Feminist Companion to Esther, Judith and Susanna

Feminist biblical criticism—an interpretation of the Bible from a woman’s perspective—has been employed since the late 1800s, but it has been in the last several decades that feminist critique has begun to impact professional biblical scholarship. The current consensus recognizes that serious biblical study must raise questions about the role of women in biblical text and their place in the ancient societies that produced the Bible. Brenner has compiled a unique anthology of feminist writing, offering a rich resource for reclaiming the female heritage found in the classic stories of three women. The first is Esther, from the Hebrew Bible, who without forgetting her gender and cultural location, develops into a competent politician. This book devotes 10 chapters to her. The second is Judith who, as an embodiment of the Jewish community, transforms both the community’s traditional power base and the social role of marginalized groups. Three chapters are devoted to this classic figure. The third is Susanna, a narrative figure who is gazed at as a mere object and then must defend her innocence after being accused of infidelity. Two chapters are devoted to her story.

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