Sunday, July 20, 2008

Religion

Women of the Bible

Intro

The Daughters of Eve

Most of the women in the Old Testament defy male authority when it is unjust.

OLD TESTAMENT

Eve: The First Rebel

The first woman was a risk taker and a rebel, not a temptress or victim.

Sarah and Hagar: Dueling Mothers

Both women bear a son for the patriarch Abraham, and therein lies the drama.

Zipporah: The Woman Who Stood Up to God

For mystery, mayhem, and plain weirdness, nothing in the Bible comes close.

Bathsheba: Wife, Mother, Queen, Object of Royal Lust

This tale of sex and politics resonates even today: a sly lover, a king weakened by lust.

Jezebel: The Reigning Icon of Womanly Evil

Few in the Bible are more equated with evil, but this temptress had her good side.

Esther: A Clever Heroine

The beautiful orphan who becomes queen of Persia and saves her people from destruction.

Ruth: Mixed Message

It’s a short book, but her story lends itself to a wealth of conflicting interpretations.

Dirty Rotten Men

Biblical bad boys you wouldn’t want to have over for dinner.

Delilah: One Fiesty Femme

Her life is a morality play, a feminist discourse, or a caution to lovesick men.

Deborah: Facing Down ‘900 Chariots of Iron’

In answering God’s call, she became a singular biblical character: a female military leader .

More Special Reports

(Leonardo Da Vinci, Summerfield Press/Corbis)

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Jay Tolson Charlie Archambault for USN&WR

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