose Goddess-centered religion can be traced back to prehistoric and protoliterate sources found all over the Middle East.
3. Sarah was the nonuterine brother of Abraham (same father/different mothers). In light of subsequent Jewish consanguinity laws, her marriage to Abraham can only be understood in terms of a strictly matrilineal society where the biological input of the father was irrelevant.
4. There is strong evidence to suggest that Sumerian/Akkadian priestesses were celibate, suggesting that Abraham and Sarah’s marriage was so too.
5. Consequently, Isaac is the child of a hieros gamos, or “sacred marriage,” perhaps with Abimelech of Gerar.
6. Teubal doesn’t claim that Rebekah, Leah or Rachel were priestesses but she does argue that they represented a fading Goddess-centered religion and matrifocal marriage customs that were only completely stamped out in the post-Exilic Jewish community.
Probably the greatest strength of this book is Teubal’s deference to the limitations of her sources. Beyond their mere existence, we don’t know what these Goddess-worshipping cultures believed, or the rituals they performed and their meanings. For example, Teubal points out that it’s pretty certain that oracular priestesses in the southern Mesopotamian tradition were celibate outside of the sacred marriage ritual and not expected to have children but that this was not so in the Ugaritic tradition.
I don’t have the background to competently assess the basis for Teubal’s argument beyond its plausibility (and the trust that her Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies is not from a diploma mill) and in that regard I think she makes a very good case. In any event, she certainly proves that the Hebrew Bible is not a reliable source for historians attempting to put together Canaanite and Mesopotamian society 4,000 years ago (however inspired it may be for the religious).
For the interested, I would recommend this book.
February 14, 2013
The pioneering work for studying the status of middle-eastern women in the ancient world. Rigorously researched, it scrupulously assembled and analysed the evidence from archeology, anthropology, the plastic arts, religious-sacred and secular texts. This book provided a break-through in the study of women preceding the origins of Judaism. Not a mythologizing, apocryphal, wish-fulfilling jaunt, like many of enthusiastic productions of 70s feminism, the work offers fascinating insights into household systems in Canaan. In doing so, it clarifies many biblical episodes.
Savina Teubal made a persuasive case for Sarah having served the as priestess, "virgin" for 30 years, according to contemporary practice in the ME. Consulting with Rafael Patai and other biblical scholars, she contextualized Sarah's, Abraham's and Hagar's lives in societies harking back to 2000 BCE.
Also well-worth reading to gain an overview of our eternal search for what is most significant: why religion matters.
Savina Teubal made a persuasive case for Sarah having served the as priestess, "virgin" for 30 years, according to contemporary practice in the ME. Consulting with Rafael Patai and other biblical scholars, she contextualized Sarah's, Abraham's and Hagar's lives in societies harking back to 2000 BCE.
Also well-worth reading to gain an overview of our eternal search for what is most significant: why religion matters.
February 22, 2008
Postulates that Sarah, wife of Abraham, was a priestess of a cult which predated the founding of Judaism, and that she wielded substantial power in a matriarchal society, which did not survive more than a couple of generations once the family moved to Canaan. Stands much of what I thought I knew about the OT patriarchs on its head. Worth reading if only for the challenge to one's thinking. While I'm not sure I buy into the concept fully, the author has done her research and presents it clearly and, for the most part, convincingly. Though not a long book, it is not a quick read, the material requiring close concentration, but well worth the effort.
May 8, 2026
So fucking cool and has me (mostly) convinced. Changes my view on the foundations of Hebrew society entirely!
September 19, 2016
I found this book hard going. I finished it unconvinced of the premise, that Sarah was a priestess of a matriarchal religion.
The author tried to build her argument on strands of similarity between Biblical source and relics of Mesopotamia. There simply isn't enough evidence to make a convincing argument either way.
That being said, I found her argument fascinating. Her theory elevates Sarah from a wife to a near-goddess, a feminist icon. It definitely put her status above that of Abraham. This status requires erasure by the patriarchal redactors if the Genesis is to record a patriarchal account of the events. In spite of their efforts to eliminate Sarah's unique states, Teubal finds enough evidence to formulate a feminist theory that is intriguing.
