20 The Bible, the Economy, and the Poor Edited by Ronald A. Simkins and Thomas M. Kelly, Creighton University 2. The Widow and Orphan in the Political Economy of Ancient Israel Ronald A. Simkins, Creighton University Introduction The use of critical theory on the Bible wields an ironic double-edged sword. On the one hand, critical theory has redeemed much of the biblical tradition by exposing and relativizing many of the offensive and problematic parts of the Bible. Gender theory, for example, has been used to lay bare the patriarchal bias of numerous biblical texts and the social structures that produced them, and also to recover silenced and marginalized female voices. Gender theory has served to situate an ancient and archaic text within the context of contemporary gender sensibilities. On the other hand, critical theory may challenge and undermine those biblical texts whose use or relevance for modern contexts is accepted as unproblematic. The biblical injunctions concerning widows and orphans are just such texts. For several decades, biblical scholars have recognized, thanks to critical theory, that the biblical texts are a product of the elite and upper class circles of ancient Judah and as such represent their interests and ethos. Laws on behalf of the vulnerable and prophetic