Phyllis Trible

Phyllis Lou Trible (October 25, 1932 – October 17, 2025) was an American feminist biblical scholar from Richmond, Virginia. Trible's scholarship focused on the Hebrew Bible and she was noted for her prominent influence on feminist biblical interpretation. Trible wrote a multitude of books on interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, and lectured around the world, including the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada, and a number of countries in Europe.

Trible taught at Wake Forest University (1963–1971) and Andover Newton Theological School (1971–1979) before returning to Union Seminary, where she was appointed the Baldwin Professor of Sacred Literature in 1980. She left Union in 1998 to become Associate Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies of the then-new Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She served in those roles until 2001, when she was appointed University Professor at Wake Forest, and served in that role until she retired in 2012. According to John J. Collins, "Phyllis Trible, more than any other scholar, put feminist criticism on the agenda of biblical scholarship in the 1970s."

In 1998, Trible donated her papers to The Burke Library's Archives of Women in Theological Scholarship at Columbia University; her papers formed the foundation of the collection.

Trible died on October 17, 2025 at a hospital in New York City at the age of 92.

Major themes Trible's work was based on rhetorical criticism, examining the interpretation of biblical texts. She was known for her analysis of biblical narratives, particularly with regard to gender.

Phyllis Trible's interpretation of the creation of Adam and Eve was one of her most notable works. A major theme within Depatriarchalizing in Biblical Interpretation is Trible's argument that the Bible has existed in a sexist context for centuries, which has distorted interpretations of the text. Trible writes that the Bible, when read against the contemporary patriarchal context, can be liberating for women.

Ann M. Vater said that "central figures always bear some cultural heritage."

Michael Carden, looking at who is left out in Trible's advocacy for traditionally oppressed peoples in Christianity, said that in Texts of Terror, Trible fails to explain the treatment of homosexuals in Genesis 19.