The author tried to build her argument on strands of similarity between Biblical source and relics of Mesopotamia. There simply isn't enough evidence to make a convincing argument either way.
That being said, I found her argument fascinating. Her theory elevates Sarah from a wife to a near-goddess, a feminist icon. It definitely put her status above that of Abraham. This status requires erasure by the patriarchal redactors if the Genesis is to record a patriarchal account of the events. In spite of their efforts to eliminate Sarah's unique states, Teubal finds enough evidence to formulate a feminist theory that is intriguing.
February 25, 2022
This book is fascinating, but also the most important midrash on the Hebrew Matriarchs ever written --ever. It should be required reading for any serious seminary or religious studies referencing Hebrew Scriptures (the Bible). Informed by ancient and current matrilineal cultures, where kinship is counted from the mother, as is true in modern Judaism, the confusion of Sarah being Abram's "sister" is explained, as well as Rachel, the youngest daughter's rights to family religious articles, and Rebekah's insistence on the youngest son receiving the blessing. All of these mysteries are understandable within the culture of matrilineal kinship, regardless of later attempts to cover it up with patriarchal standards of the surrounding peoples. It is clear, evidence based and well written.
January 29, 2019
Wow, what a read. A fascinating look at Sarah from Genesis, and an in depth look at her life. An interesting perspective on her life and some problematic verses, in particular Gen 12:10-20, and Gen 20:1-18. But after reading this book those verses are problems no more.
However this book is heavy going, and could have done with some tighter editing. But the content is definitely worth the read.
However this book is heavy going, and could have done with some tighter editing. But the content is definitely worth the read.
September 29, 2019
Excellent
September 6, 2021
This is the most important book on women in Torah in the past 5,000 years! It is stellar scholarship, extremely clearly and well written, with good evidence provided for all of her observations. It is better at explaining about Sarah and Abraham, as well as the other matriarchs of Genesis (Rebecca, Rachel, Leah), and why Judaism is matrilineal than any midrashim offered to date! What a great loss that Dr. Teubal has passed. Hopefully someone will continue her work.
June 7, 2015
I never know how to review scholarly texts on here, but talking about Sarah the Priestess is easier than most. This book seems to be doing three things- attempting to explain odd, currently difficult to understand references in the story of Sarah and Abraham, providing background on pre-Christian religions that played a role in defining the events of early Biblical history, and correcting patriarchal revisionism that was performed on Biblical texts as the stories became culturally solidified. The three go hand-in-hand pretty well, with Teubal giving ample evidence that, even when it seems like a bit of a stretch, is at least well and logically explained. She isn't arguing Biblical text here half as much as she is providing the context of the ancient, foreign culture that the text springs from.
My biggest problem with this book is probably that Rebekah and Rachel are brought up as important parts of the argument early on before, for the rest of the book, they are largely ignored. I don't know if this is because their stories are less famous than Sarah's or because there's less detail given about them, stopping Teubal from drawing the same amount of historical parallels from their stories that she does from Sarah's. However, the early weight that they are given and their subsequent dismissal makes the argument feel a little disjointed when they do come back into play.
Sarah the Priestess is not light summer reading, but it is interesting and useful to think about major cultural touchstones from a new perspective. It would be interesting to see a book like this, which uses outside research on ancient cultures, to explain a lot of the "Wait, what?" moments in the currently known version of the story, put to use in a mainstream Sunday School class.
My biggest problem with this book is probably that Rebekah and Rachel are brought up as important parts of the argument early on before, for the rest of the book, they are largely ignored. I don't know if this is because their stories are less famous than Sarah's or because there's less detail given about them, stopping Teubal from drawing the same amount of historical parallels from their stories that she does from Sarah's. However, the early weight that they are given and their subsequent dismissal makes the argument feel a little disjointed when they do come back into play.
Sarah the Priestess is not light summer reading, but it is interesting and useful to think about major cultural touchstones from a new perspective. It would be interesting to see a book like this, which uses outside research on ancient cultures, to explain a lot of the "Wait, what?" moments in the currently known version of the story, put to use in a mainstream Sunday School class.
August 24, 2015
Dense, specific, and speculatory + micro-focused.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews