The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth

by Beth Allison Barr

The ESV was a direct response to the gender-inclusive language debate. It was born to secure readings of Scripture that preserved male headship. It was born to fight against liberal feminism and secular culture challenging the Word of God. As a medieval historian who specializes in English sermons, the debate over gender-inclusive translations amuses me. It amuses me because the accusers depict gender-inclusive Bible translations as a modern, secular trend fueled by the feminist movement. Yet, as a medieval historian, I know that Christians translated Scripture in gender-inclusive ways long before the feminist movement.

the Latin Vulgate (Jerome’s fourth-century translation and the primary Bible used throughout the medieval world), Genesis 1:27 reads, “Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam ad imaginem Dei creavit illum masculum et feminam creavit eos.” Or, as the Wycliffe Bible (an English translation directly from the Vulgate) reads, “And God made out of nothing a man in his image and likeness; God made out of nothing a man in the image of God; yea, God made them out of nothing, male and female.” Or as the KJV renders it, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Or, as the modern NIV renders it, “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”