Publisher's Synopsis
The Bible emerged from a male dominated, patriarchal society. Therefore, much of the biblical story casts men as the heroes and basically ignores women; most times treating them as insignificant role players. Nevertheless, the genius of the Holy Spirit arranged the biblical narrative in a way that makes it impossible to ignore certain women. Under the toxic patriarchal system of the biblical world, the women highlighted in this book broke through deeply ingrained sexist and misogynistic barriers to join forces with God to roll out the plan of salvation, liberation and redemption. These great women of the Bible made such profound contributions; without whom the Bible would be incomplete. This book considers the lives and ministries of seven amazing women of the Bible. Eve, who is the mother of all who lived. She was the last entity created by the very hand of God. When God finished creating Eve God said it is very good. Thus, Eve represents the divine standard of all that is good and beautiful. Deborah is the only woman judge in Israelite history. She is also the first prophet whose prophetic ministry unfolded in the land of Israel. She set the standard for the prophetic order in Israel. Queen Vashti is the uncompromising woman who lost her queenship for refusing to be sexually objectified by a powerful man. Queen Esther was the Hebrew woman who arose to power in Persia but never forgot where she came from, thus saved the Hebrews in Persia from extermination. Mary, the mother of our Lord, who came from an oppressed and marginalized community, was the least likely person to be given the responsibility to provide parental leadership to the Savior of the world. Mary Magdalene was arguably one of Jesus' most important disciples. And Lydia, was Paul's first European convert. She was recognized as the first Christian Businesswoman and a founding member of the church at Philippi. This work seeks to understand these great women from the vantage point of their historical contexts. In so doing, we have a better appreciation of how their political, economic, religious and social realities impacted them. This book presents their stories in a way that parallels the stories of Black women in America. At the end of each chapter there are reflection questions designed to stimulate group discussions. Or, if you are reading for personal devotion, these questions may arouse deep self-reflection. This book also contains beautiful physical depictions of these great women according to the author's understanding of the historical images of the people of the Bible.
