Can a work of dystopian fiction completely overwrite historical reality in the public imagination? Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, portrays an American dystopia purportedly based on Puritan values in which women are enslaved to bear children for the ruling class. But what would the actual Puritans have thought of Atwood’s horrific theocracy? Daniel Stein, author of American Dystopia, joins Messiah Podcast to deconstruct the massive cultural gap between The Handmaid’s Tale fictional Gilead and actual colonial history. Puritans were not misogynistic theocrats, but many of the values we hold dear as Americans, including individual liberty, find their roots in the Puritans and in their engagement with Jewish sources, including the Hebrew Bible.

👉 Key Discussion Points:

► Learn the Correct Biblical Context of “Handmaids”: The text of the Hebrew Bible actually illustrates how the patriarchs progressively struggled with, suffered from, and ultimately rejected these practices common in ancient Mesopotamian society.

► Origin of American Values: Many concepts viewed today as secular or common-sense American values like capitalism, meritocracy, and individual freedom are actually secularized versions of strict Calvinist theology regarding God’s absolute sovereignty and predestination.

► Puritan Engagement with Jewish Sources: The conversation highlights the profound influence that the Hebrew Bible and Jewish sources had on shaping the Puritan worldview.

👉 Resources:

The Collected Papers of Daniel Stein

American Dystopia: The Handmaid’s Tale and Puritan History

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