Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (born 1938) is a feminist theologian. She received her Theologicum (MDiv), Lic. Theol., University of Würzburg, Thoel.D. from the University of Munster, Germany. She identifies as Catholic and her work is generally in the context of Christianity, although much of her work has broader applicability. She is currently the Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...

.

She is the co-founder and editor of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion and is a co-editor of Concilium. She was the first woman elected as president of the Society of Biblical Literature

Society of Biblical Literature

The Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880, is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies , with the stated mission to "Foster Biblical Scholarship"...

 and she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...

 in 2001. Her husband, also a chaired professor at Harvard Divinity School, is Francis Schüssler Fiorenza

Francis Schüssler Fiorenza

Francis Schüssler Fiorenza is the Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. He came to HDS in 1986, having taught previously at the University of Notre Dame, Villanova University, and the Catholic University of America...

, a Catholic theologian.

In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins is one of her earliest and best-known books. This work, which argued for the retrieval of the overlooked contributions of women in the early Christian church, set a high standard for historical rigor in feminist theology. Additionally, she has published widely in journals and anthologies.

In 1984 she was one of 97 theologians and religious persons who signed A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion

A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion

A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion, alternatively referred to by its pull quote "A Diversity of Opinions Regarding Abortion Exists Among Committed Catholics" or simply "The New York Times ad", was a full-page advertisement placed on October 7, 1984 in The New York Times by Catholics for...

, calling for religious pluralism

Religious pluralism

Religious pluralism is a loosely defined expression concerning acceptance of various religions, and is used in a number of related ways:* As the name of the worldview according to which one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus that at least some truths and true values...

 and discussion within the Catholic Church regarding the Church's position

Catholicism and abortion

The Roman Catholic Church opposes all forms of abortion procedures whose direct purpose is to destroy an embryo, blastocyst, zygote or fetus, since it holds that "human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception...

 on abortion

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

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Works

• Der vergessene Partner: Grundlagen, Tatsachen und Möglichkeiten der beruflichen Mitarbeit der Frau in der Heilssorge der Kirche (1964)
• Priester für Gott: Studien zum Herrschafts- und Priestermotiv in der Apokalypse. NTA NF 7(l972)
• The Apocalypse(l976)
• Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, Revelation. Proclamation Commentaries together with Fuller, Sloyan, Krodel, Danker (l977 /l981)
• Invitation to the Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Apocalypse with Complete Text from the Jerusalem Bible (l981)
• Lent. Proclamation II: Aids for Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year. Series B, [together with Urban T. Holmes] (l981)
• In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins (1983)
• Bread Not Stone: The Challenge of Feminist Biblical Interpretation (1985)
• Revelation: Vision of a Just World (1991)
• But She Said: Feminist Practices of Biblical Interpretation (1992)
• Discipleship of Equals: A Critical Feminist Ekklesialogy Of Liberation (1993)
• Jesus: Miriam's Child, Sophia's Prophet: Critical Issues in Feminist Christology (1994)
• Bread Not Stone: The Challenge of Feminist Biblical Interpretation (1995)
• The Power of Naming (1996)
• Sharing Her Word: Feminist Biblical Interpretation in Context (1998)
• Rhetoric and Ethic: The Politics of Biblical Studies (1999)
• Jesus and the Politics of Interpretation (2000)
• Wisdom Ways: Introducing Feminist Biblical Interpretation (2001)
• The Power of the Word: Scripture and the Rhetoric of Empire (2007)