Robert Whitehead
Deuteronomy
The Panel believes his version of events
The Panel found his version of events
to be more credible
If within the city a man
comes upon a maiden
MAN, from the etymological root
men-, relating to “thought”
MAIDEN, as in the pagan “maenad,”
from Greek, literally “raving woman”
The Panel believes they kissed and touched
kissed and touched
The Panel questions whether she was sincerely afraid
If within the city a man
comes upon a maiden
who is betrothed
and has relations with her
BETROTHED, from the prefix be-, meaning
“thoroughly,” and a Middle English root,
meaning “truth”
RELATIONS, here used as a synonym for “rape”
The Panel believes that she was gyrating
and her legs were open
The Panel believes the sexual activity was normal
If within the city a man
comes upon a maiden
who is betrothed
and has relations with her,
bring her out of the gate of the city
and there stone her
DEATH BY STONING assures that no individual
could be identified as the executioner
You shall bring her out of the gate of the city
Another synonym for “rape” is “ravishment,”
from the French resver, meaning “to dream”
If within the city a dreaming woman was only dreaming
The Panel believes
Another synonym for “rape” is “desecrate,”
from the Latin desecrare, meaning “to make holy”
If within the city a dreaming woman
was only being made holy
by her ravishment
“Rape” is a word that provides for
its own justification
The Panel believes this is normal
In the dream, the woman was telling the truth
which, within the city, was considered raving,
so she went out of the city and turned the city to stone