Until recently, biblical scholarship was often occupied with the emergence of biblical texts, with their authorship and origins, redactors and possible sources. Publications focusing on the reception of the Bible and the history of biblical interpretation were relatively rare. The Bible and Women series is a collaborative, international, project designed to help fill this gap in biblical research.
The twenty-one volumes of The Bible and Women project, to be published simultaneously in German, English, Italian, and Spanish, aim to present a reception history and cultural history of the Bible, focusing on gender-relevant biblical themes, women in the text, and the women who throughout history have read, appropriated, and interpreted the Bible in text and image. At the center of the project stand a number of related interests:
- female literary figures within the Bible and the reception of such figures within the history of exegesis by male and female interpreters
- gender-specific social and cultural contexts in the areas and periods in which the biblical books emerged
- women who interpreted the Bible in particular eras and faith traditions
- women to whom biblical texts or their interpretation are attributed
- gender-relevant texts (e.g., legal codes) and themes (e.g., purity/impurity)
- the treatment of female biblical characters and gender-relevant issues in art
The Bible and Women project is led by a highly respected, international editorial team:
- Irmtraud Fischer, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
- Charlotte Metheuen, University of Glasgow
- Mercedes Navarro Puerto, Universidad de Sevilla
- Adriana Valerio, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
For more information, see The Bible and Women website.