Athalya Brenner-Idan (born 17 July 1943 in
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, Israel)
is a Dutch-Israeli biblical scholar known for her contribution to feminist biblical studies.
Academic career
Brenner studied at
Haifa University
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...
and the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
before doing a
PhD at the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
under the supervision of
James Barr.
She taught for a time at
Oranim Academic College.
She is Professor
Emerita of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at the
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...
and Professor in Biblical Studies at
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
. In the Netherlands, she has held posts at Radboud University and the University of Amsterdam, where she is Professor Emerita. She has also taught at Tel Aviv University, Brite Divinity School, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She continues to be Extraordinary Professor in the theology faculty at Stellenbosch University as well as a research associate at the Biblia Arabica project of Tel Aviv University.
In 2007, Brenner was described as being at the forefront of feminist biblical studies.
Alice Ogden Bellis states in her book ''I Am: Biblical Women Tell Their Own Stories'', that Brenner is "erudite, witty, clever, feisty, and not at all religious."
Brenner was president of the
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
in 2015. Her presidential address at the society's annual meeting was titled "On Scholarship and Related Animals: A Personal View from and for the Here and Now."
Beverly Roberts Gaventa, then Vice-President of the
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, introduced Brenner for her presidential address describing her battle with entrenched sex discrimination in the Israeli academy:
"Professor Brenner-Idan undertook her second book, ''The Israelite Woman: Social Role and Literary Type in Biblical Narrative''. Her expectation was that this book, combined with her earlier publications, would secure her promotion to the status of senior lecturer, the equivalent of a tenured associate professor in the American system. ''The Israelite Woman'' achieved a great deal in the scholarly world, yet its reception closer to home was anything but welcoming. She was denied promotion on the grounds that 'feminist research was not truly academic, not meaningful, a passing fad and waste of time and energy and money.' When she appealed the decision, a senior administrator dismissively suggested—with a cordial air—that she should consider finding a teaching position in a high school."
[
She has published dozens of books, articles, and book reviews in the field of Old Testament studies and feminist biblical criticism. She served as editor for the Feminist Companion to the Bible series, the Bible in the 21st Century series, and the Amsterdam Studies in Bible and Religion from Sheffield Academic Press and the Texts@Contexts series from Fortress Press.]
She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bonn in 2002.
References
External links
Prof. Athalya Brener (sic) Webpage: Tel Aviv University
Athalya Brenner, List of Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brenner, Athalya
Dutch biblical scholars
Israeli biblical scholars
People from Haifa
Tel Aviv University faculty
University of Haifa alumni
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
Alumni of the University of Manchester
Oranim Academic College faculty
Old Testament scholars
Feminist studies scholars
1943 births
Living people
Female biblical scholars
Feminist biblical scholars
Women non-fiction writers