Introducing a Hermeneutics of Cispicion: Reading Sarah and Esau’s Gender (Failures) Beyond Cisnormativity...

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Dr Jo Henderson-Merrygold (Church of England, UK) Laura Quick (Princeton University USA)

Introducing a Hermeneutics of Cispicion

Reading Sarah and Esau’s Gender (Failures) Beyond Cisnormativity

Dr Jo Henderson-Merrygold (Church of England, UK), Laura Quick (Princeton University USA), Jacqueline Vayntrub (Yale University USA)

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English

T.& T.Clark Ltd
11 December 2025

Judaism: sacred texts; Religious aspects of sexuality, gender & relationships; Gender studies: transsexuals & hermaphroditism

Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies

A hermeneutics of cispicion challenges cisnormative presuppositions that shape and, at times, occlude the variations in gender and sex exhibited by key characters in the ancestral narrative of Genesis 12–50. It charts the progression from Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics of suspicion, through liberation, feminist and queer approaches. Focusing on Deryn Guest’s queer and trans hermeneutics, Henderson-Merrygold then offers a new strategy for reading against fixed, binary gender assumptions, where a character’s sex always matches that assigned at birth.

The initial case study addresses Sarah, who is the proto-matriarch of the ancestral narratives in Genesis. Masculinities contrast with femininities, and Sarah’s own agency makes the picture of a consistent gender hard to identify. By closely reading the text, different facets of Sarah’s story emerge to emphasise how much the narrative directs the reader towards a cisnormative reading. However, Henderson-Merrygold shows it is not only the images of Sarah as feminine woman and mother that remain visible.

The subject of the second case study, Esau, is regularly judged to be a hypermasculine character due to his bodily appearance, but repeatedly fails to fulfil the expectations related to that appearance. Though often condemned as a poor example of (hyper)masculinity, a cispicious reading identifies a richer and more nuanced figure. Attending to Esau’s actions, his rejection of the gendered expectations appears intentional, allowing him to settle more comfortably into his own identity. This project advocates for, and demonstrates the value of, creative, interpretations of biblical texts that challenge both malestream and feminist gender assumptions.

By: Dr Jo Henderson-Merrygold (Church of England UK)
Edited by: Laura Quick (Princeton University USA), Jacqueline Vayntrub (Yale University USA)
Imprint: T.& T.Clark Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 360g
ISBN: 9780567713124
ISBN 10: 0567713121
Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 11 December 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jo Henderson-Merrygold is a theological educator based in the UK and holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield.

Reviews for Introducing a Hermeneutics of Cispicion: Reading Sarah and Esau’s Gender (Failures) Beyond Cisnormativity

This book is well versed in theory, very readable, and presents an intriguing set of possibilities for reading Sarai/Sarah and Esau beyond cisnormativity …I appreciate Henderson-Merrygold’s fresh eye on the texts, and I would recommend this book toanyone interested in gender and the Hebrew Bible. * Bible and Critical Theory *