God and Rhetoric of Sexuality

Trible manages to combine an egalitarian feminist outlook with great sensitivity and love for the original text of the Hebrew scriptures. She does not force a feminist reading on the Bible. Rather, she enriches our understanding by pointing out important biblical themes which are of special interest to feminists, but which may be appreciated by anyone seeking a fuller appreciation of scripture. I should point out that Trible respects the autonomy of the Hebrew scriptures; Jews as well as Christians have much to learn from this book.

This book contains the most sensible and eye-opening answer I have yet encountered to the question, "Why are there two accounts of the creation of human beings in the book of Genesis?" Trible argues convincingly that the first account is the story of God's order, and the second account tells of a fallen human order. Her argument is so well-supported by the text that you will never again be able to read the creation story without exclaiming, "Wow! Phyllis Trible was right!"