Overview

This book features an examination of eight women's stories in the Bible, demonstrating how later readers interact with the stories to construct sometimes fanciful, sometimes faulty views of these women. Stories of women in the Bible have been interpreted by artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and biblical commentators for centuries. However, in many cases, these later interpreters have often adapted and altered the Bible to fit their own view(s) of the stories. Ironically, these later renderings usually serve as the basis for the generally accepted view(s) of biblical women. For example, many readers of the Bible assume that Eve is to blame for the disobedient act in the Garden of Eden, or that Delilah seduced Samson and then cut his hair. A closer look at these assumptions, though, reveals that they are not based on the Bible, but are mediated through the creations of later interpreters. In this book, the author examines eight such women's stories, and shows how later readers interact with the biblical stories to construct sometimes fanciful, sometimes faulty views of these women. Dan Clanton, Jr. broadens our awareness of the influence of these later readings on how we understand biblical women so that we can be more critical in our engagement with them, and become more familiar with what the Bible actually says about the women whose stories it contains.

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Reviews

As it becomes increasingly difficult to make contributions to the vast body of biblical scholarship that are both original and significant, many have turned their attention to musical and artisitc interpretations of the text. Dan Clanton provides a superb example of how these works should be studied. He helps readers approach the Bible with new eyes and ears keenly attuned to hitherto unnoticed--or ignored--dimensions of its leading female characters. -- Patrick Gray, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Rhodes College

Clanton's exploration of the portrayal of biblical women through a variety of interpretive traditions, ranging from rabbinic commentary to contemporary television programs with attention to the visual and aural as well as the textual, reflects the complex ways that modern audiences engage and inherit these images. The breadth of sources he touches upon makes this book truly unique and ensures that readers will take away new insights into these sometimes problematic, but always popular, images. Lynn R. Huber, Assistant Professor of Religous Studies, Elon University

Author Information

Dan Clanton is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Doane College in Crete, NE

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