Wicked Women of the Bible

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I find books like this helpful for two reasons:

1) I don't know the Old Testament very well (except for Sarah's story, of course)

and

2) In general, as someone who has only recently in the last two years been working on recapturing her faith, it is helpful in general to understand how all of these people are connected and how their stories weave from one to the other through the centuries.

(Not-so-secret 3) I love reading books about religion, especially early Judaism and Christianity.)

I really enjoyed this book. Do not let the title fool you, it is not just about those naughty ones, the Jezebels and the Delilahs - though those two OF COURSE make their appearances. Here though we are also able to know more about those wicked GOOD women of the Bible - Esther, Mary, Ruth, etc. All of the women we are introduced to show us how their actions helped to shape Judaism and Christianity in one way or another. Naturally you will find that the women's stories are entwined with the men of their stories, but there really is no way around that. Could you tell Sarah's story without talking about Abraham or Isaac? I mean, really? The women are still the focus, though there is plenty about the men who also shaped these two religions.

Here the author looks at twenty women from the Bible, both Old Testament and New. The chapters are broken up into three parts: the Biblical story, then a brief overview of the time period the story takes place in, and finally self-reflection questions as they pertain to each story.

An issue I do take with this book is the details added to the Biblical stories in order to flesh them out a bit more. I mean, I get it, the only information the author has to work with is the Bible. But conjecture is a bone I always have to pick because it bugs me no matter what I am reading. However, I could look past that a bit with this one.

I found this to be a quick read. It could be a good/fun one for a book club too (which I myself am hoping to start at my church after Christmas break), especially with those discussion questions included in each chapter. Highly recommended.