“She Will be Unclean as Long as She Has the Discharge!” Conceptions and Representations of Menstruation in the Context of Christianity Cover Image
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„Докато тече нечистотата ѝ, тя ще бъде нечиста!“ Образи и представи за менструацията в контекста на християнството
“She Will be Unclean as Long as She Has the Discharge!” Conceptions and Representations of Menstruation in the Context of Christianity

Author(s): Mila Bankova
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, History, Anthropology, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Cultural history, Jewish studies, Customs / Folklore, History of Law, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Special Branches of Philosophy, Sociology, Ethnohistory, History of ideas, Oral history, Social history, Gender history, Ancient World, Theology and Religion, Comparative Studies of Religion, Religion and science , History of Judaism, Philosophy of Religion, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Culture and social structure , Social development, Social differentiation, Studies in violence and power, Health and medicine and law, Demography and human biology, Sociobiology, Sociology of Culture, Biblical studies, Systematic Theology, Pastoral Theology, Eastern Orthodoxy, Canon Law / Church Law, Social Norms / Social Control, Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Law, History of Religion, Identity of Collectives, Psychology of Religion
Published by: Институт за етнология и фолклористика с Етнографски музей при БАН
Keywords: Christianity; menstruation; female body; female blood

Summary/Abstract: The article aims to describe the construction of the Christian concept of menstruation and its influence on the beliefs of the traditional patriarchal Bulgarian society about women's blood. Тhis research examines Biblical verses and stories, as well as interpretations by theologists and representatives of the supreme power in the Church, who shaped societal and religious norms and attitudes towards menstruating women. Within the framework of institutional religiosity, female blood and female body are construed as potent and dangerous. Further they are associated with categories such as "sinful" and "earthly." Thus, the author argues that there is a stringent control of blood within the context of the Christian pursuit of "divine purity" and "immaculateness." The Orthodox position is not static and varies over the years – from extremely dogmatic ideas to more liberal ones, depending on the time period and context.

  • Issue Year: L/2024
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 324-345
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Bulgarian
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