Jesus as female divine

Podcast
17 May 2018

3 Comments

Wisdom had distinct cultural value in the ancient world. In Hebrew traditions and in the Old Testament, the personification of wisdom was always that of a woman, known as Sophia. This carried to early Christian texts in which Jesus was held as female divine — before this image was suppressed.

Rev. Dr Sally Douglas is a Uniting Church minister. Her doctoral research led to a book titled Early Church Understandings of Jesus as the Female Divine: The Scandal of the Scandal of Particularity. In this episode, she talks about the qualities that made Jesus compatible with Woman Wisdom, and what made this image so potent for both believers and detractors. What are the implications of reviving the idea of a feminine Jesus?

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Fatima Measham is a Eureka Street consulting editor. She co-hosts the ChatterSquare podcast, tweets as @foomeister and blogs on Medium.

Topic tags: Fatima Measham, Sally Douglas

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Kevin G. Smith | 17 May 2018

Hi Fatima, Why would Sally need the image of a feminine Jesus, doesn't her faith allow a masculine expression of love? I am a very practical person fond of historical and eye witness testimony. Such testimony affirms that Jesus Christ was a very special person, but nevertheless a man, why do we need to change the truth? Pontius Pilate told us in his regulary duty report to Caesar that Jesus was a very beautiful person with golden hair and a kind manner. Kind Regards.

Melanie Felicity Agsten | 20 May 2018

I find Sally Douglas’s insight and teaching about the feminine divine to be both revealing and enlivening. I am not surprised that people are astonished by her teaching, it is astonishing; it is also scholarly and needs to be fully heard.

Julie Perrin | 23 July 2018

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