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6 - Feminist interpretation

from Part 1 - Lines of approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2006

John Barton
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

'It might be interesting to speculate upon the probable length of a “depatriarchalized Bible”. Perhaps there would be enough salvageable material to comprise an interesting pamphlet.' Thus Mary Daly in 1973, sharply engaged with feminist interpretation in its early stages. Roughly twenty-five years later, feminist interpretation flourishes whether inside or outside the academic community where there are feminists qualified and interested enough to engage in it, with some of it undertaken by Jewish and Christian writers together, focusing on women and the gender symbolism of the Hebrew Bible. This chapter, however, engages with feminist Christian interpretation of the Bible as a whole (with some reference to the Apocrypha). Feminist interpretation is here understood as presupposing that the Bible is still read and heard and preached as an authoritative text in communities of belief and worship. And 'authoritative' here means that by using reason, imagination, historical insight, reflection on human experience and whatever other resources we can muster, the Bible somehow mediates to us a God who enables human beings to be most fully themselves. And there's the rub, for feminists at least. Mary Daly's sharp comment has its point.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1998

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  • Feminist interpretation
  • Edited by John Barton, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation
  • Online publication: 28 May 2006
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521481449.007
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  • Feminist interpretation
  • Edited by John Barton, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation
  • Online publication: 28 May 2006
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521481449.007
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Feminist interpretation
  • Edited by John Barton, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation
  • Online publication: 28 May 2006
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521481449.007
Available formats
×