Women of the Bible (Smart Guide To The Bible Series)

Despite an eye-damaging cover design, the contents backs up the simple title; it's all about the women of the Bible. The book first covers 6 """"Bible Matriarchs"""" (essentially the women most written about such as Eve, Mary, etc), followed by 2 sections on Women in the OT and then NT. Women are grouped under headings (""""Women in Ministry"""",""""Women Victimized by Men"""") with the exception of Esther who gets her own chapter. Each chapter has the Bible passages listed (with key verses printed) and then has discussions, charts & diagrams, as well as quotes from different commentators (writers, speakers, etc). Each chapter then ends with summary points and questions for further reflection. The layout is straight forward & helpful. The discussion is focused on the Bible's text rather than interpretation, and they bring out a lot of background & contextual information. \\nI would have liked to have seen more discussion on some women (such as Ruth & Naomi separately) however they do manage to discuss 83 women in 18 chapters. I find it pleasing that they don't overlook women who were both victims of evil or those with """"weak faith"""" (such as Job's wife). They consider women who are named & nameless (therefore honouring them). Of course they don't discuss all women mentioned in the Bible. \\nOverall I would recommend this book to read more about women in the Bible. It doesn't discuss any theology of women, but looks at these women from Scripture as they are presented in…