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Hebrews seems like unpromising material for feminist interpretation, although it is the only New Testament writing for which female authorship has been seriously posited. Mary Ann Beavis and HyeRan Kim-Cragg highlight the similarities between Hebrews and the book of Wisdom/Sophia, which share cosmological, ethical, historical, and sapiential themes, revealing that Hebrews is in fact a submerged tradition of Sophia-Wisdom. They also tackle the sacrificial Christology of Hebrews, concluding that in its ancient context, far from symbolizing suffering and abjection, sacrifice was understood as celebratory and relational. Contributions from Filipina (Maricel and Marilou Ibita), Jewish (Justin Jaron Lewis), historical (Nancy Calvert-Koyzis), and First Nations (Marie Annharte Baker) perspectives bring additional scholarly, cultural, religious, and experiential wisdom to the commentary.
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Reviews
"Feminist theological commentary has long shed much-needed corrective light on venerable Christian tradition from the margins, but it's currently evolving to a whole new level in the robust Wisdom Commentary series.... [T]his commentary is outstanding in every respect."
Mark M. Mattison, Christian Feminism Today
"This volume...is a surprisingly good read. I say surprisingly because Hebrews is one of the densest and (supposedly) non-feminist books in the New Testament. Beavis and Kim-Cragg bring a scholarly, occupational, and ethnic diversity to an otherwise (seemingly) monolithic work."
Teresa J. Hornsby, Professor, Religious Studies, Drury University
"The reader will find in this accessible and challenging commentary a wonderfully wide range of sources and approaches to the text. Of special note are background materials from Judaism and parallel poetic renderings from Aboriginal Scriptures."
The Rev. Bonnie B. Thurston, Ph.D.
Extended Details
- SeriesWisdom Commentary #54