In the days following the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wadewhich had enshrined the constitutional right to abortion, some Christians quoted the Bible to explain why this decision should be celebrated or deplored. But here’s the problem: This 2,000-year-old text says nothing about abortion.
As university professor of biblical studies, I am familiar with the faith-based arguments that Christians use to support their views on abortion, whether they are for or against. Many people seem to assume that the Bible addresses the subject head-on, which is not the case.
Ancient context
Abortions were known and practiced in biblical times, although the methods differed considerably from modern methods. The second century Greek physician Soranusfor example, recommend fasting, bloodletting, vigorous jumping, and heavy lifting as ways to end a pregnancy.
Soranos treatise on gynecology recognized different schools of thought on the subject. Some doctors prohibit the use of any abortion method. Others permitted them, but not in cases where they were intended to conceal an adulterous affair or simply to preserve the mother’s beauty.
In other words, the Bible was written in a world where abortion was practiced and viewed with nuance. However, the Hebrew and Greek equivalents of the word “abortion” do not appear in either the Old or New Testaments of the Bible. In other words, the subject is simply not directly mentioned.
What the Bible says
The absence of an explicit reference to abortion, however, did not prevent its opponents or supporters from turning to the Bible to support their positions.
Opponents of abortion turn to several biblical texts that, taken together, seem to suggest that human life has value before birth. For example, the Bible opens by describing the creation of humans: “in the image of God»: a way of explaining the value of human life, probably before people were even born. Likewise, the Bible describes several important figures, including the prophets Jeremiah And Isaiah And the Christian apostle Paulas having been called to their sacred tasks since their time in their mother’s womb. Psalm 139 affirms that Godweave me together in my mother’s womb.”
“The Creation of Adam” from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, painted by Michelangelo.
However, opponents of abortion are not the only ones who can appeal to the Bible for support. Proponents may cite other biblical texts that appear to constitute evidence in their favor.
Exodus 21, for example, suggests that the life of a pregnant woman is more valuable than that of the fetus. This text describes a scenario in which men at war beat a pregnant woman and cause her to miscarry. A fine is imposed if the woman suffers no harm other than the miscarriage. However, if the woman suffers further harm, the perpetrator’s punishment is to suffer reciprocal harm, up to life in prison.
There are other biblical texts that seem to celebrate the choices women make about their bodies, even in contexts where such choices would have been socially rejected. The fifth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, for example, describes a woman suffering from a gynecological illness that caused her to bleed continually, taking a great risk: she reaches out to touch Jesus’ cloak in the hope that it will heal her, even though the touch of a menstruating woman was believed to cause ritual contamination. However, Jesus welcomes his choice and praises his faith.
Likewise, in the Gospel of John, Mary, the disciple of Jesus, apparently wasting resources by pouring an entire container of expensive ointment on his feet and using his own hair to wipe them off – but he defends his decision to break the social taboo around touching an unrelated man so intimately.
Beyond the Bible
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Christians on both sides of the partisan divide used numerous texts to claim that their particular brand of politics is supported by the Bible. However, if they claim that the Bible specifically condemns or approves of abortion, they are distorting the textual evidence to fit their position.
Of course, Christians can make their own faith-based arguments on modern political issues, whether the Bible speaks directly to them or not. But it is important to recognize that although the Bible was written in a time when abortion was practiced, it never directly addresses the issue.
Melanie A. Howardassociate professor of biblical and theological studies, Fresno-Pacific University
This article is republished from The conversation under Creative Commons license. Read it original article.