Sexual Violence and Sacred Texts - Paperback

by Amy Kalmanofsky (Editor)

At the heart of many religions are sacred texts that depict or even incite sexual violence. Most of this violence is directed against women and girls. Sexual Violence and Sacred Texts opens up an informed, passionate, interfaith dialogue for scholars and activists seeking to transform social problems that impact women and girls globally. Situated within struggles toward gender equity and widespread spiritual flourishing, these essays empower religious leaders, academics, and laypersons to confront and to creatively engage with sacred texts that re-inscribe sexual violence.

Author Biography

Amy Kalmanofsky is Associate Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary. Her first book, Terror All Around: The Rhetoric of Horror in the Book of Jeremiah (2008), used horror theory to examine the ways the Bible works to terrify its audience. Her most recent book, The Dangerous Sisters of the Hebrew Bible (2014), explores the biblical portrayal of sisters and sisterhoods and argues that both play a vital, though destabilizing, role in the Bible's narratives. Rabbi Dr. Kalmanofsky earned a PhD from The Jewish Theological Seminary.