INDEX OF SCHOLARS

The goal of this page is to create a database of scholars who are women that lists bibliographic material. Often scholarship by women is overlooked because people don’t know where or how to find it. This page makes it easy to locate and use the work of these scholars. Primary sources are a priority, along with secondary sources as relevant. The list is indexed alphabetically within specific time periods. Where a woman’s lifetime straddles two time periods, she will be categorized based on date of birth. To jump to a particular time period click the link below, otherwise scroll down to see all entries. Also be sure to check out the excellent resource:  Marion Ann Taylor ed., Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters: A Historical and Biographical Guide. This handbook provides more entries and biographical information than listed here, including women whose writing is not extant.

We need help developing this site, particularly with indexing deceased scholars from previous generations. If you are interested in being on a team to build this database please e-mail: women.biblical.scholars@gmail.com. Any little thing helps. Perhaps you have done a relevant study or you have bibliography on a particular scholar?

 ANCIENT ISRAEL (c. 1200 B.C.E. – 538 B.C.E)

In the ancient Near East some women were scribes. Thus, it’s not impossible that an Israelite woman could have been a scholar, though we don’t have any extant evidence. However, despite all the questions of dating, historical facts, oral culture, and scribal activity, biblical references are cited below. These are words narrated as occurring during prophesying or otherwise seem interpretive.  If extra-biblical Israelite material ever surfaces that will be included as well. If you have any additional information, including secondary bibliography that specifically studies these women’s words as possible interpretations of tradition please e-mail women.biblical.scholars@gmail.com.

Miriam

Deborah

Hannah

Abigail

Huldah

SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD (c. 538 B.C.E. – 70 C.E.)

See note in section on Ancient Israel. If you have any information on Jewish prophets, teachers, writers in the Second Temple period who are women, including words recorded in pseudepigrapha,  apocrypha, or Dead Sea Scrolls, please e-mail: women.biblical.scholars@gmail.com. We are also interested in secondary bibliography that specifically studies these women’s interpretation of tradition.

Elizabeth

Mary, mother of Jesus

Samaritan Woman

Mary Magdalene

EARLY JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN (c. 70 C.E. – 600 C.E.)

Proba (c. 320-370)

  • Cento Virgilianus. Latin and English translations available on pages 12-94 in: Clark, Elizabeth A., and Diane E. Hatch. The Golden Bough, the Oaken Cross: The Virgilian Cento of Faltonia Betitia Proba. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1981.

MIDDLE AGES (c. 600 C.E. – 1350 C.E.)

Catherine of Siena (1347-80)

  • The Dialogue of Catherine of Siena. Available online in English (trans. by Algar Thorold) and in Italian.  Available in hardcopy translated into English by Suzanne Noffke. New York: Paulist Press, 1980.
  • The Letters of Catherine of Siena. Available online in English (trans. by Vida Dutton Scudder). Available in hardcopy translated into English by Suzanne Noffke. 4 vols. Tempe, AZ: Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 2000-2001, 2007-8.
  • The Prayers of Catherine of Siena. Translated by Suzanne Noffke. New York: Paulist Press, 1983. 2nd ed., San Jose: iUniverse.com, 2001.
  • Secondary:

RENAISSANCE AND ENLIGHTENMENT (c. 1350 – 1800 C.E.)

Adams, Hannah (1755-1831)

Barbauld, Anna (1743-1825)

See full bibliography with electronic sources at A Celebration of Women Writers (scroll to down to “Barbauld”)

MODERN (c. 1800 C.E. – recently deceased)

Achtemeier, Elizabeth Rice (1926-2002)

  • (with Paul J. Achtemeier). The Old Testament Roots of Our Faith. Nashville: Abingdon, 1962.
  • The Old Testament and the Proclamation of the Gospel. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1973.
  • Jeremiah. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1987.
  • Nahum-Malachi. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1988.
  • Preaching from the Old Testament. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1989.
  • Minor Prophets I. NIBC. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995.
  • Preaching from the Minor Prophets. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1998.
  • Preaching Hard Texts of the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998.
  • Not Til I Have Done: A Personal Testimony. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1999.
  • Secondary:

Carus-Wilson (Petrie), Mary Louisa Georgina (1861-1935)

Winchester, Olive May (1879-1947)

TODAY’S SCHOLARS (present)

Today’s scholars are added to this index as they are interviewed or profiled for this site (see the Interview Submission page). A biblical scholar includes not only those specializing in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, but also those in fields that advance the knowledge of the scriptures (e.g. archaeology, reception history, hermeneutics, or the ancient cultural contexts of the biblical texts).

Note: This list is not comprehensive. For additional lists of scholars see Logia’s list and Women Also Know History.  The list below is meant to spotlight scholars with in-depth interviews. If you or another scholar you know should be interviewed see the Interview Submission Page. Also see the Book Spotlight Submission Page.

Baynes, Leslie (New Testament; Second Temple Judaism)

Brown, Jeannine K. (New Testament)

Cohick, Lynn (New Testament and Christian Origins)

Coleman, Rachel (New Testament)

Firth, Jill (Old Testament)

Gafney, Wil (Hebrew Bible)

Garroway, Kristine (Hebrew Bible; archaeology)

Guerrero, Corinna (Biblical Studies)

Hunt, Laura J. (New Testament)

Imes, Carmen (Old Testament)

Jobes, Karen H. (New Testament Greek and Exegesis)

Junior, Nyasha (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament)

Keen, Karen R. (Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity; Old Testament emphasis)

Koenig, Sara M. (Biblical Studies)

Kovalishyn, Mariam J. Kamell (New Testament)

Lee, Lydia (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)

Lemos, Tracy M. (Hebrew Bible/Ancient Israelite/Jewish history)

Leung Lai, Barbara M. (Old Testament)

Lovelace, Vanessa (Hebrew Bible)

Nasrallah, Laura S. (New Testament and Early Christianity)

Palmer, Carmen (Hebrew Bible; Dead Sea Scrolls)

Parker, Cyndi (Geography of Biblical Israel/Biblical Studies)

Peeler, Amy (New Testament)

Reeder, Caryn A. (New Testament)

Reese, Ruth Anne (New Testament)

Shafer-Elliott, Cynthia (Hebrew Bible; archaeology)

Shively, Elizabeth E. (New Testament)

Smith, Mitzi J. (New Testament and Early Christian Studies)

Stovell, Beth M. (Old Testament)

Warren, Meredith J. C. (Biblical and Religious Studies)

Wendel, Susan (New Testament)

Wilson, Brittany E. (New Testament)

Wolff, Celia (Christian Scripture and Ethics)

Wray Beal, Lissa M. (Old Testament)

Young, Abigail Ann (History of Biblical Exegesis; Medieval period)