DAVID A.J. RICHARDS
A bold reexamination of Jesus
as a revolutionary challenger
of violent patriarchy —
then and now
The Antipatriarchal Jesus
David A. J. Richards
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Release: March 31, 2026
The Antipatriarchal Jesus
In The Antipatriarchal Jesus, David A. J. Richards argues that Jesus confronted the dominant shame-based patriarchal culture of his time with a radical ethic of nonviolence, equality, and democratic voice. This resistance—deeply political and grounded in compassion—placed him in direct conflict with Roman power and ultimately led to his crucifixion.
​​Richards places Jesus in a long lineage of nonviolent resisters from Socrates to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. all of whom defied entrenched patriarchies and paid for it with their lives. Democracies depend on nonviolent deliberation and equal voice, Richards contends, and therefore inherently threaten patriarchal systems rooted in domination and violence.
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Drawing on empirical psychology, history, and scriptural analysis, The Antipatriarchal Jesus challenges traditional Christian interpretations shaped by figures like Augustine and Luther, whose teachings often absorbed and reflected the values of the Roman patriarchy. In doing so, Richards offers a portrait of Jesus that confronts the anti-Semitism, sexism, and homophobia woven through centuries of Christian thought.
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This is a book for religious and secular readers alike who find Jesus to be one of history’s most compelling moral figures. As a gay and nonreligious scholar, Richards brings a uniquely “outsider” perspective, writing for the many readers in an increasingly secular society who share similar vantage points. He reveals why Jesus continues to move people so profoundly—and why, given the enduring power of patriarchy across cultures and centuries, it has been so difficult to see him clearly.
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Richards writes, “Many may discover here how and why Jesus continues to stir something deep in our human nature—the love of equals he believed was coming into existence through his life and teaching.”
About The Author
David A.J. Richards
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David A. J. Richards received his B.A. from Harvard College (1966), his J.D. from Harvard Law School (1971), and his Ph.D. in moral philosophy from Oxford University (1971). His doctoral dissertation was published by Oxford University Press as A Theory of Reasons for Action in 1971.
He is currently Edwin D. Webb Professor of Law at New York University, where he has taught Constitutional Law and Criminal Law for thirty-five years. He co-taught the seminars Resisting Injustice with the developmental psychologist Carol Gilligan and Retributivism in Criminal Justice (Shakespeare) with the psychiatrist Jim Gilligan, with whom he coauthored Holding a Mirror up to Nature: Shame, Guilt, and Violence in Shakespeare (2021).
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