In the book of Jeremiah, gendered imagery appears in central passages. A first of its kind, this study follows the development of these gendered images through the entire prophetic book. Feminist hermeneutics and literary approaches join to show that female imagery in particular substantiates the theological movement of Jeremiah from call to repentance in the face of death and destruction through remembrance in mourning to an eschatological vision of redemption in exile. Further, theological considerations of power dynamics bring the ancient texts in conversation with contemporary contexts, reading and challenging Jeremianic theology from the perspectives of current feminist liberation theologies.

The Author: Angela Bauer is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.