In this course, we will carefully examine the narratives of several women found in the Bible: the Levite's Concubine, Sarah and Hagar and, finally, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. This selection is determined at least in part because their stories offer and opportunity to recover and assess how women were --- and continue to be --- affected and effective within a tradition dominated by patriarchal values.
We will employ methods of interpretation from exegetical, literary, and historical criticism even as we bring vital questions/issues from a contemporary feminists perspective to the texts themselves. On occasion, we will also consider artistic renderings that have brought these stories to life through image rather than word.
All other course readings on the syllabus come from the above sources.
