Christian Research Journal Reads Episode 120: Did David Rape Bathsheba?

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team physician Larry Nash of sexual assault. She is empathetic that rape is the only evidential and logical explanation of what happened between David and Bathsheba. Sadly, den Hollander endured a lot of sexual abuse in her life, and we hurt for her, but we disagree with her contention that David raped Bathsheba. Den Hollander is of course not alone, especially since the advent of the hashtag me too movement,

There are many who assert that David rape Bathsheba. But we are going to argue that the evidence doesn't support that contention, arguments that Bathsheba was raped. We begin with an examination of the arguments employed by those who say David did rape Bathsheba. Unequal power dynamics, remove the ability to consent. Notice that the first thing Den Hollander says after quote David raped unquote was quote if you un understand the power dynamics unquote. Biola professor Carmen joy Eimes

writes in Christianity Today. Quote Those arguing that David committed adultery often try to pin blame on Bathsheba for bathing in public, thereby seducing David, while those arguing that David raped her point to the uneven power dynamics between them, unquote emphasis added. Bonnie Christian, an editor at Christianity Today, agrees quote. Perhaps most compelling beyond these textual details are the broader power dynamics in play. David is king, Bathsheba

cannot reject his uninvited attention unquote emphasis added. Former Baylor University deans David E. Garland and Diana R. Garland explain the power dynamic quote. Perhaps she was flattered by his attention. He was a handsome man. Perhaps she found herself attracted to him. Even if she was flattered by the attention of the king. However, and even if she found him attractive, she was not responsible for what happened, since consent was

impossible given her powerless position. David, in essence, raped her. Rape means to have sex against the will without the consent of another, and she did not have the power to consent, even if there was no physical struggle. Even if she gave in to him, it was rape unquote emphasis added. Notice the Garlands wrote that Bathsheba was so powerless that even quote consent was impossible unquote. We could quote others who argue this way, but the point is made.

The David raped apologists appeal to uneven quote power dynamics unquote. Aimes judges that David had quote come to believe that because he has power, he can have whatever he wants when he wants. Emphasis and original. And regarding Bathsheba, i'ms Wright's quote David summons her, does she have a choice? Her husband and her father are both soldiers under his command. No one can refuse the king unquote. In short, Bathsheba

was powerless and was therefore raped. This uneven power dynamic talks springs from contemporary critical theory or the less precise cultural or neo Marxism. Neil Shenvy and Pat Sawyer, in their excellent book Critical Dilemma, The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology, explain that contemporary critical theory is composed of four principles. The first is that quote, society is divided into dominant, privileged oppressor groups and subordinate marginalized

oppressed groups unquote. Second quote, oppression and domination are not limited to cruelty or overt acts of injustice, but also include the ways in which dominant social groups impose their values, traditions, norms, and ways of being and doing on society such that they are accepted as natural, normal, or even God ordained unquote. Third quote, The lived experience of minoritized and oppressed groups rivals and at times is prioritized over objective evidence and

reason when it comes to understanding the world unquote. Fourth quote. Social justice is concerned with the transformation of society via the emancipation and empowerment of marginalized and disenfranchised groups unquote, although they may not realize it. The David raped apologists employ the first two principles. King David had all the

power and Bathsheba had none. David's power was so pervasive and Bathsheba's power nonexistent that she didn't have the ability to decline, or, as we saw earlier, she didn't even have the power to consent to David's request. Author Sheila Ray Grigory writes, quote, when someone cannot say no, then they also cannot say yes. That means consent is not possible. That means it is rape unquote emphasis and original. Envy and Sawyer point out how this affects the David raped

apologist's interpretation of scripture. Quote. It places the authority to determine the meaning of the text with the receiver of the text versus the giver of the text. Consequently, it substitutes an analysis of power dynamics for exegesis unquote, emphasis added. Otherwise, did David rape all of his wives except for King

Saul's daughter Michael because of the tremendous power differential between them. Now, of course, we do agree that miners can't give consent to adults because miners do not understand the significance of their actions nor the consequences of having sex with adults. But this is different. As mentioned above, i'mes the Garlands and den Hollander are saying that even for an adult, consent is impossible if a very powerful person asks for sex from a less powerful person. But does this make sense?

