A group of Protestant and Catholic feminist theologians have released A Woman’s Bible arguing that the Holy Book is not misogynistic but a tool for female emancipation.

Sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the #MeToo movement has sent shockwaves around the world about sexual abuse around the world at home and in the workplace.

Many feminists have accused The Bible, Christianity and religion in general of bolstering a sexist view of society that casts women as subservient. They argue that the female figures in translations and interpretations of Bible texts are all prostitutes servants or saints, whose most positive roles are seducing a monarch or kissing Jesus' feet.

But authors of Une bible des femmes ("A women's bible"), published in October, say that view is often down to a misinterpretation of the Holy Book by patriarchs and sexists.

The book, they write in the introduction, aims to "scrutinise shifts in the Christian tradition, things that have remained concealed, tendentious translations, partial interpretations."

In particular, they sought to counter "the lingering patriarchal readings that have justified numerous restrictions and bans on women”.

"Feminist values and reading the Bible are not incompatible," said Lauriane Savoy, one of two Geneva theology professors behind the book.