Mercedes L. GARCIA BACHMANN. Judges. Wisdom Commentary, Volume 7, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press (Michael Glazier Book), 2018. Pp 273, $39.95 pb. ISBN 9780814681060 (hardcover); ISBN 9780814681312 (ebook). Reviewed by James ZEITZ, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas 48207.

   An excellent, scholarly feminist commentary on the Book of Judges, which will be valuable for scholars or graduate students in graduate courses. It summarizes previous research and, besides commenting on the important women in Judges (Deborah, Jael, Jephthah’s daughter, Delialh, gives attention to texts where there is little feminist literature available. Two important women emphasized by the author are Achsah (Caleb’s wife in Jgs. 1:15) and the wives provided to the decimated tribe of Benjamin in Jgs. 21. Garcia Backmann also notes the structural role of these women for the overall book.

  Besides commenting on the stories of the Judges, the author also considers the larger picture of the book – as a “mirror in front of our cruel world” today. For example, in her “Final Reflection,” she notes that the chaotic scenes of the final chapters of Judges (pp.19-21) “mirrors” today: “The violence and prejudices found in Judges are by no means over.” (p. 247) Judges (which may even be “the product of a group of women”) presents the violent God of the Old Testament, who “speaks to YHWH’s people – who do not listen. Its viewpoint may thus be an implicit critique of women “who are tired of men playing God.” Patriarchy “is a system within which both Israel of Judges and we (today) live.” (p.248) “Feminists are never outside it… as is clear when gender intersects with race, class…and other social constraints that set people up one against another.” (= final words of the commentary)

In the introduction (in  ”Why Not Seek for the Author of Judge”) Mercedes L. Garcia Bachmann notes that Judges may be a “collective product“ …and points to the weakness of attempts to demonstrate female authors. She herself finds it more interesting to discern female “voices (citing Athalya “Brenner and Fokkelien van Dijk-Hemmes: “On Gendering Texts”…) E.g. “a character may voice a male fantasy about women or the story may reflect female concerns. (xli). Later (in: “What Does a Feminist Reading of Judges Mean?”) the author identifies her feminist approach as stemming from Latin American liberation theology…and gender and feminist theory (including ‘mujerista…and ‘beyond-the borders feminisms.” Two important questions she will try to answer are first: “When a woman is presented, what features are hers? Are they different from those of a man” (e.g. Deborah’s leadership as judge…different from other judges, and second “How can this text be read…as both faithful to its historical context and liberating for feminist believers in YHWH and for the church in the twenty-first century”?  (liv).

A final, secondary feature I noted was the author’s many comments on “Violence”: after perusing the index of subjects at the end of the volume, how the book presents and interprets violence is important, especially as it involves women and the patriarchal system.