A group of feminist theologians have joined together to publish a “Women’s Bible” they hope will counter traditional interpretations of texts.
“Feminist values and reading the Bible are not incompatible,” Lauriane Savoy, one of the translators, told Agence France-Presse. Savoy is a professor at the University of Geneva.
The new Bible, “Une Bible des Femmes” (“A Women's Bible”), was published in October.
All total, 20 female theologians – representing various Christian denominations – worked on the translation,” AFP reported.
Elisabeth Parmentier, another professor at the University of Geneva who worked on the new Bible, claimed that Jesus’ visit with Mary and Martha often is misunderstood.
“It says that Martha ensures the ‘service,’ which has been interpreted to mean that she served the food, but the Greek word ‘diakonia’ can also have other meanings, for instance, it could mean she was a deacon,” Parmentier said.
Parmentier added, “We are fighting against a literal reading of the texts.”
Savoy said Mary Magdalene has been misunderstood, too.
“She stood by Jesus, including as he was dying on the cross, when all of the male disciples were afraid. She was the first one to go to his tomb and to discover his resurrection,” Savoy said.
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
Photo courtesy: Pexels/Jure Širić
