Comprehensive interfaith coverage of the important female figures This friendly, approachable guide introduces readers to the famous and infamous women of Scripture, describing in everyday language the contributions these women made in their time and ours. From Eve, Sarah, and Esther to Mary and Mary Magdalene, it discusses well-known women of both the Old and New Testaments, examining their role in Biblical narratives, their place in the Jewish and Christian faiths, and the lessons their stories impart to women today.

Comprehensive interfaith coverage of the important femalefiguresThis friendly, approachable guide introduces readers to the famousand infamous women of Scripture, describing in everyday languagethe contributions these women made in their time and ours. FromEve, Sarah, and Esther to Mary and Mary Magdalene, it discusseswell-known women of both the Old and New Testaments, examiningtheir role in Biblical narratives, their place in the Jewish andChristian faiths, and the lessons their stories impart to womentoday.

Introduction 1Part I: Connecting with the Women of Ancient History 7Chapter 1: Women of the Bible at a Glance 9Chapter 2: Bible Basics: Delving into History, Context, and Translation 17Chapter 3: Discerning the Roles of Women 39Chapter 4: Judges, Prophetesses, and One Smart Lady 51Part II: The Big Six: The Most Famous Women of the Bible 59Chapter 5: And Then There Was Woman: Eve 61Chapter 6: A Famous Mom: Mary, the Mother of Jesus 73Chapter 7: Befriending Jesus: Mary Magdalene 91Chapter 8: Three Women, Three Books: Ruth, Judith, and Esther 103Part III: Influencing Lives, Shaping History: Women of Faith and Power 117Chapter 9: Generating a Dynasty: The Matriarchs 119Chapter 10: Spawning a Kingdom: Women of the Hebrew Nation 137Chapter 11: Staying Faithful through Adversity 151Chapter 12: Ruling (and Royal) Women of the Bible 165Chapter 13: Getting to Know the Gals of the Gospel 175Chapter 14: Church Ladies: Women of the New Testament 189Part IV: Women of Public Debate . . . or Disdain 199Chapter 15: Hiding in Obscurity: Important Yet Overlooked Women 201Chapter 16: Getting Wise to the Connivers: Biblical Femme Fatales 211Chapter 17: Causing Controversy: Intriguing Biblical Women 225Part V: The Nameless: Wives, Mothers, Daughters, and Widows 233Chapter 18: Walking the Walk: The Wives 235Chapter 19: Mothering Worth Mentioning 245Chapter 20: Darling Daughters of the Bible 251Chapter 21:Widows and Other Women without Names 261Part VI: The Part of Tens 275Chapter 22: Ten Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible 277Chapter 23: Ten Most Famous Women of the Bible in Art 289Chapter 24: Ten Most Influential Women of the Bible 305Appendix: Alphabetical List of Women in the Bible 315Index 323