Description

Biblical scholarship until recently has typically been occupied with the emergence of biblical texts. It has studied authorship and origins, redactors and possible sources. Publications focusing on the reception of the Bible and the history of biblical interpretation are relatively rare. This collaborative, international, 22 volume project The Bible and Women contributes to filling this gap in biblical research.

The encyclopedia is being published simultaneously in four languages: German, English, Italian and Spanish. It aims 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 through their writings as well as through the creation of images.

The main topics explored in these volumes are:

Female characters present in the biblical text.
Reception of these characters by male and female interpreters.
Gender-specific social and cultural contexts in which the biblical books emerged.
Women who presented their readings and understandings of the Bible in particular historical periods and interpretive traditions.
Women to whom particular biblical texts or interpretations are attributed.
Presentation of biblical female characters and gender relevant topics in art.

Scholars, both men and women, who locate themselves within Jewish and Christian traditions, and who belong to academic communities within these four linguistic cultures have contributed to this interdisciplinary endeavour. The project brings into dialogue experts in gender studies within the fields of theology, exegesis, archaeology, philosophy, art-, literary- and social history. It strives to consolidate this field as well as providing material and perspectives for further investigation.