Before You Were Born, I Anointed You: Uncovering Scripture's "Hidden" Female Prophets

by Anna Beresford

Overview

Prophetic ministry in the Bible has long been perceived as the exclusive domain of individuals who were powerful, authoritative, argumentative, and, almost always, male. This impression cannot be sustained. In a logical and engaging way, Anna Beresford convincingly shows us that female characters throughout the biblical story are not merely peripheral actors but are often the ones who proclaim God's prophetic word with disturbing clarity. Beginning with the few women acknowledged as prophets in the Hebrew scriptural tradition, Beresford proceeds to uncover a surprising host of "hidden" female prophets. Among this cast we meet the widow whose last penny is consumed by organized religion; the gate crasher who teaches a pious Pharisee stern lessons in hospitality; a woman who has the last word in a theological debate. A woman used to trap Jesus proclaims truth to power, and a feisty foreign lady cleverly proves that God's love is for all of us, regardless of gender or ethnicity. This book is a compelling reminder that God speaks to all people--women and men--and calls on us to share the message "whether it is convenient or not" (2 Tim 4:2 NET).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666796988
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	09/12/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Anna Beresford works as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital in Sydney, Australia. She has authored journal articles including “Feathers, Fins and Fur: The Significance of the Animals in the Book of Tobit,” and “Whose Wife Will She Be? A Feminist Interpretation of Luke 20:27–38.”

Anna Beresford works as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital in Sydney, Australia. She has authored journal articles including “Feathers, Fins and Fur: The Significance of the Animals in the Book of Tobit,” and “Whose Wife Will She Be? A Feminist Interpretation of Luke 20:27–38.”

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This is a fascinating, well-written, and very useful book. It sets out on a quest to uncover women prophets in the Bible silenced by patriarchy and misogyny in subsequent interpretation. Its inclusion of ‘enacted parables’ in the stories of women, particularly in the New Testament in women’s encounters with Jesus, is particularly insightful, demonstrating how the Bible can be used today to resist patriarchal readings and structures within the life of the church.”

—Dorothy A. Lee, University of Divinity, Trinity College Theological School



“We often speak today of giving voice to those at the margins. Anna’s comprehensive study, in which she uncovers the hidden female prophets of both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, does just that. . . . I recommend the reading of this book to all who wish to deepen their understanding of the role and place of the female prophet in our Christian faith tradition.”

—Patty Andrew, OSU, teacher educator, Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Parramatta

Editorial Reviews

This is a fascinating, well-written, and very useful book. It sets out on a quest to uncover women prophets in the Bible silenced by patriarchy and misogyny in subsequent interpretation. Its inclusion of ‘enacted parables’ in the stories of women, particularly in the New Testament in women’s encounters with Jesus, is particularly insightful, demonstrating how the Bible can be used today to resist patriarchal readings and structures within the life of the church.”

—Dorothy A. Lee, University of Divinity, Trinity College Theological School



“We often speak today of giving voice to those at the margins. Anna’s comprehensive study, in which she uncovers the hidden female prophets of both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, does just that. . . . I recommend the reading of this book to all who wish to deepen their understanding of the role and place of the female prophet in our Christian faith tradition.”

—Patty Andrew, OSU, teacher educator, Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Parramatta

From the Publisher