How Shekhinah Became the God(dess) of Jewish Feminism

Bibliographic Data

ID14948636
AuthorsLuke Devine (0000-0002-3004-1597, University of Worcester, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume23
Issue1
Pages71-91
Publication date2014-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFeminist Theology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-7350 • E-ISSN: 1745-5189
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0966735014542380
OpenAlexW2114724186
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited30

Shekhinah, the ‘cloud of Yahweh’ in the Bible, a synonym for God’s presence in the rabbinic tradition, and a feminine hypostasis in the Kabbalah, is a popular theological image in contemporary Jewish feminist circles. Shekhinah currently exists in many forms: she is another name for God, feminine, relational, experiential; she is a Goddess and the singular image that is sufficiently adaptable for a diverse range of postmodern feminist interpreters. However, the processes by which Shekhinah became the God/dess of Jewish feminism have not been researched. Therefore, this article tracks the evolution of Shekhinah iconography in the Jewish tradition to gain an understanding of the appeal of these images within the context of Jewish feminism’s quest for an alternative to the androcentric Holy One, blessed be He. The article then traces the extent of Shekhinah theologies engendered by Second, Third-Wave and recent Jewish feminisms concluding that the plurality of contemporary spirituality and the general rejection of ‘systematic’ models of theology are not necessarily problematic. Rather, Shekhinah is argued to be a binding agent for diverse religionists, and one which has become normative to Jewish feminist theology

Epistemology · Feminism · Feminist theology · Image of God · Judaism · Postmodernism · Sociology · Spirituality · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Gender Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Philosophy · Religious studies