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The Bible’s Bizarre Virginity Tests
Did you know the Bible demanded “proof of virginity” that publicly shamed women?
In those times, a woman’s worth was closely tied to her sexual purity, and the Bible described careful laws to check a woman’s purity. Among other terrible examples, Deuteronomy reveals a gruesome test for virginity that could lead to a woman’s public executions.
In this ancient law, gender roles in the Bible were seen in a cruel light, since a woman’s body was treated as if it belonged to everyone, and her reputation or life could be measured by what they found on a bedsheet. The laws were tools for controlling women and making them suffer humiliation.
How the Bible’s virginity test worked
If the man suspected that his bride had been with another man, he could publicly declare her virtuous or not. Her parents were directed to show the evidence of her virginity, such as sheets showing blood from the wedding.
The physical evidence was there to reassure everyone and expose the man if he falsely accused his wife. If the man had lied and blood was found, he would be punished with fines.
But without a sign of blood, the woman would be knocked at her father’s door and stoned by the men of the…
