The Word According to Eve

Ever since Eve took that first step down the slippery slope leading to motherhood and apple pie, women have figured prominently in both the Bible and in the history of Judeo-Christian religion. Not until recently, however, has much attention been paid to their role. Until as recently as 1980, the Society of Biblical Literature (a sort of Modern Language Association for the theological set) had not hosted a panel discussion about women and the Bible. Much has changed in the ensuing years, with female biblical scholars at last claiming their rightful due and gender studies coming to dominate the field. In The Word According to Eve, Cullen Murphy reports from the feminist frontlines of theological debate, using portraits of top women scholars to illuminate the key issues at stake. The managing editor of the Atlantic Monthly, Murphy is a lively, funny, and highly lucid writer, singularly able to make academic theory both interesting and accessible and bringing his often quirky subjects to memorable life. (One noted critic, for instance, seems always to be uttering sentences such as, "I just came across an obscure reference to selective clitoridectomy for adult women who seem to have masculine desires" just as the waiter approaches their table.) In the foreword, Cullen suggests that feminism may just be the Bible's "fifth intellectual revolution," after the onset of Judaism, Christianity, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. Whether they're arguing for women's role in writing the Bible or advocating Junia as a female apostle, these scholars easily justify his claim.