OTORITAS PROFETIK PEREMPUAN DALAM NARASI

Studi Feminis Naratif dan Sosio-Historis atas Figur Hulda dalam 2 Raja-raja 22–23

Abstract

This study is motivated by the continued marginalization of women’s roles and authority in religious leadership, which is often sustained through gender-biased interpretations of the Bible. It seeks to investigate the representation of the prophetess Huldah within the narrative of Josiah’s reform (2 Kings 22–23) and to articulate her theological significance for contemporary reflections on women’s leadership. Employing a qualitative methodology that integrates narrative criticism, socio-historical analysis, and feminist hermeneutics. This study argues that Huldah is not a marginal figure but a subject of prophetic authority who plays a significant role in providing theological legitimacy for Josiah’s religious and political reform. The analysis demonstrates that the Deuteronomistic narrative explicitly affirms female theological authority, thereby destabilizing assumptions that construe spiritual leadership as inherently male. Furthermore, this study contends that the subsequent marginalization of Huldah is primarily in the history of interpretation rather than  in the biblical text itself. In conclusion, a feminist hermeneutical reading of Huldah provides a constructive theological framework for the recognition of women’s leadership. It offers critical impetus for the transformation of ecclesial practices toward greater inclusivity.