Good Girls, Bad Girls of the New Testament: Their Enduring Lessons
By (Author) T. J. Wray
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
2nd March 2016
United States
General
Non Fiction
Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts
Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships
225.6
Hardback
248
Width 158mm, Height 238mm, Spine 24mm
499g
Good Girls, Bad Girls of the New Testament takes readers on a powerful journey through the vast landscape of Roman-occupied Judea during the first century and the genesis of Christianity. This landscape serves as the backdrop for twelve amazing stories of women whose paths intersect, either by providence or design, with the paths of Jesus or Paul. Some of these women are familiar, such as Mary, the mother of Jesus, while others, like the wife of the infamous Pontius Pilate, are lesser known. Whether she is popular or obscure, good or bad, each womans story is an important part of the overall Christian narrative.
Good Girls, Bad Girls of the New Testament invites readers to take a more nuanced look at twelve stories that feature women, to explore their lives more deeply in historical context, and to understand the real story that includes both men and women. The book goes beyond simply telling the story of a particular biblical woman to challenge readers to explore the enduring lessons the ancient writers sought to impart. These timeless lessons are as important for us today as they were thousands of years ago.
In 12 chapters, Wray introduces well-known women (Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary and Martha; the Samaritan woman at the well) and those less familiar (Tabitha, Bernice and Drusilla, Prisca), situating them in their historical and literary contexts and drawing from them lessons for the contemporary world. In general introductions to biblical materials, the author gently introduces source-critical questions and the difficulties of distinguishing fact from authorial invention. . . .Wray's contemporary applications are eloquent, which commends the volume for church-based adult education courses: she comments on the nature of grief, the need to balance service with self-care, and the toxic effect of rumor. . . .
Summing Up:Recommended. General readers.
T. J. Wray is the author of several books, including Surviving the Death of a Sibling, What the Bible Really Tells Us: The Essential Guide to Biblical Literacy, and Good Girls, Bad Girls: The Enduring Lessons of Twelve Women of the Old Testament. She is associate professor of religious studies at Salve Regina University. She has appeared on the History Channel and NPR.