Are we really to believe that an adult can't tell a more powerful adult, even a much more powerful adult quote, please don't do this unquote or quote. I really don't want to have sex with you unquote or quote, you shouldn't do this. I'm a married woman unquote, and so on. That would certainly be considered a lack of consent. Our i'ms the Garlands and Den Hollander saying it's impossible or unwise for these words to come out of the mouth

of someone significantly less powerful than the person and seeking sex. Here, we're going to employ a reductio ad absurdum, the carrying of something to an absurd extreme to show its folly.

Suppose Bethsheba was twenty nine years old. Suppose she was incredibly lonely, that she was also a very sexual person, that she had fantasized for months, maybe even years, about having sex with King David, That she had noticed that he walks around his rooftop at twilight, that she was bathing completely naked and was watching for David to appear on the rooftop, and that when David did appear and look down and saw her completely naked, she gave him

a quote, come hither, look unquote. Suppose also that after she arrives at the palace, he asks if he can kiss her, and she drops her robe and passionately kisses him. Now, of course, we aren't saying that any of these things happened. This is a reductio ad absurd to point out that it was possible for Bathsheba to have given her consent. To say that if those things had happened, that at that point she still had not given her consent is ridiculous.

The only way one could argue in the situation that she had not given her consent is if one already defined consent as impossible. But that commits the fallacy of circular reasoning. David should have been off to war, not in Jerusalem. The David in Bathsheba saga begins with Second Samuel eleven one quote in the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabah. But David remained

at Jerusalem. Unquote. About this the David raped. Apologists claimed that David wasn't supposed to be in Jerusalem in the first place. As Ames puts it, quote, he ought to be at war with his men, but nevertheless there he is bored unquote. Imes also writes quote David fails to take the mission seriously. He doesn't lead the troops in battle. Instead, he stays home and prays on the war widow next

door unquote. Similarly, Tara Lee Cobble, in her popular study guide The Bible Recap, a one year guide to reading and understanding the entire Bible, writes that David staying home is quote exposing a gap in his leadership passivity. He shirks responsibility unquote. Although the passage doesn't say that Bathsheba was bathing on the roof, Kabble then writes that David quote sees Bathsheba bathing on a roof, which is where

people bathe because rainwater collects there. She's keeping God's command, purifying herself unquote. Kabble writes that, quote, we have no reason to think she's trying to seduce David. She likely assumes the king is off to war like he is supposed to be, since that's where her husband Uriah is unquote emphasis added. In other words, both i'ms and Cobble and a host of others say that David is in sin prior to even seeing Bathsheba because it was his

duty to be elsewhere. But as Robert D. Bergen points out in his commentary first Second Samuel quote, the King's absence from the battlefield at this time should not be understood as dereliction of duty. David had previously remained in

Jerusalem when the Ammonites were attacked Compare Second Samuel ten seven. Furthermore, at some point in David's military career, quite possibly prior to the events of this passage, David's men had pleaded with him to avoid an active role in military campaigns compare twenty one seventeen, out of concern for the King's

safety and the best interests of the nation unquote. Some might think it odd for Bergen to suggest that what occurred in Second Samuel twenty one were David's men quote pleaded with him to avoid an active role in military campaigns unquote occurred prior to David staying home from battle ten seven eleven one. But chapters twenty one through twenty four are not chronological. They list notable events without telling

the reader when they took place. J Robert Vanoy in the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, provides further detail about David not going to battle quote at the beginning of his reign, David sent Joeab on important missions while he remained at home Second Samuel two twelve through thirty two, three, twenty

through twenty three. In addition, there is also no indication that David fought in all the battles against Edom First King eleven fourteen through sixteen, First Chronicles eighteen twelve through thirteen, Psalm sixty, title, and in the immediate context, David had sent Joe Ab and Abeshi to engage the Aramians and Ammonites while he remained in Jerusalem Sewond Samuel ten seven

through fourteen. It was not until the development of a more serious threat by a larger Aramian coalition that David himself accompanied his troops against them ten seventeen through nineteen. But the military operation in view in this particular Passage eleven to one was not a continuation of normal combat, but rather the siege of a city, Rabah, which would likely last for a long time, and not something for

which David's presence was necessary. So while it is clear that David's remaining in Jerusalem provided the occasion for his sinful behavior that ensued, it does not seem warranted to con clue that this in itself should be regarded as a culpable act unquote. Indeed, the bottom line is that those who accuse David of a dereliction of duty are reading into the text. What isn't there Bathsheba's bathing was pious. Ims writes that quote, this was no ordinary bath either.

