The 'historical Jesus' still remains elusive. Who was Jesus? What really happened? How can we know for sure? The latest quest for the truth about him comes at a time marked by radical uncertainty and postmodern scepticism about master narratives, along with a loss of confidence in the traditional methods of historical analysis. In this context, Susan Lochrie Graham approaches the old debates from an entirely new direction. Armed with a 'metahistorical' approach adapted from the work of Hayden White, the philosopher of history, she reads the work of four representative historical Jesus writers: John P. Meier, N.T. Wright, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza and John Dominic Crossan. The analysis brings to light the deep literary structures of their portraits, showing the differing plots and rhetorical concepts that shape them, and the types of argument that are deployed by each writer. This ground-breaking critical investigation exposes the theological and cultural meanings embedded in all historical Jesus writing, showing how narrative forms function ideologically. It concludes with fresh answers to questions both about the methods we use and about the social implications of the contemporary quest of the historical Jesus, and proposes different directions for future research.

Escaping Eden brings together feminist biblical scholars to explore how aspects of social location such as gender, ethnicity, class, and religious background affect biblical interpretation.

The volume combines feminist reading strategies with sustained methodological inquiry. Writing in a range of modes including historical and literary criticism, cultural studies, satirical fiction, and the personal essay, the contributors challenge the presumed objectivity of conventional biblical scholarship.

Interrogating biblical authority, que(e)rying Jeremiah, exploring translation as a feminist act, and reclaiming texts as diverse as Genesis, Luke, and Philippians, Escaping Eden expands the usual boundaries of biblical academic discourse.

Escaping Eden brings together feminist biblical scholars to explore how aspects of social location such as gender, ethnicity, class, and religious background affect biblical interpretation.

The volume combines feminist reading strategies with sustained methodological inquiry. Writing in a range of modes including historical and literary criticism, cultural studies, satirical fiction, and the personal essay, the contributors challenge the presumed objectivity of conventional biblical scholarship.

Interrogating biblical authority, que(e)rying Jeremiah, exploring translation as a feminist act, and reclaiming texts as diverse as Genesis, Luke, and Philippians, Escaping Eden expands the usual boundaries of biblical academic discourse.