Summary Of In Memory Of Her By Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza

Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza was the first prominent scholar to speak on behalf of the feminist theologians in the critique of the historical accuracy of the Gospels. In her book In Memory of Her, she analyzes religion in a social context and uncovers the androcentric characteristics of biblical writings. In Schussler Fiorenza’s interpretation, Jesus denounced Jewish systems that correlated to masculine dominance, such as those based on purity and holiness. Instead, she views Jesus in favor of the tradition of wisdom found in the canonical book of Judith. Schussler Fiorenza goes on to further theorize that Jesus was quintessential to this divine wisdom, as illustrated by Luke 3:35 which states, “ …wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” However, the personification of wisdom is a motif found in the Book of Proverbs that often embodies a righteous woman. For this reason, Schussler Fiorenza named the woman “Sophia,” representing the wisdom of God whom Jesus called people to worship. Thus, Jesus as the prophet of Sophia could have been regarded as the epitome of the female principle of God, despite his biological sex as a male.
Despite Schussler Fiorenza’s strong argument, the egalitarian message from Jesus doesn’t seem to fit the context.
This idea of equality among all people did not integrate with the early church and their political agendas. During those emerging years, the church was attempting to establish its place in a patriarchal society. For this reason, the idea that men and woman should have equal status and roles is just not compatible to the perspective of that time period. Other critics believe that Schussler Fiorenza’s is attempting to modernize Jesus. By applying contemporary thinking to the study of Jesus, this egalitarian notion seems to fit our political philosophies, not those of Jesus’
time.

Other scholars also share much of Schussler Fiorenza’s positions. For example, the portrait of Jesus by Ben Witherington also identifies Jesus as the incarnate of Wisdom. Furthermore, the work of John Dominic Crossan highlights the egalitarian message from Jesus. However, her critique has made the most profound impact on how modern scholars now study the life of Jesus. With insight into the social and political context of that time, these scholars are now aware of the influence that androcentric thought had on the Gospels. I credit this aspect to be the greatest significance of her work. Though I believe that Schussler Fiorenza’s critique failed to match the context of the dogmas during that time period, I argue that her perceptions have given rise to a more thorough critique of the Gospels.