Strangely familiar : protofeminist interpretations of patriarchal biblical texts

Until recently, the voices of women who interpreted the Bible prior to the feminism of the late twentieth century had been largely forgotten. However, the current recovery of these women's interpretive works reveals writings that seem strangely familiar in their anticipation of later feminist approaches to the biblical text and their thematic interest in liberation. In this volume, the contributions of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century women including Arcangela Tarabotti, Aemelia Lanyer, and Josephine Butler are addressed in their historical and cultural contexts. Each of these recovered authors worked to liberate women from interpretations of the Bible that proved oppressive to them. Leading feminist biblical scholars assess the works of these forerunners, or protofeminists, in light of contemporary feminist approaches, and the collection as a whole illustrates the significance of these neglected works for reception history, biblical studies, and women s studies. The contributors include Nancy Calvert-Koyzis and Heather E. Weir, Amanda W. Benckhuysen, Robert Knetsch, J. Cheryl Exum, Marion Ann Taylor, Joy A. Schroeder, Esther Fuchs, Christiana de Groot, Caroline Blyth, Philippa Carter, Beth Bidlack, Pamela J. Walker, Sandra Hack Polaski, J. Ramsey Michaels, Ben Witherington III, Hilary Elder, Agnes Choi, Barry Huff, and Pauline Nigh Hogan. Assessing their place in history : female biblical interpreters as protofeminists / Nancy Calvert-Koyzis, Heather E. Weir Section 1: Protofeminist interpreters on texts of terror. Reading Hagar's story from the margins : family resemblances between nineteenth- and twentieth-century female interpreters / Amanda W. Benckhuysen Tamar's tale : Elizabeth Hands as a protofeminist theologian / Robert Knetsch Trusting in the god of their fathers : a response to the articles by Robert Knetsch and Amanda Benckhuysen / J. Cheryl Exum The resurrection of Jephthah's daughter : reading Judges 11 with nineteenth-century women / Marion Taylor Envying Jephthah's daughter: Judges 11 in the thought of Arcangela Tarabotti (1604-1652) / Joy A. Schroeder Protofeminist readings of biblical texts of terror : the need for critical analysis / Esther Fuchs Nineteenth-century feminist responses to the laws in the Pentateuch / Christiana de Groot Unhappy anniversary : women, marriage, and the biblical law in the writings of Annie Besant / Caroline Blythe Divisions and orientations : a response to Caroline Blyth and Christiana de Groot / Philippa Carter Section 2: Protofeminist interpretations of Pauline hierarchical texts. Antoinette Brown Blackwell : pioneering exegete and Congregational minister / Beth Bidlack Gender, radicalism, and female preaching in nineteenth-century Britain : Catherine Booth's female teaching / Pamela J. Walker Anoinette, Catherine, and Paul : a response / Sandra Hack Polaski A Washington Bible class : the bloodless piety of Gail Hamilton / J. Ramsey Michaels Women in high places, or women of lasting impact? / Ben Witherington III Opposing Paul with Paul : Aemilia Lanyer's feminine theology / Hilary Elder The maternity of Paul and the new community in Christ : a response to Hilary Elder / Nancy Calvert-Koyzis From the Mediterranean to America : Lucy Meyer's biblical interpretation and the deaconess movement / Agnes Choi Mary Baker Eddy : liberating interpreter of the Pauline corpus / Barry Huff Response to Choi and Huff: Paul and women's leadership in American Christianity in the nineteenth century / Pauline Nigh Hogan. Title Page 4 Contents 6 Abbreviations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Untitled 14 Assessing Their Place in History: Female Biblical Interpreters as Protofeminists 14 Section 1: Protofeminist Interpreters on Texts of Terror 28 Reading Hagar’s Story from the Margins: Family Resemblances between Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Female Interpreters 30 