Claire Mathews McGinnis

Esther and the Politics of Negotiation

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This engaging work invites readers to view both the character and book of Esther in new, more complex ways. Situating Esther in light of Israelite and Greek literary traditions, it demonstrates how current models for understanding gender in ancient Israel tend to obfuscate rather than illuminate the ways in which gender and power are contingent and negotiable.”

Le Grand Voyage

History & Biography

“Le Grand Voyage recounts a storybook life in France, an unimaginable victory over a fatal disease, followed by a tragic turn—death comes for the victor(s) all the same. Part memoir, part theologically informed meditation on grief, the author interrogates disorienting loss in the light of eternity. Others will find here echoes of the particularities of their own losses and recognize those precious intuitions of one’s beloved in the eternal present of God.”

Many Roads Lead Eastward

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This book argues that enabling Scripture to serve as 'the soul of theology' involves much more than biblical scholars engaging in paranesis, on the one hand, or in dialogue between biblicists and theologians, on the other. In doing so, the work seeks to fill a gap in discussions of theological exegesis and to address the gulf between 'serious scholarly work on the Bible' and that of 'practicing theologians.' Miller analyzes various hermeneutical models that in turn depend on particular understandings of revelation and inspiration. Ultimately he proposes an exegetical approach that encompasses a text's background, its canonical context, its trajectory into the New Testament, and history of interpretation in order to 'relate the text with contemporary experience, vocabulary and religious impact.' Readers concerned to hold together historical critical study of the Bible with theological exegesis will be sure to find something of interest here. Those conversant in the Roman Catholic documents on Scripture will also find the book of special interest.”