She was purifying herself ritually following menstruation Tewod Samuel eleven four. This practice indicates that she was a pious keeper of Israelite purity law. Unquote. This proves she was pious. We laughed. Maybe piety had something to do with it. But what woman doesn't want to bathe when her period is over? But there's more. Proverbs Chapter seven is entirely about a married woman seducing a man, even a potential king, since

Solomon wrote this to his sons. The seductress says to him in verse fourteen, quote, I had to offer sacrifice, and today I have paid my vows unquote. About this verse, Dwayne A. Garrett in the New American Commentary writes, quote, she uses the pretext of religious devotion in order to assuage the young man's conscience about going to her unquote. In other words, she is assuming her conquests that she's pious. Now, we absolutely are not saying that Bathsheba told David that

her bathing was ceremonial to pursue him. But unless she explained, he wouldn't have known why she was bathing. Imes also writes that quote the text never says that she was naked unquote true, but neither does the text say she wasn't naked. Absence of evidence is an evidence of absence. Now, again, we're not arguing that Bathsheba was trying to seduce David. We're just trying to separate fact from assumption. Nathan blames

only David. One of the major arguments that David raped apology raise is that the prophet Nathan blames only David. In Second Samuel twelve one through seven, we read quote and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him there were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and

it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him. But he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who

had come to him. Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, as the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die. And I'll restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. Nathan said to David, you are the man unquote. So i'ms writes quote for me. The clincher is this the narrator is unequivocal in blaming

David second Samuel eleven twenty seven. The prophet Nathan is unequivocal in blaming David second Samuel twelve one through twelve, and Bathsheba is never chastised unquote. There are several problems with this reasoning. First, Nathan went to see David, the King of Israel, the anointed one from whom the savior of the world would come. That Nathan didn't mention Bathsheba having guilt doesn't mean she had none. Again, absence of

evidence is an evidence of absence. Second, there's no doubt that even if Bathsheba was trying to seduce David, he still by far had the greater sin. David should have at the very least looked away. How silly would it sound while Nathan was rebuking David if David said, quote, yeah, but Bathsheba was flirting with me unquote. Third, writing that Bathsheba was quote never chastised unquote assumes too much. Most of the time, when people sin, their only form of

rebuke comes from their guilty conscience. It also assumes that the loss of her child wasn't chastisement. In Second Samuel twelve, fifteen, eighteen through nineteen, we read quote, and the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. On the seventh day, the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was

dead unquote. Bathsheba may not be mentioned in Nathan's rebuke to David. She wasn't present. He was the king ing of Israel after all, and certainly did commit a gargantuan sin in orchestrating Uriah's death and at the very least committing adultery. But the punishment inflicted by the Lord would have affected Bathsheba more profoundly. Imes writes this off as quote, yes, she loses her son, but that loss is never characterized as her punishment. She suffers for David's sin, as subjects

always do when their leader is recalcitrant. Unquote. Quote, yes, she loses her son unquote. Wow, that's a huge understatement of the emotional trauma of losing her firstborn son, akin to the old joke. Quote Other than that, how did you like the play, missus Lincoln? Unquote, Bathsheba carried that baby to term and then would have immediately started nursing him.

That would have affected her significantly more than David. We have experienced several miscarriages, and although they were very sad to Clay, they were devastating to Jean, her firstborn son, whom she would have been nursing died in her arms. Further, if the lord wanted, the omniscient, omnipotent lord certainly could

have exacted a punishment that would hurt only David. But while David beseeched the lord end quote fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground unquote, Second Samuel twelve sixteen, and so didn't even know when his child had died. Bathsheba would have nursed and watched her firstborn child die in her arms, how devastating for her.

And then when the child had died, we read in verse twenty four, quote, then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went into her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon unquote. If David had not only had her husband killed, but actually raped her, and then the Lord killed her child because of David's raping her, it's hard to imagine what comforting words David might tell her while they were again having sex. Fourth, after David impregnated Bathsheba and had her

husband killed. Second Samuel eleven twenty seven says, quote, the thing that David had done displeased the lord unquote. But whether David's sex with Bathsheba was rape or adultery, it would still be true that it would displease the Lord. Bathsheba's name isn't even mentioned. Instead, the narrator writes, quote, the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had born

to David unquote, Second Samuel twelve fifteen. Bergen observes, quote the sober reality that this child was the product of a sinful union is highlighted by the fact that his mother was referred to as Euryah's wife. Immediately the newborn son became ill unquote. Bathsheba's name isn't mentioned, and her firstborn child is struck down. Nathan is rebuking David. If he had been addressing Bathsheba, whether in David's presence or not, he might have chosen his words quite differently. David sent