Tamar’s Tale: Elizabeth Hands as a Protofeminist Theologian 46 Trusting in the God of Their Fathers: A Response to the Articles by Robert Knetsch and Amanda Benckhuysen 62 The Resurrection of Jephthah’s Daughter: Reading Judges 11 with Nineteenth-Century Women 70 Envying Jephthah’s Daughter: Judges 11 in the Thought of Arcangela Tarabotti (1604–1652) 88 Protofeminist Readings of Biblical Texts of Terror: The Need for Critical Analysis 106 Nineteenth-Century Feminist Responses to the Laws in the Pentateuch 118 Unhappy Anniversary: Women, Marriage, and the Biblical Law in the Writings of Annie Besant 134 Divisions and Orientations: A Response to Caroline Blyth and Christiana de Groot 152 Section 2: Protofeminist Interpretations of Pauline Hierarchical Texts 162 Antoinette Brown Blackwell: Pioneering Exegete and Congregational Minister 164 Gender, Radicalism, and Female Preaching in Nineteenth-Century Britain: Catherine Booth’s Female Teaching 184 Antoinette, Catherine, and Paul: A Response 198 A Washington Bible Class: The Bloodless Piety of Gail Hamilton 204 Women in High Places, or Women of Lasting Impact? 216 Opposing Paul with Paul: Aemilia Lanyer’s Feminine Theology 222 The Maternity of Paul and the New Community in Christ: A Response to Hilary Elder 240 From the Mediterranean to America: Lucy Meyer’s Biblical Interpretation and the Deaconess Movement 246 Mary Baker Eddy: Liberating Interpreter of the Pauline Corpus 258 Response to Choi and Huff: Paul and Women’s Leadership in American Christianity in the Nineteenth Century 272 Contributors 282 Subject Index 284 Index of Ancient Sources 295 Index of Authors 300 9781589834538 Poetic imagination, intertextuality, and life in a symbolic world / Roy F. Melugin -- Persistent vegetative states: people as plants and plants as people -- In Isaiah / Patricia K. Tull -- Like a mother I have comforted you: the function of figurative -- Language in Isaiah 1:7-26 and 66:7-14 / Chris A. Franke -- A bitter memory: Isaiah's commission in Isaiah 6:1-13 / A. Joseph Everson -- Poetic vision in Isaiah 7:18-25 / H.G.M. Williamson -- YHWH's sovereign rule and his adoration on Mount Zion: a -- Comparison of poetic visions in Isaiah 24-27, 52, and 66 / Willem A.M. Beuken -- The legacy of Josiah in Isaiah 40-55 / Marvin A. Sweeney -- Spectrality in the prologue to Deutero-Isaiah / Francis Landy -- The spider-poet: signs and symbols in Isaiah 41 / Hyun Chul Paul Kim -- Consider the source: a reading of the servant's identity and task in Isaiah 42:1-9 / James M. Kennedy -- "They all gather, they come to you": history, utopia, and the reading of Isaiah 49:18-26 and 60:4-16" / Roy D. Wells -- From desolation to delight: the transformative vision of Isaiah 60-62 / Carol J. Dempsey -- The nations' journey to Zion: pilgrimage and tribute as metaphor in the book of Isaiah / Gary Stansell Poetic imagination, intertextuality, and life in a symbolic world / Roy F. Melugin Persistent vegetative states: people as plants and plants as people In Isaiah / Patricia K. Tull Like a mother I have comforted you: the function of figurative Language in Isaiah 1:7-26 and 66:7-14 / Chris A. Franke A bitter memory: Isaiah's commission in Isaiah 6:1-13 / A. Joseph Everson Poetic vision in Isaiah 7:18-25 / H. G. M. Williamson YHWH's sovereign rule and his adoration on Mount Zion: a Comparison of poetic visions in Isaiah 24-27, 52, and 66 / Willem A. M. Beuken The legacy of Josiah in Isaiah 40-55 / Marvin A. Sweeney Spectrality in the prologue to Deutero-Isaiah / Francis Landy The spider-poet: signs and symbols in Isaiah 41 / Hyun Chul Paul Kim Consider the source: a reading of the servant's identity and task in Isaiah 42:1-9 / James M. Kennedy "They all gather, they come to you": history, utopia, and the reading of Isaiah 49:18-26 and 60:4-16" / Roy D. Wells From desolation to delight: the transformative vision of Isaiah 60-62 / Carol J. Dempsey The nations' journey to Zion: pilgrimage and tribute as metaphor in the book of Isaiah / Gary Stansell.