Auntie Sermons

Critically CrystalJae
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Auntie Sermons is a feminist, historical, and unapologetically honest podcast that revisits the Bible by centering the women it pushed to the margins. Hosted by CrystalJae, each episode moves methodically and chronologically through the text, focusing on every girl or woman—named or unnamed—and asking what their stories reveal when we stop reading through patriarchal assumptions. These are not sermons about obedience. They are conversations about power, silence, knowledge, and survival. Drawing from biblical texts, historical context, rabbinic and Christian interpretations, and occasionally

  1. Oct 7

    Episode 25 | Timna the Woman from Whom God Withheld | The Mother of Amalek

    Episode 25 | Timna the Woman from Whom God Withheld | The Mother of Amalek Timna is given just a handful of mentions in the Bible, but the son she gives birth to becomes one of the most feared enemies of Israel. His name is Amalek. And before he became an enemy, he was somebody's baby. In this episode of Auntie Sermons, we explore Timna's place in Esau's family, the ancient traditions surrounding her rejection, and the transformation of brothers into rival nations. We also meet Queen Nandi, the mother of Shaka Zulu, whose story raises questions about motherhood, belonging, and the power of inheritance. What happens when a woman is denied a place in the family she wants to belong to? And what might her story reveal about the generations that follow? What you'll hear: Timna's name, its Hebrew roots, and her place in Genesis 36. The reconciliation of Jacob and Esau and the rise of the Amalekites. The rabbinic story of Timna's rejection and the biblical portrayal of Amalek. Queen Nandi, Shaka Zulu, and a mother's hopes for her child. Resources: Scripture: World English Bible (WEB) Genesis 25:23; 27; 30:2; 33; 35:29; 36:12, 22 Exodus 16; 17:8–16 Deuteronomy 25:17–19 1 Samuel 15 1 Chronicles 1:36, 39 Psalm 84:11 Proverbs 3:27 Job 22:7 Proverbs 3:5 (referenced) Rabbinic sources Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 99b: Timna's rejection and the birth of Amalek. Hebrew language Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon: Timna and the Hebrew root מָנַע (manaʿ). Strong's Hebrew Lexicon: H8555 and H4513. Historical and scholarly sources Titilayo O. Aderibigbe, “Queen Nandi ka Bhebhe: The Forgotten Mother of the Zulu Nation.” Ulwazi Programme, “Shaka,” on Zulu history and military organization. Christian and extra-biblical traditions Christian interpretations of Amalek as a symbol of opposition to God and the flesh, discussed without a specific commentator being named. Later Jewish and medieval interpretations of Timna's lineage, discussed without a specific work being named. Featured in this episode: “No Kings, No Gods” by CrystalJae, a protest song discussed in connection with Amalek, Palestine, and the use of religious authority in modern politics. Follow & Support: https://AuntieSermons.com

  2. Sep 30

    Episode 24 | Rachel’s Midwife | Truth, Transition, and Titles

    Episode 24 | Rachel’s Midwife | Truth, Transition, and Titles Rachel is in hard labor, and standing beside her is a woman the biblical text never names. We know almost nothing about her except her profession and the words she speaks in one of the most dangerous moments of Rachel’s life. But those few details raise some enormous questions. What does the presence of a professional midwife tell us about women’s work and authority in the ancient world? Why have generations of interpreters had so little to say about her? And what happens when we stop treating her words as background dialogue and actually examine what she said? In this episode, Auntie Crystal follows Rachel’s midwife through biblical interpretation, ancient ideas about women’s work, the Bible’s treatment of prophets, Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning Tyre, and the story of physician and epidemiologist Alice Stewart. Sometimes a woman who has been pushed to the edge of the story becomes much more interesting when we finally put her in the center. What you'll hear: What Rachel’s midwife reveals about women’s skilled work and authority How Jewish and Christian interpreters have treated this unnamed woman Why Ezekiel and the prophecy concerning Tyre matter to her story How Alice Stewart’s research provides a modern parallel for women whose knowledge was dismissed or overlooked Resources: Genesis 35:16–20 (WEB) Deuteronomy 22:28–29 (WEB) Numbers 31:17–18 (WEB) Ezekiel 26:7–14 (WEB) Ezekiel 29:17–20 (WEB) 1 Corinthians 14:3 (WEB) Genesis Rabbah, discussion of Rachel’s death and childbirth John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis Augustine of Hippo, The City of God Jerome, writings concerning Hebrew names and biblical interpretation John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Genesis 35:17 Gordon J. Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary: Genesis 16–50 Nahum M. Sarna, JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis Book of Jubilees Alice Stewart and colleagues, “Malignant Disease in Childhood and Diagnostic Irradiation in Utero: Preliminary Communication,” The Lancet (1956) Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancers Follow & Support:AuntieSermons.com

