The Religious Significance Of Food To Medieval Women Analysis

Females, Domestic Suppression and Religion: Manipulation or Control? Since the rise of the male dominated, testosterone fueled rule, there have been many different methods of attempting to control the masses. By enforcing such forms of control, the power has remained in the palm of the male’s hand rooting back to the Bronze Age, and continues through modern times with a seemingly unstoppable force. Such forms include religion and keeping women within the domestic sphere. Each of these routes of oppression is central to one key factor; fear. Through studying Caroline Walker Bynum’s essay; Fast, Feast and Flesh: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women, the question is presented to society: are these forms of oppression benefitting the male, or has it been warped into a backward manipulation in favor of the female? Speaking …show more content…
From prayers worshiping food itself, to sacrificing food for the gods, to celebrations that involve food; religion and food have held a very close relationship since the first signs of religion harkening back to prehistoric days. In fact, every single documented religion today, in one form or another has a tie to the abstinence of or the consumption of food. Perhaps, the most obvious example of such a relationship is the Eucharist, or the Holy Communion found in Christianity. From its evolutionary routes in the Passover Seder, another religious celebration involving food in the Jewish religion, the Eucharist is a rite practice within the Christian religion. It is believed that by consuming bread and wine, blessed and provided by a church official, each practicing Christian is connected a whole Christian family. This is seen as a symbolic “family dinner,” as it is believed that all practicing Christians are a family. However, much of this practice is not symbolic. It is believed that the bread is quite literally the flesh of Jesus Christ himself, and the wine is his