Module: Women in Scripture

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Women in Scripture
Module Code	RET1015 (ITS: TP118)
Faculty	Theology, Philosophy & Music	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	7.5

Description

This module explores the theme 'Women in Scripture' from two key perspectives (1) Women in the Bible - how are women portrayed in biblical texts? (2) The question of interpretation - how have these stories been presented? Participants will be invited to profile a number of women in both Hebrew and Chrsitian Scriptures and to consider how these women have been represented in the biblical text and the lectionary as well as in art, literature, music and film.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of key themes in the study of women in Scripture.
2. Profile a number of significant women in Scripture and investigate how these women have been presented in literature and art.
3. Apply feminist hermeneutical principles to selected texts.
4. Articulate a response to the themes raised in the module and present this to the other participants.
5. Offer critical interpretations, to weigh the interpretations of colleagues, and to consider how those interpretations relate to each other.

Total Workload: 0

Section Breakdown
CRN	20993	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale		Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category		Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Miriam Jane De Cock	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Project	The title of this project will be agreed upon between lecturer and student	100%	Sem 1 End

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introducing Feminist hermeneutics

The women of the Hebrew Scriptures

Women in the Gospels

The women of the early Christian communities

Women in the Lectionary

Biblical women in Art and Literature

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Clifford, Anne: 2001, Introducing Feminist Theology, Orbis, Maryknoll, NY,
Getty-Sullivan, Mary Ann: 2001, Women in the New Testament, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN,
Newsom, Carol A., and Ringe, Sharon H.: 1992, The Women’s Bible Commentary, Westminster/John Knox Press, Louisville,
Nowell, Irene: 1997, Women in the Old Testament, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN,
Brown, Raymond E, Fitzmyer, Joseph A., Murphy, Roland E.: 1990, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Geoffrey Chapman, London,
Fiorenza, Elizabeth Schussler: 1984, In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, SCM Press, London,
Fiorenza, Elizabeth Schussler (ed.): 1992, Searching the Scriptures – A Feminist Commentary Vols.l I and II, Crossroad, New York,
Loades, Ann, and Karen Armstrong: 1990, Feminist Theology: A Reader, SPCK, London,
Malone, M.: 2000, Women and Christianity, Vol 1, Columba Press, Dublin,
Soelle, Dorothee, and Kirchberger, Joe H.: 2006, Great Women of the Bible in Art and Literature, Fortress Press, Minneapolis,
Trible, Phyllis: 1984, Texts of Terror, Fortress Press, Minneapolis,
Trible, Phyllis: 1978, God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality, Fortress Press, Philadelphia,
Watson, Natalie K.: 2003, Feminist Theology, W.B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich,
Yarbro Collins, Adela: 1985, Feminist Perspectives on Biblical Scholarship, Scholars Press, Chico, CA,

Articles:

Anderson, Janice Capel.: 1983, “Matthew : Gender and Reading”, Semeia, no. 28, 3-27., 61764
2009: “Terrible silence, eternal silence: a feminist re-reading of Dinah's voicelessness in Genesis 34,”, Biblical Interpretation, 17 no 5, 483-506., 61765, 1
“Whose history are we writing? Reading feminist texts with a hermeneutics of suspicion”: Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 20 no 2 Fall, 59-82, 61766, 1, Efthimiadis-Keith, Helen
Journal of Theology for Southern Africa: no 138 N, 91-111, 61767, 1, Egnell, Helene, 2010
51 no 3 Jl 2010: 56-64, 61768, 1, Haardt, Maaike de, 2011, “Expanding the concepts and the field: feminist liberation theology and beyond”
114-118: 61769, 1, Jasper, Alison, 2001, “Raising the dead? Reflections on feminist biblical criticism in the light of Pamela Sue Anderson's book A Feminist Philosophy of Religion 1998", Feminist Theology
61770: 1, Magdalene, F. Rachel, 2006, “Job's wife as hero: a feminist-forensic reading of the book of Job”, Biblical Interpretation, 14 no 3, 209-258,
1: Schneiders, Sandra M., 1989, “Feminist ideology criticism and biblical hermeneutics”, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 19 no 1 Jan, 3-10,
Shapira, Amnon: 2010, “On woman’s equal standing in the Bible -- a sketch: a feminist re-reading of the Hebrew Bible: a typological view”, Hebrew Studies, 51, 7-42, 61773
2009: “Challenges and opportunities in current feminist biblical studies”, Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 25 no 2 Fall, 107-112,

Other Resources

Website: Trible, Phyllis, ‘Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies’, http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1281
Website: Kee, Howard Clark, The changing Role of Women in the early Christian world, http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jul1992/v49-2-article7.htm
Website: Kopas, Jane, Jesus and Women in Matthew, http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/apr1990/v47-1-article2.htm
Website: Fox, Ruth, Women in the Bible and the Lectionary, http://www.cta-usa.org/reprint6-96/fox.html
Website: Cady Stanton, Elizabeth, The Woman's Bible, http://www.sacred-texts.com/wmn/wb/