  3. Sep 20

    Episode 23 | Deborah the Maid | The Woman Beneath the Oak

    Episode 23 | Deborah the Maid | The Woman Beneath the Oak Deborah gets only one sentence in Genesis. We learn that she was Rebekah’s nurse, that she died, and that she was buried beneath an oak. But the mourning surrounding her death was significant enough that the place became known as Allon Bacuth, the Oak of Weepings. In this episode of Auntie Sermons, we follow the fragments of Deborah’s story through Genesis, rabbinic tradition, and later extra-biblical texts. Who was this woman who appears to have spent generations caring for one of the Bible’s most important families, yet enters the biblical narrative only when she dies? And this sermon became something I didn't expect when I started researching her: grief work. Deborah opens a conversation about the women who hold families and communities together, the women whose stories are barely recorded, and what it means when we realize how much someone mattered only when it is time to mourn them. What you'll hear: Who Deborah was and why her death receives such an unusual moment of mourning Rabbinic traditions connecting Deborah to Rebekah, Jacob, and the unrecorded death of Rebekah How Jubilees and Jasher expand the memory of a woman Genesis gives only one sentence Grief, deconstruction, and the women whose lives deserve to be narrated before they are gone Resources: Bible, World English Bible (WEB) Genesis 16:13 Genesis 24:59 Genesis 27:45 Genesis 35:8 Proverbs 31 Rabbinic sources Rashi on Genesis 35:8, including the tradition attributed to Rabbi Moses HaDarshan concerning Rebekah sending Deborah to Jacob Extra-biblical sources Book of Jubilees 32:30, R.H. Charles translation. Jubilees records Deborah’s death and calls the oak “The Oak of the Mourning of Deborah.” Book of Jasher, Chapter 24:42 and Chapter 36:4–6. Jasher identifies Deborah as the daughter of Uz, names her as Rebekah’s nurse when Rebekah leaves her family, and later connects the mourning for Deborah with Rebekah’s death. Historical figures discussed Harriet Tubman Rosa Parks Featured in this episode: “You Saw It” by CrystalJaeFrom the album Ex ParteAvailable everywhere you stream music. Follow & Support: https://linktr.ee/iamcrystaljae

  4. Sep 18

    Episode 22 | The Daughters of the Land | Women, Silence and Sisterhood

    Episode 22 | The Daughters of the Land | Women, Silence and Sisterhood They have no names, no dialogue, and no stories of their own. Genesis gives us only a few words: “the daughters of the land.” But those unnamed women became part of a much larger tradition surrounding Dinah’s decision to leave her father’s household and seek out other women. In this Auntie Sermon, we follow the daughters of the land through the Hebrew text, rabbinic interpretation, extra-biblical retellings, and Christian teaching. Then we ask a bigger question: Why have women gathering, speaking, comparing experiences, and forming relationships with one another so often been treated as dangerous? From ancient interpretations of Dinah to women ordered into silence, and to Black women who refused that silence and changed history, this episode asks what becomes possible when women find one another. What you'll hear: What Genesis actually says about the unnamed “daughters of the land” How rabbinic, extra-biblical, and Christian traditions interpreted Dinah going out to see them How silence and isolation have been used to control women Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Audre Lorde on the power of refusing silence Resources: Genesis 34:1 (WEB) Genesis 30:16 (WEB) Genesis Rabbah 80:1 Rashi on Genesis 34:1 Targum Jonathan on Genesis 34 Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1 Jubilees 30 Follow & Support:https://linktr.ee/iamcrystaljae3

