The Dissenting Reader

If feminism promotes women's rights and the message of the Hebrew Bible keeps them in their theologically correct place, then there is room for much misunderstanding between theologians and feminists. Eryl Davies explores how dissent and feminism relate to the Hebrew Bible.

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Eryl W. Davies introduces a wide range of feminist approaches to the Hebrew Bible: from critics who recover neglected perspectives in the biblical text to those who reject the biblical traditions in their entirety. Davies suggests that the most promising strategy is that which deploys a reader-oriented literary approach to the Hebrew Bible: by focusing on the literary representation of women in the biblical text, some of the subtle ways in which the biblical authors sought to reinforce patriarchal values are highlighted. Davies argues that readers of the Hebrew Bible must don the mantle of the 'dissenting reader' and be prepared to question and challenge the values and assumptions inherent in the biblical text. Written by a non-feminist, this book demonstrates that feminist biblical critics have offered fresh insights and challenges that need to be pursued and developed by mainstream biblical critics. Davies encourages a fruitful and sustained dialogue between feminist and established biblical scholars in the future.