Countertraditions in the Bible: A Feminist Approach

by Ilana Pardes

In this eye-opening book, llana Pardes explores the tense dialogue between dominant patriarchal discourses of the Bible and counter female voices. Pardes studies women’s plots and subplots, dreams and pursuits, uncovering the diverse and at times conflicting figurations of femininity in biblical texts. She also sketches the ways in which antipatriarchal elements intermingle with other repressed elements in the polytheistic traditions, skeptical voices, and erotic longings.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Jewish, Feminism

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 1992

Reviews

[Liz]

In some ways, this book felt very familiar from the larger world of reading and interpreting Tanakh. In other ways, it was very outside the norm. Discovering what felt interpretively acceptable and what was manifestly beyond the pale to me was fascinating.
Brains are weird, man.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great, radically insightful interpretations of women in the Bible. My favorite is Zipporah (Moses' wife) as the embodiment of Isis, the Egyptian protector-goddess.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a class I took at the U of Iowa my junior year of high school: Images of Women in the Bible.

[Deborah Kick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to read a neutral, intelligent approach to feminism and the Hebrew Bible

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published the year I was born, but even 20+ years later, it still feels highly original, as Pardes opens up familiar - often problematic - biblical narratives to new readings.

[Sga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to think about.