The disparagement of St. Augustine as a misogynist

[JayneK]

I was curious about how these words were translated in the Vulgate so I looked them up.  The Genesis passage used adjutorium and the Exodus one adjutor.  Stelten's Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin defines the former as "help, assistance" and the latter as "helper, assistant, coadjutor."

[QuisUtDeus]

Um wow... I better put on my thinking cap for this one.   

Yes, it hurts the brain, for sure, but it's worth it.   ;D

I'm also just making an argument that I think is deserving of consideration; someone else could make a counterargument and that would be worthy of consideration as well.

I completely agree with you about St. Augustine not being a misogynist.  There is, however, a modern counterargument to what he says in the passage you quoted.  The Hebrew word ezer translated as helpmate is elsewhere translated "helper" and applied to God.  An example occurs in Ex 18:4  - "For the God of my father, said he, is my helper, and hath delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh."  This being so, the quality of being a helper is in the image of God.

I've heard a similar argument, and my answer is the problem with that is God is a helper as a father is a helper, not as a wife is a helper which is as an obedient peer.  The Hebrews of the OT would never have equated God's help to His children with a woman's help to her husband, a help that is given out of obedience according to them.  Obviously one can use the same word in different contexts, and that's what I would argue is going on here.

So, sure helper is in the image of God, I'll buy that, but it's a different kind of helper.

[JayneK]

I completely agree with you about St. Augustine not being a misogynist.  There is, however, a modern counterargument to what he says in the passage you quoted.  The Hebrew word ezer translated as helpmate is elsewhere translated "helper" and applied to God.  An example occurs in Ex 18:4  - "For the God of my father, said he, is my helper, and hath delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh."  This being so, the quality of being a helper is in the image of God.

I've heard a similar argument, and my answer is the problem with that is God is a helper as a father is a helper, not as a wife is a helper which is as an obedient peer.  The Hebrews of the OT would never have equated God's help to His children with a woman's help to her husband, a help that is given out of obedience according to them.  Obviously one can use the same word in different contexts, and that's what I would argue is going on here.

So, sure helper is in the image of God, I'll buy that, but it's a different kind of helper.

The first time I ran into the "ezer" argument it was surrounded by enough silly feminist trappings that I have found it hard to take it seriously since.  I suspect that your approach is correct.