An important contribution to the scholarly literature on Jesus, both feminist and otherwise.
A debut book offers a reconsideration of the role of women in Jesus’ life and ministry.
One could argue that Jesus’ interactions with women recorded throughout the Gospels are either unduly neglected or misinterpreted through a historically hypermasculine worldview. Ring, a psychotherapist and Episcopal priest, challenges this diminishment of women in the Bible by reassessing some of the stories involving Jesus’ various encounters with them. In doing so, the author not only raises important questions about the women within the Bible and Christianity at large, but also furnishes a new appraisal of Jesus’ overall message. For example, Ring analyzes several biblical stories in which Mary of Nazareth figures prominently and compares the very different treatment she is given in the Synoptic Gospels versus the Gospel of John. What emerges is a much more assertive Mary, not only valued for her passivity and obedience, but also for her courage and participation in Jesus’ religious development. The author even more forcefully rehabilitates the reputation of Mary Magdalene, providing what amounts to a direct repudiation of the conventionally accepted view: “Despite the many voluptuous portrayals of Mary Magdalene you have seen, there is not a shred of evidence to support the claim that she was a prostitute. In fact, she was a significant companion of Jesus who shared in his ministry and stood by him until the very end.” In some instances, the power of Ring’s interpretation is not so much in its rejection of tradition but in a new and clarifying contextualization. For example, while discussing Jesus’ healing of a woman hemorrhaging badly, Ring explains the stigma attached to her condition; in Jewish culture at the time, she would have been considered unclean. Ultimately, the deepest value of Ring’s thoughtful effort is that it amplifies one of Jesus’ principal teachings—the radical equality of all human beings—by demonstrating the equality of all of Jesus’ followers, regardless of gender. The author’s research is meticulous and luminously presented, and her message is profoundly Christian and modern.
An important contribution to the scholarly literature on Jesus, both feminist and otherwise.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5049-3225-7
Page Count: 262
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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