A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey

The people of Israel set out from slavery in Egypt for a land flowing with milk and honey. The vision they had before them was not one of luxury and idleness, but a dream of fertility and simplicity, life in the natural order, of equality and self-sufficiency. So argues Dr Moltmann-Wendel, and she also points out that milk and honey, produced by the female of the species, are a symbol of the values of women's culture. In the light of this, in her new book she develops a feminist theology based on a reinterpretation of the Bible and Christian tradition. The first part, 'Self-discovery', looks at women's increasing awareness of themselves and their role: at autonomy, patriarchalism and the obliteration of the feminine aspects of the deity. The second part, 'Critical Theology', looks at the nature of feminist theology, the Bible, the idea of God as mother and the matriarchal sub-culture. A final part considers Jesus, his attitudes towards women and their consequences, taking further Dr Moltmann-Wendel's earlier book, The Women around Jesus.