Abstract
The nineteenth century was a formative period for biblical studies. Cautiously beginning to distance itself from theology, the academic study of the Bible took new steps forward into source criticism, form criticism, and all manner of other critical enterprises. The names associated with this nascent period are familiar: Baur, Strauss, Wellhausen, Gunkel, to name only a few. Such figures are not only recognizable, but they are also almost always male. In Women in the Story of Jesus: The Gospels through the Eyes of Nineteenth-Century Female Biblical Interpreters, editors Marion Ann Taylor and Heather E. Weir seek to challenge this male-dominated narrative of scholarship, demonstrating that there were numerous women interpreting the Bible during this time as well; the volume presents a selection of these writings.
In fact, women had somewhat of a niche in the nineteenth century; it was commonly assumed that “[w]omen could be seen as naturally closer to the Christian ideal [of love and self-sacrifice] and thus qualified to give spiritual advice to others” (p. 9). The authors included in the collection represent a range of interpretive tactics and varying levels of education, though none of the women had access to the elite training in biblical studies that their male counterparts did. The book itself is structured around the biblical women in the Gospels who caught the attention of these female biblical interpreters. Each of the eight chapters includes excerpts from these interpreters’ works, which are prefaced by a brief overview of each author's life. The biblical women are, in order of their appearance in the chapters: Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary and Martha of Bethany; Anna the prophetess; the unnamed Samaritan “woman at the well” in the Gospel of John; Herodias and Salome; the Syrophoenician woman; the adulterous woman in the Gospel of John; and Mary Magdalene.
The import of biblical women varies among female commentators. Sometimes their unique roles and duties as women were highlighted. For instance, when writing about the Virgin Mary, Elizabeth Wordsworth wondered, “But do we always remember that if it is a great honour, as it undoubtedly is, to belong to the same sex as that of the mother of our Blessed Lord, yet that such a benefit cannot be conferred on us without a great enhancement of our own responsibilities” (p. 60). Other biblical women were valued for their special piety, devotion, or singlemindedness. Mary Magdalene, many female commentators realized, embodied selflessness and discipleship; Harriet Beecher Stowe observed in Mary's constant allegiance to Jesus “the directness and vehemence, the uncalculating self-sacrifice and self-abandon, of one of those natures which, when they move, move with a rush of undivided impulse; which, when they love, trust all, believe all, and are ready to sacrifice all” (p. 221). Still other biblical women were lauded for their domestic prowess. Nina L. McFadyen, for instance, portrays Martha of Bethany as an ideal homemaker. Martha, she explains,
was a queen of housewives. Always busy, and planning for the entertainment and comfort of her guests and family, she made social enjoyment of secondary importance; and it was not until the household cares were gone, her guests refreshed by an inviting repast—which was never wanting at her table—and their comfort well attended to, that she would indulge in the friendly chat, so enjoyable to most persons [p. 94].
Yet these commentators also realized that not all biblical women could be held up as role models. Some women in the Gospels invited comment for their ill repute. Writing of Herodias and her “wicked” ways, one Mrs. Donaldson describes her distinctive strategy as a function of her gender: “A woman will do many things to get her own way. She will wait and wait, contrive and plan, till at least she brings about her own ends” (p. 173). Salome, Euphemia Johnson Richmond similarly explained, was a “cruel daughter” (p. 170) who “execute[d] one of the voluptuous dances of the East” (p. 169) to get what she wanted. Thus, female authors spent time analyzing numerous women in the stories of Jesus, even those they considered problematic.
This unique collection provides a welcome supplement to a segment of biblical scholarship that has typically featured predominantly male voices. While such supplements are fascinating to read on their own, the editors have loftier goals:
By making these excerpts by women on women in the gospels available in a collection like this, we hope to encourage the integration of women's writings into teaching and preaching on the gospels, and invite further analysis of these and similar works” [p. 13].
As in women's presence in politics, business, inter alia, this integration will likely take time, and so it benefits from determined efforts such as this.