Abuse, Power and Fearful Obedience: Reconsidering 1 Peter's Commands to Wives

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Jennifer Bird examines the subjectivity of wives in 1 Peter with particular reference to the Haustafel (household code) section of the letter. Bird analyzes the construction of wives' subjectivity in 1 Peter , working primarily with that is referrre to as the Haustafel (household code) section and engaging feminist critical questions, postcolonial theory, and materialist theory in her analysis. Bird examines the two crucial labels for understanding Petrine Christian identity - 'aliens and refugees' and 'royal priesthood and holy nation' - and finds them to stand in stark contract with the commands and identity given to the wives in the Haustafel section. Similarly, the command to 'honour the Emperor', which immediately precedes the Haustafel, engenders a rich discussion of the text's socio-political implications. The critical engagement of several 'symptomatic irruptions' within the comands to the wives unvcovers the abusive dynamic underlying this section of the letter. Finally, Bird considers the present day implications of her study. Formerly The Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement , a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches. The Early Christianity in Context series, a part of JSNTS, examines the birth and development of early Christianity up to the end of the third century CE. The series places Christianity in its social, cultural, political and economic context. European Seminar on Christian Origins and Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Supplement are also part of JSNTS.

Reviews

Abuse, Power and Fearful Obedience is overall a well-written book. Bird's contribution to the field of postcolonial theology through this work is evident in her approach to and understanding of 1 Peter. She poses helpful and insightful questions, and presents her findings in an accessible manner. -- Journal of Postcolonial Networks
This published dissertation (Vanderbilt, Fernando Segovia) offers a feminist, postcolonial, and materialist interpretation of 1 Pet 3:1-6 that focuses on the dominant kyriarchical ethos of the letter that is especially represented in this text. -- Alan C. Mitchell, Georgetown University * Religious Studies Review *
By exposing the ideological problems inherent within a portion of scripture that has influenced ... the social practices of modern Christianity, Bird has moved the discussion forward in an important way -- Travis B. Williams, Tusculum College, Greeneville, TN, USA * Modern Believing, vol. 55 *
Summarized. * New Testament Abstracts *

Author Bio

Jennifer G. Bird was most recently Associate Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion at Greensboro College, and is currently working on several writing projects, along with fulfilling various teaching and speaking engagements in Portland, OR. Her first monograph is Abuse, Power and Fearful Obedience: Reconsidering 1 Peters Commands to Wives (T&T Clark, 2011). She has recently contributed to For All Who Are Far Away: Culture, Power and Identity in the Interpretation of the New Testament, A Postcolonial Commentary on the New Testament Writings, The Colonized Apostle: Paul and Postcolonial Studies, and The Sacred Text: Artefact, Interpretation and Doctrinal Formulation.