  5. Sep 17

    Episode 21 | Dinah: Stolen Property | Rape, Revenge & Victim Blaming

    Episode 21 | Dinah: Stolen Property | Rape, Revenge & Victim Blaming Dinah is one of the few daughters of Jacob named in Genesis. But when her story finally takes center stage, everyone seems to have something to say about her violation except Dinah herself. Her assault becomes the catalyst for negotiations, deception, circumcision, massacre, and arguments about honor and vengeance. Then the interpretations begin. Rabbinic tradition asks why Dinah "went out" and even draws Leah into the blame. Christian teaching can transform the violence of Simeon and Levi into a story about men protecting women. And Dinah's story has a striking parallel in the Roman legend of Lucretia, another violated woman whose suffering becomes the justification for men's violence and political ambitions. But Dinah's story doesn't even end there. Later Jewish tradition identifies her with Job's unnamed wife, giving the already-traumatized Dinah another life filled with catastrophic loss. In this episode of Auntie Sermons, we're following Dinah through Genesis and the traditions built around her, asking what happens when a woman's suffering becomes everyone else's lesson. What you'll hear: - Why Dinah's name, connected to judgment, matters to the story - How Genesis 34 turns Dinah's assault into negotiation, deception, and massacre - How rabbinic and Christian interpretations have shaped the way Dinah and her brothers are understood - The connections between Dinah, Lucretia, Job's wife, victim-blaming, and the struggle to reclaim a woman's voice Resources: - World English Bible (WEB): Genesis 30:21; Genesis 34:1–5, 13, 25–31; Genesis 46:15; Job 1:13–19; Job 2:7–10 - Genesis Rabbah 80:1 — Dinah and Leah "going out" - Rashi on Genesis 34:1 — commentary connecting Dinah's "going out" with Leah - Bava Batra 15b — rabbinic tradition identifying Dinah as Job's wife - Biblical Antiquities (Pseudo-Philo) — extra-biblical tradition identifying Dinah as Job's wife and mother of Job's children - Livy, Ab Urbe Condita (History of Rome), Book 1.57–59 — Lucretia, Sextus Tarquinius, and the overthrow of the Roman monarchy - Ovid, Fasti, Book 2 — the story of Lucretia - The Guardian, "Canada judge resigns over 'keep your knees together' comment in rape trial" — the Robin Camp sexual-assault trial and judicial inquiry Follow & Support: https://linktr.ee/iamcrystaljae

  6. Aug 12

    Episode 20 | Bilhah: The Patriarch's Property | Christian Family Values

    Episode 20 | Bilhah: The Patriarch's Property | Christian Family Values Bilhah is one of the mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel, yet the Bible gives her no dialogue, no interior life, and almost no story of her own. She enters Genesis as a servant given by Laban to Rachel, and from there her body, her children, and even her place within the family are determined by other people. In this episode of Auntie Sermons, we follow every biblical reference to Bilhah and look at what rabbinic tradition, Christian scholarship, and extra-biblical texts have done with her story. And we ask a harder question: what happens when we stop reading Genesis through the powerful people at the center and start paying attention to the woman they treated as property? What you'll hear: Every biblical passage that mentions Bilhah and what those few verses actually tell us about her life The meaning proposed for Bilhah's name and how differently her story looks when we remember the woman behind it How rabbinic and Christian traditions interpret Reuben's encounter with Bilhah and the patriarchal family surrounding her What Bilhah's treatment forces us to confront about power, women, and the families believers have been taught to call holy Resources: Genesis 29:29 (WEB) Genesis 30:3–8 (WEB) Genesis 35:22 (WEB) Genesis 37:2 (WEB) Genesis 46:25 (WEB) Genesis 49:3–4 (WEB) 1 Chronicles 7:13 (WEB) Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 55b Genesis Rabbah 82:8 Rashi, commentary on the Bilhah/Reuben tradition Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, New International Commentary on the Old Testament Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis, Word Biblical Commentary Book of Jubilees Book of Enoch Follow & Support:https://linktr.ee/iamcrystaljae

