Prophetic Disability

Most of us academics 'stay in our lane' as we do our research. We are familiar with our field and stay there. It is ambitious and daring for an academic to 'cross lanes' and consider other agenda. Sarah Melcher has taken on just such a hazardous task. She is well-grounded in scripture study. But she has read widely and thought deeply about disability studies. In her discerning line-by-line analysis of the prophetic texts, Melcher traces out the way that bodily existence (including disabled bodies) is lived out in the presence of divine sovereignty and providence. She has brought off this daring venture in a way that will serve well both scripture studies and disability studies. She shows that the prophetic tradition has in purview disabled persons. This book is a significant contribution to our belated attention to disability studies. It is well-done, and attention must be paid.

~Walter Brueggemann, author of Money and Possessions

This book demonstrates why Sarah Melcher is a recognized authority on theological interpretations of disability in the Hebrew Bible. She has an excellent command of the latest critical biblical scholarship on disability, and her ethical and theological insights are well-grounded in her close and sensitive readings of the text. Built on two decades of careful study and reflection on disability and the Bible,  Prophetic Disability is Melcher at her best.

~Jeremy Schipper, Professor in the Departments for the Study of Religion and Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto

Sarah J. Melcher’s book Prophetic Disability gathers into one place the abundance and variety of prophetic images of the human body, often beaten and deformed. Melcher is particularly concerned with images of disabled and broken bodies in relation to questions of divine sovereignty. What do the prophets posit as the divine role in breaking and restoring human bodies, and what are the consequences of such theological perspectives? This book will open discussions about ancient and modern attitudes toward disabled bodies and provide material for future research.

~Kathleen M. O’Connor, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Emerita, Columbia Theological Seminary

In this wise text, Sarah Melcher, who has been at the center of scholarly conversations about the Bible and disability for decades, carefully considers how disability is featured--both productively and problematically--in prophetic literature. With attention to the texts' literary and social-historical contexts and theological convictions, Melcher argues that for the prophets, themes of disability and divine sovereignty are deeply related.

~Christian Century

Melcher’s exploration of disability and God’s sovereignty highlights the complex and multi-faceted use of disability imagery in the prophets. Her work is an important step forward for the larger study of disability and biblical literature. In particular, she pushes scholars to further reflect on their approaches to the biblical text. Her work will help modern readers of biblical texts better engage with texts critically and empathetically, especially those who do so within a faith-based context. This text will be valuable for biblical scholars, leaders of faith communities, and students who seek to better engage literary depictions of disability and the prophets.

~Kevin Scott, Baylor University, Reading Religion

Melcher’s exploration of disability and God’s sovereignty highlights the complex and multi-faceted use of disability imagery in the prophets. Her work is an important step forward for the larger study of disability and biblical literature.

~Kevin Scott, Baylor University, Reading Religion

"Combining biblical studies and disability studies, and with an eye toward disability and gender justice, Sarah Melcher’s readable and provocative Prophetic Disability should grace many desks. With just over one hundred pages (excluding bibliography and notes), it is a short but significant contribution to investigations on disability in the Hebrew Bible."

~Kirsty L. Jones, Review of Biblical Literature

This book is valuable for its identification of the limitations within the biblical representations of disabilities. It prompts contemporary readers to engage in theological discussions about disability and divine sovereignty, and to explore meaningful and creative ways to engage contemporary cultures.

~Yanjing Qu, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament