Unraveling The Patriarchy: Litany of Name Unknown (Kings I and II)
A voice cries out, “Your servant, my husband is dead”
Showing the prophet’s powers and the weakness of patriarchy at once
One family saved, by oil in many jars, and, yet one widow’s security calls us to remember others enslaved.
Voice muted, name unknown
Woman, Child, Sister-Friend,
We listen for your story.
A voice cries out, “I will not leave without you.”
A Shunammite woman with the faith to ask and the resilience to stay
Determined that her son would be raised
Warm with breath, quick with pulse.
Voice muted, name unknown
Woman, Child, Sister-Friend,
We listen for your story.
A voice cries out with the courage to proclaim a cure
The slave girl to Naaman’s wife spoke of the Prophet and Israel’s God
Well-placed words washed his suffering clean, refreshed by the waters of the Jordan.
Voice muted, name unknown
Woman, Child, Sister-Friend,
We listen for your story.
A voice cries out, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing”
In the town of Zaraphath’s Elijah sought a widow’s hospitality,
One small cake baked in the midst of great despair
Transformed a handful of flour and a little oil into enough, enough for years to follow.
Voice muted, name unknown
Woman, Child, Sister-Friend,
We listen for your story.
Note: This litany honors four women who speak in the narratives of both Kings 1 and Kings 2 and yet they remain nameless, underdeveloped figures in the Biblical narrative. I considered titling this effort “Unnamed Kings”, however, the masculine title lacking a female equivalent of equal force, label these women for a civic authorities responsible for silencing and marginalizing them and thus the title may have served to insult rather than honor. Empowering the voices of these women under any title other than their own, would not approach authority and power in a transformative manner. Each woman takes authority to speak and a royal title does not afford her more or less authority to do so. Rather than label their voices, we should listen to these women who speak despite the patriarchal boundaries of the ancient text.