servants who quote took unquote her. Second Samuel eleven four reports quote, So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her unquote. Pastor John Piper comments about this quote. He didn't invite her, he didn't woo her, he didn't lure her, he didn't trick her. He took her. That's what the text says he took her. In other words, the description is of a completely one sided, powerful exertion of his desire, with

no reckoning with hers unquote. Piper's not alone. Tara Lee Cobble writes, quote, as she's being obedient, arm guards show up at her door and bring her to David's palace unquote. Similarly, Paul Carter in The Gospel Coalition Canada writes, quote, David sent armed guards to bring one of his subjects into his bed. In every civilized country in the world, that

is considered rape unquote quote armed guards unquote. Wow. The Hebrew word means quote a messenger an angel unquote, and of the more than fifty English translations of that verse in Bible Gateway, every English translation uses quote messengers unquote except for three of them, and those three don't use anything close to quote armed guards unquote. There are three Hebrew words for guards, and none of them were used here. There are several problems with the argument that quote took

unquote means by force. First, the meaning of the word quote took unquote must be discerned by its context, Although it often means quote grasp unquote, or quote sees unquote The same Hebrew word is used in Ruth four thirteen, which reads, quote Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife unquote. Except for those who already have their minds flooded with cultural Marxism, no one reading the Book of Ruth could conclude anything other than Ruth desperately wanted to

marry Boaz. Second Piper ignored the significance of the next words quote, So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him unquote, emphasis added. John B. Carpenter explains that the verb quote is active, meaning that the subject Bathsheba is acting, rather than simply being acted upon. The verb means come or go. Bathsheba came. It doesn't say she was brought or compelled. The object of the action is him. In this case, it is David. Thus

she came to him unquote. Carpenter asks, quote, why is it in the text if she had no choice? Why state she came to him? The reality is that she came to him, states her action and agency unquote. Third, the verse could have ended with quote and David raped her unquote. It's not like the author of Second Samuel was afraid to talk about rape. Since just two chapters later, in thirteen fourteen, we learn about Amnin's raping his sister Tamar,

who was pleading with him not to violate her. But amnuen quote refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her unquote. The underlying word translated quote rape unquote means to afflict, oppress or humblesomeone. But Second Samuel eleven four does not use this word. It merely says that David quote lay with her unquote

arguments that Bathsheba was not raped. Each point that follows may not be decisive in itself, but is part of a cumulative case against the assertion that David certainly raped Bathsheba. Solomon warns his sons to beware of adulterous women. Proverbs one through nine is a collection of Solomon's advice for

his sons, one of whom would be King. Of course, Solomon, the wisest man in the world, was also the son of either the most famous adulterers in the history of the world, or, if we are going to believe the power dynamic definition of rape, the most famous rapist in the world. Notice that Solomon never warns his sons against committing rape, but he has much to say to his sons about guarding against the adulterous woman. In Proverbs, too,

Solomon tells his sons to pay close attention to his words. Quote, so you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God unquote. Verses sixteen through seventeen, Solomon warns his sons that adulterous women are out to seduce them with quote smooth words unquote, these women are dangerous to them. Verse nineteen. Lesson, beware

married women who would like to seduce you. Proverbs six twenty three through twenty six reads quote, for the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life. To preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress, do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes. For the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious

life unquote. Lesson, beware beautiful married women who would like to seduce you. Now consider the seventh chapter of Proverbs, which is entirely about a married woman succeeding in seducing a man. It begins in verse one with quote, my son, keep my words and treasure at my commandments with you unquote. In the next three verses, he continues to emphasize the

importance of following his commands and walking in wisdom. Then Solomon explains why in verse five they will quote keep you from the forbidden woman from the adulteress with her smooth words unquote. Solomon talks about seeing a quote man lacking sense unquote verse seven, who is out at dusk, passing by a street on which he has seen a loose woman previously. Verse eight. He's doing this at quote twilight unquote. Verse nine. That's when David was on his

roof and when Bathsheba was taking her bath. And then encounters the woman he's looking for, who quote kisses him unquote verse thirteen and tells him that she offered sacrifices and today quote paid my vows unquote. Verse fourteen reminiscent of Bathsheba perform her ceremonial cleansing. This woman entices him saying she has quote perfumed unquote her bed verse seventeen, and then says, quote, let us delight ourselves with love unquote. Verse eighteen. She says her husband has gone on quote

