Schüssler Fiorenza and Feminist Hermeneutics
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza developed feminist hermeneutics grounded in the 'hermeneutics of suspicion'—critically questioning biblical texts' patriarchal assumptions and reconstructing women's hidden roles in early Christianity. Her concept of the 'discipleship of equals' envisions restored egalitarian Christian community.
Real World
Schüssler Fiorenza's 1983 work In Memory of Her reconstructed Mary Magdalene not as a repentant sinner — a label the Catholic Church officially retracted in 1969 — but as an apostle and leader, illustrating how patriarchal tradition had deliberately suppressed women's authority in early Christianity.
Exam Focus
Distinguish 'hermeneutics of suspicion' from simple rejection of the Bible; examiners credit candidates who explain it as a critical reconstructive method, not outright dismissal.
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