  7. Aug 6

    Episode 19 | Zilpah the Saint | Jacob's Enslaved Wife

    Episode 19 | Zilpah the Saint | Jacob's Enslaved Wife Zilpah enters the biblical story as an enslaved woman who is given away before she is ever allowed to exist as a person. Called both a slave and a wife, she bears two sons who become tribes of Israel, yet her own life is almost completely forgotten. In this episode, we examine what Genesis actually says about Zilpah, why Jewish and Christian traditions rarely stop to consider her humanity, and what her story reveals about slavery, power, and the value placed on women's bodies. By looking closely at the text, we uncover a woman whose story deserves far more attention than history has given her. What you'll hear: Why Zilpah is introduced as property before she is introduced as a person What it meant to be both a slave and a wife in the ancient Near East How rabbinic and Christian traditions remember, or overlook, Zilpah The comparison between Zilpah, Mary, and Elizabeth Smart as conversations about power and consent Resources:Genesis 29:24 (WEB)Genesis 30:9 (WEB)Genesis 30:10-11 (WEB)Genesis 30:12-13 (WEB)Genesis 35:26 (WEB)Luke 1:38 (WEB) Rabbinic tradition (general discussion; no specific rabbinic text cited) Classical Hebrew lexiconsAncient Near Eastern marriage customsElizabeth Smart's public interviews and writings about her kidnapping and recovery Follow & Support:https://linktr.ee/iamcrystaljae

  8. Jul 29

    Episode 18 | Rachel the Sacrificial Lamb | Rachel, Sacrifice, and Women's Burdens

    Episode 18 | Rachel the Sacrificial Lamb | Rachel, Sacrifice, and Women's Suffering Rachel's name means "ewe," a young female sheep. Before she becomes Jacob's beloved wife, before she struggles with infertility, and before she dies giving birth, the symbolism of her name quietly frames the way her story will be told. In this episode, we follow Rachel from the well to her grave, exploring how both Jewish and Christian traditions remembered her, and what her story reveals about the cost women have been expected to bear. What begins as one woman's story becomes a larger examination of sacrifice itself. Why are women's suffering, silence, and self-denial so often praised as virtues? And what happens when we stop reading Rachel as merely a symbol and finally see her as a person? What you'll hear: - The meaning of Rachel's name and why it matters - Rabbinic traditions that celebrate Rachel's sacrifice and silence - How Christian scripture reuses Rachel's grief to frame later tragedies - Why Rachel's story raises deeper questions about sacrifice, suffering, and the role of women in the biblical tradition Resources: - Genesis 29–30 (WEB) - Genesis 35:16–20 (WEB) - Leviticus 4:27–32 (WEB) - Jeremiah 31:15–17 (WEB) - Matthew 2:16–18 (WEB) - Brown–Driver–Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, רָחֵל (raḥel) - Genesis Rabbah 70:19 - Lamentations Rabbah, Proem 24 - Tikva Frymer-Kensky, *Reading the Women of the Bible* - Phyllis Trible, *Texts of Terror* - Raymond E. Brown, *The Birth of the Messiah* Follow & Support: https://linktr.ee/iamcrystaljae

See All (27)

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Auntie Sermons is a feminist, historical, and unapologetically honest podcast that revisits the Bible by centering the women it pushed to the margins. Hosted by CrystalJae, each episode moves methodically and chronologically through the text, focusing on every girl or woman—named or unnamed—and asking what their stories reveal when we stop reading through patriarchal assumptions. These are not sermons about obedience. They are conversations about power, silence, knowledge, and survival. Drawing from biblical texts, historical context, rabbinic and Christian interpretations, and occasionally

Information

  • Creator
    Critically CrystalJae
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Critically CrystalJae
  • Show Website
    Auntie Sermons