
Rev Dr Sally Douglas explores the theme of Woman Wisdom
Rev Dr Sally Douglas explores the imaging and celebration of Jesus as the female divine – Woman Wisdom – in a series of Bible studies delivered at the 2016 Synod meeting. Janet McKenzie’s painting “Jesus of the People” was used with permission and can be seen to symbolise Woman Wisdom incarnate.
Sally’s book “Early Church Understandings of Jesus as the Female Divine, The Scandal of the Scandal of Particularity” (2016) has recently been published by Bloomsbury.
Small group study resources
Videos of the four studies are available for personal learning or group discussion. Handouts for each study include quotes from early Christian sources and Sally suggests watching only one study at a time, and then taking some time to reflect and discuss what you have heard (rather than watching two or more of the studies in one sitting).
- Synod 2016 Bible Study Introduction by Sally Douglas includes a related Bible passage to read before each study, and discussion questions for personal or group reflection.
You may like to use the following questions after you have watched each study:
- What surprised / excited / troubled you most in this study?
- What would you like to know more about?
- Are there implications for you, and your faith community, in how you follow Jesus in the 21st century?
Study 1:
- Read Proverbs 8.22-9.6
- Watch Synod 2016 Bible Study 1
- Read Synod 2016 Bible Study 1 Handout with Bible passages and early Christian sources
- Discuss the three questions above
Study 2:
- Read Colossians 1.15-20
- Watch Synod 2016 Bible Study 2
- Read Synod 2016 Bible Study 2 Handout with Bible passages and early Christian sources
- Discuss the three questions above
Study 3:
- Read John 1.1-5, 14-18
- Watch Synod 2016 Bible Study 3
- Read Synod 2016 Bible Study 3 Handout with Bible passages and early Christian sources
- Discuss the three questions above
Study 4:
- Read 1 Corinthians 1.22-31
- Watch Synod 2016 Bible Study 4
- Read Synod 2016 Bible Study 4 Handout with Bible passages and early Christian sources
- Discuss the three questions above
Crosslight articles on the four studies:
- Summary of Study 1: Woman Wisdom in Old Testament and Intertestamental Texts
- Summary of Study 2: Woman Wisdom in New Testament and Early Church Texts
- Summary of Study 3: The Ignition of Wisdom Christology: Encountering the Divine
- Summary of Study 4: Re-engaging with Ancient Understandings of Jesus-Woman
Jesus of the Poeple, Janet McKenzie

“First unveiled on NBC’s Today Show in 2000, Janet McKenzie’s painting, Jesus of the People was the first place winner of the National Catholic Reporter’s global competition to identify an image of Jesus for the New Millennium. Janet paints multicultural images which honor gender and race, spotlightighting women and people of color, both of which she notes are under-represented in iconic Christian imagery.” source
Interview with Sally by Liam Miller, Christian Students Uniting:
Copyright license information: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Licensor: Rev Dr Sally Douglas, 2016
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