a long journey unquote, so they won't get caught verse nineteen. Similarly, Uriah was away at war. Ultimately he gives in quote as an ox goes to the slaughter unquote verse twenty two, lesson, some married women will try to seduce you, but that will end in your slaughter, whether actual or metaphorical. Solomon's sons would certainly have tremendous power as compared to any

woman who might try to seduce one of them. But it's ridiculous to say that the women described above are in any sense being raped because of a quote power differential unquote. Rather, the women described here know exactly what they want and are striving to get it, to have sexual relations with someone to whom they aren't married. Further, it's naive to think that there aren't some women who want to build their self images by seducing the powerful.

How many women of sex with famous rock stars, and we do after all realize the tremendous power differential between a stadium packing rock star and an eighteen year old waitress. Are we going to call that rape? Many years ago, when Clay was a pastor, two different women confessed to him that they had had affairs with pastors and they were proud of it. Are we going to call that rape? By the way, after these women confess that, Clay never

saw either of them again. Although Monica Lewinsky was herself single, she had an affair with a married President, Bill Clinton, considered the most powerful man in the world. Quote. In the course of flirting with him, she raised her jacket in the back and showed him the straps of her thong underwear, which extended above her pants unquote. About her affair, Lewinsky wrote, quote, sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point. It

was a consensual relationship. Any abuse came in the aftermath when I was made a scapegoat in order to protect his powerful position unquote. Lewinsky wanted to have sex with Bill Clinton, and the quote power differential unquote didn't make it sexual abuse unless one is going to define it that way, which is circular reasoning. The focus is on

what David did to Uriah. First Kings fifteen five tells us that quote David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite unquote. Notice again that only Uriah is mentioned. It could easily have said quote in the matter of Uriah the Hittite and the rape of Bathsheba unquote. Quote. Bathsheba unquote isn't named

in the genealogy of Jesus. It's interesting that Matthew's genealogy mentions the names of several prominent women in the ancestry of Jesus, but not Bathsheba's. Here's the beginning of the genealogy of Jesus is found in matthew Ie one through six, the Book of Genealogy of Jesus. Christ the son of David,

the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zira by Tamar and Perez the father of Hesron and Hesron, the father of Ram and Ram, the father of Aminadab and Aminadab, the father of Nason and Nason, the father of Salmon and Salmon the father of Boaz by Raehab and Boaz, the father of Obed by Ruth in Obed, the father of Jesse and Jesse the father

of David the King, and David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. Emphasis added, Tamar was a woman of faith who pretended to be a prostitute to get pregnant from Judah. Raehab had been a prostitute in the land of the Canaanites, but is nonetheless mentioned by name, as she was a woman of faith. Ruth is one of the holiest women mentioned in the Bible. It would have been easy to write, quote, David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah unquote,

but her name isn't mentioned. Instead, she is only addressed as quote the wife of Uriah unquote. If she had been raped and thus completely innocent in her relationship with David, why not honor her by mentioning her name. The accusation of rape is based on contemporary critical theory Larry Alex argues that saying that David rape Bathsheba is a relatively

new idea. He says he checked twenty commentaries written prior to two thousand and noticed quote not a single one of them addressed the issue of rape, you know, meaning that wasn't on the table. That just wasn't an issue that they were addressing unquote. He goes on to point out that what was addressed among them was the degree of Bathsheba's guilt. Quote. They are unified that she committed adultery to none of them took the view that she

had been raped unquote. John B. Carpenter explains how quote power imbalance unquote is related to cultural Marxism. Quote. The claim that David rape Bathsheba shows what is embedded at the heart of the community that makes it a fundamental suspicion of authority. The power imbalance is to blame. Power imbalances always foster abuse. According to this community, These assumptions about authorities arise from what some have called cultural Marxism.

