When Deborah Met Jael defines and situates the significant elements which constitute lesbian readings of scripture. Deryn Guest explores the instability of the lesbian label and the concept of a "lesbian sensibility." The book further explores the social location of lesbian hermeneutics, noting in particular the adverse positions of lesbians socially, economically and religiously. The author also examines the non-negotiable principles that underpin lesbian readings of biblical texts. These include; upholding the dignity of the lesbian and the authority of experience; the need to operate via a...

In today's postfeminist, post-structuralist milieu, feminist biblical studies-despite its now well-established place in the discipline-can seem out on a limb, too narrowly concerned with the interests of women: women in the text, women in history, women readers. Its connections with studies in masculinities, with queer theories, with lesbian and gay studies may appear thin and flimsy. As the current terminology shifts perceptibly to 'gender criticism', this book examines the continued place of feminist biblical studies within the discipline. Is it now the time, Deryn Guest asks, for feminist...