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Scandalous Women in the Bible
Mary Magdalene, Jezebel, Rahab, Lilith. Today, each is considered one of the most scandalous women in the Bible. Are these so-condemned salacious women misrepresented? Have they been misunderstood? In...
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Sacred Prostitution in the Story of Judah and Tamar?
The fateful encounter between Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar is depicted in this 17th-century painting by Dutch artist Gerbrand van den Eeckhout. In most translations of the story of Judah and...
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Lilith
Read Janet Howe Gaines’s article “Lilith” as it originally appeared in Bible Review, October 2001.—Ed. Winged spirits tumble across the night sky in New York artist Richard Callner’s “Lovers: Birth of...
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How Bad Was Jezebel?
Who Was Jezebel? Israel’s most accursed queen carefully fixes a pink rose in her red locks in John Byam Liston Shaw’s “Jezebel” from 1896. Jezebel’s reputation as the most dangerous seductress in the...
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Was Mary Magdalene Wife of Jesus? Was Mary Magdalene a Prostitute?
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? Was Mary Magdalene wife of Jesus? Her being a repentant whore was not part of the Biblical text. Pictured here is Chris Gollon’s painting The Pre-penitent Magdalene....
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The Story of Ruth
Depending on whether you’re using a Jewish or Christian version, the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and Samuel or between the Song of Songs and Lamentations. But wherever it appears in your...
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What Does the Bible Say About Infertility?
What does the Bible say about infertility? In the very first chapter of the first book of the Bible, the command is given to humankind to “be fruitful and multiply.” Genesis 1:28 reads: “God blessed...
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Rahab the Harlot?
In the Book of Joshua, Rahab (a heroine nonetheless known as “Rahab the Harlot”) assisted two Israelite spies in escaping out a window and down the city wall of Jericho. Who was Rahab in the Bible? A...
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Lilith in the Bible and Mythology
C.S. Lewis’s character Jadis, the White Witch of Narnia, in his The Chronicles of Narnia novels is said to have descended from Lilith, Adam’s first wife. Pictured here is Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the...
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Martha: A Remarkable Disciple
The New Testament mentions Martha, a disciple of Jesus, three times (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–44; 12:2). Her actions, statements, and profession of faith reveal a remarkable woman who grows into her...
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