Just as classic economic Marxism assume that all the institutions existed for the power and privilege of the bourgeois elite, so cultural Marxism assumes that power is merely for the patriarchal, racial, or religious elite. It's all a power play. These assumptions, whatever you might call them, are embedded in part of our culture. They are rarely laid out by those who hold them, but smuggled into the debate with test cases

such as David and Bathsheba unquote. Bathsheba should have resisted, as quoted earlier, Ames wrote, quote, David summons her, does she have a choice. Her husband and her father are both soldiers under his command. No one can refuse the king unquote. Several things. First, she should have cried out. Deuteronomy twenty two twenty four commands that if a woman has sex with someone to whom she's not married, then quote,

you shall stone them to death with stones. The young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst unquote. Some have said that crying out wouldn't have done any good in this case, as no one would have hurt her, but they don't know that that's just speculation. The scripture says that if someone is trying

to rape a woman, she should cry for help. Also, the David raped apologists don't know that if Bathsheba had resisted even a little bit, that David wouldn't have apologized and let her go. To say that a woman shouldn't try to resist at all is contrary to scripture and contrary to common sense. Now, if David grabbed a knife and put it to her throat, well that would be the time to give in, and that would certainly be raped. But she could cry out before it came to that second.

Notice that not agreeing that David rape Bathsheba is personal for many women who say they experienced an encounter for which they had no choice because of a power differential. If the power differential factor is removed, then that means that they weren't raped and that they might bear some responsibility for their sexual encounter. For confidentiality's sake, we can't give examples, but we've personally known women who were seduced who later called it abuse. Each instance of sexual molestation

rape needs to be taken case by case. Sexual intercourse where there is no threat of physical violence can't be sweepingly defined as rape by a power differential again. Monica Lewinsky wrote, quote, sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point. It was a consensual relationship. Any abuse use came in the aftermath when I was made a scapegoat in order to

protect his powerful position. Many women want to have sex with powerful men, and doing so doesn't make it rape. One of the things we find most troubling from the David raped apologists is that they argue that the powerless are incapable of resisting the powerful. That's historically false. It's also insulting to women to say they're incapable of resisting in the absence of physical threat. But before we go

any further, we need to make one point clear. We certainly think it's better to be sexually violated than dead. If a woman has a knife to her throat or a gun to her head, then it's better for her to allow the perpetrator to have his way than be killed. During the pre Christian Roman Empire, the Romans had all the power and Christians had none, But these powerless Christians were willing to be tortured to death rather than deny christ W. E. H Lecky in his History of European

morals sums up the Roman torture of Christians. Those hateful games which made the spectacle of human suffering and death the delight of all classes, had spread their brutalizing influence wherever the Roman name was known, had rendered millions absolutely indifferent to the sight of human suffering, had produced in many and in the very center of an advanced civilization, a relish and a passion for torture, a rapture and

an exultation in watching the spasms of extreme agony. The most horrible recorded instances of torture were usually inflicted either by the populace or in their presence in the arena. We read of Christian's bound in chains of red hot iron, while the stench of their half consumed flesh rose in

a suffocating cloud. To heaven. Of others who were torn to the very bone by shells or hooks of iron, of holy virgins given over to the lust of gladiator, or to the mercies of the pander of two hundred and twenty seven converts sent on one occasion to the mines, each with the sinews of one leg severed by a red hot iron, and with an eye scooped from its socket, a fire so slow that the victims writhed for hours in their agonies of bodies torn limb from limb, or

sprinkled with burning lead, of mingled salt and vinegar, poured over the flesh that was bleeding from the rack of tortures prolonged and varied through entire days for the love of their divine master, for the cause they believed to be true men and even weak girls endured these things without flinching. When one word would have freed them from their sufferings unquote. Indeed, quote one word would have freed

them from their sufferings unquote. When it comes to quote even weak girls un consider that in a D two o three, the twenty two year old Vibia Perpetua and a slave girl named Felicity walked into the arena to be killed by wild beasts. Here's a portion of the testimony about their entering the arena. Quote they were stripped therefore, and made to put on nets. And so they were brought forth. The people shuddered, seeing one a tender girl, the other her breasts yet dropping milk from her late

child bearing. So they were called back and clothed in loose robes. Perpetua was first thrown and fell upon her loins unquote. To avoid this, all they needed to do was to flick incense to Caesar and they would then be free to raise their children. Perpetua had just weaned her child prior to entering the arena, but nonetheless she

honored Christ through it. In her diary, Perpetua wrote, quote, and Hilarian the Procurator, that after the death of Minutius Timinian, the Proconsul, had received in his room the right and power of the sword, said, spare your father's gray hairs, spare the infancy of the boy, make sacrifice for the Emperor's prosperity. And I answered, I am a Christian unquote. The David raped Apologists need to rethink the notion that

the powerless cannot resist the powerful. All the martyrs of the Christian Church are a witness against them.

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