‘On the Doorstep of the Work’: Ricoeurian Hermeneutics, Queer Hermeneutics, and Scripture

This article explores Ricoeur’s rhetorical question, ‘if I make believers scribes, will it be long before I make them literary critics?’ by analysing Ricoeur’s three-stage biblical hermeneutics through the perspective of queer theory and queer criticism of the Bible and the Qur’an. The article offers an overview of the state of queer theory in the context of scriptural criticism and an analysis of Ricoeur’s hermeneutic system, before engaging with queer readings of scripture from scriptural scholars and theologians. Acknowledging the tension between queer theorists in the academy, activists and individuals, this article also draws on the scriptural hermeneutics of the queer activist organisations, QUIT, Queer Jihad and the Rainbow Sash movement, suggesting that their creative scriptural appropriations can enliven Ricoeurian hermeneutics.