282 - Feminist Interpretation of the Bible

Feminist Interpretation of the Bible
Edited by Letty M. Russell
Philadelphia, Westminster, 1985. 166 pp. $10.95.

The general notion of feminism suggests many things to different people. It may suggest to all of us an important piece of unresolved business in the intellectual and political life of the church. At the center of that unfinished business is the authority of Scripture and its intepretation, which is both an intellectual and a political issue.

The current discussion of feminist issues has been underway long

283 - Feminist Interpretation of the Bible

enough for the identifying and energizing of the most helpful and credible voices. Letty Russell, of Yale Divinity School, has here gathered together essays by those who are the most formidable and prestigious of thinkers around these issues. This includes Sakenfeld, Ringe, Exum and Trible among our best-known exegetes; and Russell, Ruether, and Fiorenza among those who have taken up the more general humanistic task. The authors happen to be concerned with and address these particular issues, but every commentator is a well-established scholar who merits being beard on the strength of her scholarship and not because of special pleading for this vexed cause. The contributions to this collection occupy a centrist position that predictably draws fire from two sides. On the one hand, these scholars refuse a more drastic feminist solution of simply dismissing the Bible as sexist. There is a determination to take the Bible seriously and in some way authoritatively. On the other hand, these scholars refuse to accept any conventional view of authority and interpretation that characteristically ends as slogans for domination. Thus, to some, their critique of Scripture will seem too mild, and to others they will seem too soft on the authority of Scripture. They are neither too mild in criticism nor too soft on authority, but simply stand candidly and boldly in the midst of a question to which we do not yet have a full resolution. In various ways, these essays have accepted a position on feminism and the Bible that is "profoundly paradoxical" because the authors live at the point where biblical faith and feminist concerns meet. It is a position with which we must continue to struggle.

The essays are of various kinds, reflecting various scholarly commitments ranging from historical (Zikmund) to exegetical (Ringe, Exurn) to more general hermeneutical statements. One cannot generalize, but the main tendency is to say that that part of the Bible is theologically authoritative which bears witness to the liberating power of God and the liberating possibility of humanity. It is acknowledged that such a view is not without problems. It is my impression that what these interpreters do explicitly and intentionally is what every advocacy position in theology has always done, that is, focus on the parts of the text that energize and confirm while subordinating, criticizing, or dismissing the other parts. Of course, such a focus in this case is not mere preference but is based on a conviction about the character of God, to whom the text bears faithful witness. Some such operation is necessary, but it is difficult when seen in concrete practice. Most other advocacy positions are not as candid and honest about the focus chosen.

It is evident that we still have much hard work to do on this difficult issue and must impatiently wait on the liberating spirit of God. No writer in this volume imagines that we are close to a final conclusion. But this volume evidences a maturity reached at the level of conversation, demonstrates how much has been gained in a short time, and invites the reader to share in the ongoing process. It remains to be seen if the Bible has sufficient power of self-critique that the liberating vision of the Bible can override those parts of the text which serve domination. The

284 - Feminist Interpretation of the Bible

outcome is not clear, but this impressive group of scholars has surely served well the agenda of liberation, mutuality, and healing-an agenda shared by feminists and serious advocates of evangelical hope. Clearly, this continuing agenda is not a surface problem, but strikes at the core of domination now operative in our intellectual and political life.

Walter Brueggemann

Eden Theological Seminary
St. Louis, Missouri