Phyllis Trible

You'll never read biblical passages involving women the same way again after wrestling with the texts discussed here. I particularly found the concluding poem poignant about Judge Jephthah's sacrifice of his daughter. Here is an excerpt:
The daughter, O Israel is slain upon the high places!
How the powerless fallen!
Tell it in Ammon, publish it in the streets of Rabah;
for the daughters of the Ammonites will not rejoice;
the daughters of the enemies will not exult.
Tell it also in Gilead, publish it in the streets of Mizpah;
for the sons of Israel will forget,
the sons of the covenant remember not at all.

...

The daughter of Jephthah lies slain upon thy high places.
I weep for you, my little sister.
Very poignant is your story to me;
your courage to me is wonderful,
surpassing the courage of men.

How are the powerless fallen,
a terrible sacrifice to a faithless vow!… (more)

I read this during Holy Week, which was unintentionally fitting. This is a gut-wrenching piece of narrative exegesis and a deserved classic of feminist theology or, really, of theology without any diminutive. Trible is clearly well versed in both the texts and their backgrounds, as well as rightfully passionate about their subjects. I'd read all of these stories several times over the years, seen the brutality involved, but never really saw how overlooked or misrepresented these women have been. Unfortunately, the book could have been twice or thrice as long, given the many other victims of misogyny in the Bible...… (more)

In different ways, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all trace their beginnings to Abraham. His wives Hagar and Sarah, though also pivotal in the story, have received far less attention. In this book, however, noted Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars focus on Hagar, Sarah, and their children, from Ishmael and Isaac to their many descendents through the centuries.
Moving from ancient and medieval sources to contemporary appropriations of the Sarah and Hagar story, the authors begin, in part 1, with an overview of the three religions—from their scriptural beginnings to their contemporary questions. Part 2, "Hagar and Sarah in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Traditions," explores how the story was developed after its canonization, in rabbinic interpretations, in the stories of Islam, and in the teachings of the early church fathers. And part 3, "Continuing the Conversation with Hagar and Sarah," presents contemporary womanist and feminist perspectives. Timely, relevant, and provocative, Hagar, Sarah, and Their Children offers a reliable and insightful look into a scriptural text foundational to these three great religions, and more important, it provides an entrée into interreligious discussion and understanding.

In addition to Phyllis Trible and Letty Russell, contributors are Elizabeth A. Clark, Riffat Hassan, Adele Reinhartz, Miriam-Simma Walfish, and Delores Williams.

About the Author
Phyllis Trible is University Professor of Biblical Studies at Wake Forest University Divinity School and Baldwin Professor Emerita of Sacred Literature, Union Theological Seminary, New York. She is the author of Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narrative and God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality.

Letty M. Russell is Professor Emerita of Theology, Yale Divinity School. She is the author of Church in the Round: Feminist Interpretation of the Church and coeditor of Dictionary of Feminist Theologies and Inheriting Our Mothers’ Gardens: Feminist Theology in Third World Perspective.… (more)