The Biblical Canon of Early Evangelical Feminists

In the earliest decades of the promotion of evangelical reform, several writers argued that in such times, women were also being called to speak out publicly, following prompting by the Spirit in interpreting Scripture. This article explores the work of three women in the upper Rhine region and in Geneva, analyzing their use of Scripture to determine the form and content of their arguments for a woman’s voice in the Church. In the process they also had to counter the Scriptures which were traditionally used to prohibit the female contribution. A brief comparison is drawn with Anne Askew in England. The study finds that these women showed broad familiarity with Scripture and significant sophistication; but it also observes how as Protestant churches developed, male theologians reasserted the traditional prohibitions, so that women found themselves again relegated to public silence.