In a couple of days I will post 
a list of commentary writing by women. Remember I asked if anyone had any suggestions, favourites? Several replied – I’ll include your suggestions but as I rummaged around in my head I decided to make a fuller list. Further Suggestions can be posted in the comments and I’ll update it as and when. Why bother? Two reasons.
- I think commentary writing needs to open up through, but beyond exegesis, as a genre of theological and spiritual reflection. The reason for the series of blogs on Hauerwas – apart from the man’s own appeal as a ‘burr under the saddle’ – is the freshness and challenge of writing that is in conversation with ancient text and contemporary church.
- My own exposure to women’s writing on Scripture and theology has been far too limited – but that isn’t only my fault – the entire industry of biblical studies has been dominated by male authors. That is slowly changing, but scheduled lists of commentaries projected by publishers are not encouraging. Despite this, several commentaries by women have demonstrated for me the critical (in both senses of the word) importance of hearing women’s voices in conversation with the biblical text and the contemporary church.
More whimsically here are some commentaries that were never written, but which I wish had been –
The Cappadocian Mother, Macrina on Colossians and the Divine life in Christ
Julian of Norwich on the Passion Narratives as Revelations of Divine Love
Teresa of Avila on Hebrews and the Way of Perfection in Christ
George Eliot* on Ecclesiastes and the Eclipse of Faith
Emily Dickinson’s poetic take on the Creation stories of Genesis
Dorothy Day on the prophet Amos and social justice for the poor.
Annie Dillard on the Psalms of Lament and Praise
Anne Tyler on Ruth as a story of love, friendship and the happenstance of life and the providence of God
* Perhaps she could revert to her own name of Marian Evans, in the hope that she would now be taken seriously as a writer without a male nom-de plume!
Leave a Reply