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