A Feminist Politics of Early Christian Resurrection

Resurrection reconsidered through a feminist lens

Much has been written about the resurrection of Jesus, but rarely has the topic been examined from a feminist perspective. In this groundbreaking book, leading New Testament scholar Shelly Matthews brings an intersectional feminist lens to the resurrection proclamations of early Christianity, generating fresh insights that mainstream scholarship has long overlooked.

Moving across a range of canonical and extracanonical texts, A Feminist Politics of Early Christian Resurrection locates earliest resurrection hopes within Judaism while analyzing how these hopes are embraced, modified, and sometimes abandoned by early Christians living under empire. The book is organized around the themes of justice, authority, and flesh. Matthews approaches each theme from two angles, exploring both the liberating and the troubling possibilities embedded in these ancient sources. From the dry bones vision in Ezekiel to the radical declaration in Galatians that baptismal life dissolves the boundaries of gender and status, from the women at the tomb to the androcentrism of ancient heavenly ascent, Matthews recovers a richer, more multi-voiced conversation about resurrection meaning than Christian tradition has typically allowed.

The result is a stunning feminist study of early Christian resurrection—one that centers questions of gender, race, and power while taking seriously scripture’s capacity for both liberation and harm. This volume is essential reading for scholars and students of the New Testament, feminist and womanist interpreters of scripture, and anyone seeking a fuller understanding of the proclamations at the heart of the Christian faith.