Yale University Library Research Guides: Hebrew Bible Interpretation I &amp; II: Feminist &amp; Womanist Criticism

Intro to Feminist Theology

Dictionary of Feminist Theologies by Letty M. Russell; J. Shannon Clarkson Provides a pluralistic approach to feminist theologies, guiding readers who are interested in all areas of Christian theology as they relate to feminism.
The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Theology by Sheila Briggs; Mary McClintock Fulkerson Highlights the relevance of globalization and of gender studies and religious studies for feminist theology. 21st century focus. Inclusive. Online available.
The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Approaches to the Hebrew Bible (Online) by Susanne Scholz (Editor) Examines crucial points of analysis within the field of feminist Hebrew Bible studies. Organized into four major areas - globalization, neoliberalism, media, and intersectionality.
Women in the Bible by Jaime Clark-Soles Treats well-known biblical women from fresh perspectives, highlights women who have been ignored, and recovers those who have been erased from historical memory by particular moves made in the transmission and translations of the text. She explores symbolic feminized figures like Woman Wisdom and the Whore of Babylon and reclaims the uses of feminine imagery in the Bible that often go unnoticed. Chapters focus on themes of God's relationship to gender, women and violence, women as creators, and women in the ministry of both Jesus and Paul.

Case Studies in Hebrew Bible

Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes: Women's Stories in the Hebrew Bible by Alice Ogden Bellis Includes individual essays on women in each book of the Pentateuch and Deuteronomistic History.
Whispering the Word: Hearing Women's Stories in the Old Testament by Jacqueline E. Lapsley Includes essays on Rachel, Judges 19-21, and Exodus 1-4.
Woman at the Window: Biblical Tales of Oppression and Escape by Nehama Aschkensay Includes essays on Jael, Deborah, Michal, Dinah, the concubine from Judges, Abigail, Rebecca, Hannah, Eve, and Bathsheba.
Women in the Hebrew Bible: A Reader by Alice Bach (Editor) Includes essays on analyses of female characters in the Pentateuch (especially Genesis), Judges, and Kings.

Intro to Feminist and Womanist Criticism

A Feminist Companion to Reading the Bible by Athalya Brenner (Editor); Carole Fontaine (Editor) Reflects the numerous developments in feminist criticism that have occurred since the first books in the series were published.
Feminist Biblical Interpretation: A Compendium of Critical Commentary on the Books of the Bible by Luise Schottroff (Editor); Marie-Theres Wacker (Editor); Martin Rumscheidt (Illustrator) A one-volume feminist commentary on the entire Bible, including books that are relatively uncharted territory for feminist theology.
Feminist Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Retrospect by Susanne Scholz (Editor) Reviews the progress of feminist Hebrew Bible scholarship over the last forty years. Includes essays on the Pentateuch and Deuteronomistic History.
The Hebrew Bible: Feminist and Intersectional Perspectives (Online) by Gale A. Yee (Editor) This volume provides an introduction and essays on the four key sections of the Hebrew Scriptures from the perspective of top female biblical scholars. Includes essays on Torah/Pentateuch and Deuteronomistic History (Joshua-2 Kings).
Womanist Midrash by Wilda C. Gafney Offers a midrashic interpretation of the biblical text that is rooted in the African American preaching tradition to tell the stories of a variety of female characters. Includes content on each book of the Pentateuch and Deuteoronomistic History.
From Deborah to Esther: Sexual Politics in the Hebrew Bible by Lillian R. Klein Explores he more common women in the Bible and the dynamics of gender, power, and honor at work in their stories.

Feminist Readings of Deuteronomistic History

A Feminist Companion to Judges (Online) by Athalya Brenner-Idan (Editor) Looks at female figures such as Achsah, Delilah and Jephthah's daughter with a female critical gaze.
A Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings (Online) by Athalya Brenner-Idan (Editor) A feminist companion to Samuel and Kings with particular focus on female figures.

Feminist Readings of the Prophets

A Feminist Companion to Prophets and Daniel (Online) by Athalya Brenner-Idan (Editor)
The Outrageous Pursuit of Hope: Prophetic Dreams for the Twenty-First Century by Mary C. Grey
The Prostitute and the Prophet: Hosea's Marriage in Literary-Theoretical Perspective by Yvonne Sherwood
Women and Exilic Identity in the Hebrew Bible by edited by Katherine E. Southwood and Martien A. Halvorson-Taylor Examines how women were conceptualized and represented during the exilic period.
Battered Love: Marriage, Sex, and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets by Renita J. Weems Discusses the prophets' rhetoric and sexual metaphors to uncover Israelite social structures, asking, "What is implied about women, men, and God by the language that the prophets use to describe the covenant between Yahweh and Israel?"

Feminist Readings of Pentateuch

A Feminist Companion to Exodus to Deuteronomy (Online) by Athalya Brenner-Idan (Editor) A feminist collection of essays on the Pentateuch from Exodus to Deuteronomy.
A Feminist Companion to Genesis by Athalya Brenner-Idan (Editor) Draws together a range of leading biblical commentators to discuss one of the most challenging and fascinating biblical texts for feminist interpretation, the book of Genesis.
The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah by Ellen Frankel Discusses what the Torah means to women. The Five Books of Miriam includes folktales and folklore, homespun wisdom, Yiddish lore, songs, midrash, modern scholarship, and feminist criticism.
Hagar, Sarah, and Their Children by Phyllis Trible (Editor); Letty M. Russell (Editor) Explore how the story of Hagar and Sarah was developed after its canonization, in rabbinic interpretations, in the stories of Islam, and in the teachings of the early church fathers.
The Torah: A Women's Commentary by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi Collects the teachings of Jewish women in the first comprehensive commentary on the Torah written entirely by women. Distinguished women scholars, clergy, and poets.
Call Number: DIVINITY, Trowbridge Reference Room, BS1225.53 .T675X 2008