Biblical Heroines

[Trynn]

My favorite woman in the bible is unnamed. I forget where the story is found, but basically Israel is being attacked, so they all run to this tower. The general decides to set fire to the tower, but before he can do so this one really smart woman drops a grindstone one his head.

The general then goes "oh no! I'm going to be killed by a GIRL! Quick, soldier, run me through with your sword!"

I don't remember if the soldier did, or if the general fell on his own sword.

In any case, that woman saved lives and she doesn't even get a name, nor hardly any recognition. But she's my favorite because she had the sense to bring something like a weopon with her when fleeing, and then used it.

[crazyforkate]

I didn't know that until I was grown, either. The story of Esther was often trotted out in Sunday school classes, but we were always taught that she went to meet the king and that they would have talked long into the night so he could get to know her.

Those of you who didn't get Biblical euphemisms (I'm the same - I thought knowing someone meant, you know, getting to know them, and a "virgin" was just someone who wasn't married) might enjoy this video about Ruth by a Christian ventriloquist (yeah, that's a thing, apparently). (Good part starts at around 0:50)

Or as my dad said, "Spoke with him? She SCREWED him?!"

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She also has a video called "Esther the Teenage Diplomat" :think:

[MamaJunebug]

The conservative clerics who talk about Deborah say the story is a shameful example of what happens when men abdicate their borned masculine leadership duties. Deb's leadership & victory? Pfft, meaningless.

[canbritam]

I'm not putting this in the Duggar thread, because it's more of a general fundie topic, even though Jessa's announcement inspired my post.

I haven't studied the bible much, but I often wonder about fundies' baby naming practices. There are many fine names in the bible, but fundies definitely have their favorites. As a feminist, I have a different idea of which biblical woman I might name a daughter after. But, like I said, I haven't read enough of the bible to know who these women are.

Esther is a figure I know and admire, and fundies do, too. Deborah and Jael seem pretty cool, but I haven't read much about them. Love Mary Magdalene, but I suspect she still has a bad reputation with fundies.

Anyway. I want your thoughts on bible heroines, FJ. I found this entertaining link: womeninthebible.net/ but I can't tell what the site owner's religious stance or personal biases might be. From the "Heroines" page (I don't know Rahab's story at all):

I'm very interested in which women might be more highly esteemed in different denominations, if that makes sense, and from a Jewish or Muslim perspective, too.

There isn't a lot of women mentioned by name in the Quran. There are many that are known as "daughters of" or "wife of" but mentioned in their own right, not so much. Mary (mother of Jesus) is very important and the only woman to have a chapter of the Quran named after her (Maryam, which is "Mary" in Arabic). The others are Eve (Hawwa in Arabic) (as in Adam and Eve), Sara (wife of Abraham), Hajar/Hagar (Hajirah in Arabic) and Asiya, who was the wife of Pharoah.

If I had a daughter, I love the name Maryam, but it seems every other family I know has a daughter named Maryam (because she is that important within Islam). I've got two boys though, so I didn't get a chance to use it anyway :)

[antwan]

My youngest daughter's middle name is Hadassah. She named both for a strong queen and for her brother's heritage as Hadassah is a common name in West Africa.

I love the name Hadassah.

Btw, there is an awesome trilogy, The Mark of the Lion series, and Hadassah is the heroine/main character in the first book. Seriously good reading. The thing is, it was penned with a Christian audience in mind, but set in Ancient Rome against the backdrop of gladiators and Christians being fed to the lions. The series is sooooo good that I would suggest it to anyone looking for great reading material. While you might not identify with the Christian tone, you'll LOVE the plot and setting. Seriously, intensely good reading. "A Voice in the Wind" is the first book.

I love Ruth, btw. She is BOLD in some of the moves she makes. Had she returned home to her family of origin (after her husband died), she would have liekly faced a cruel fate in her culture; a childless woman who had produced no sons for her husband would, at best, been given as a 3rd or 4th wife to a man that would have likely received her ONLY as a help to his household (basically, a servant.) Instead, Ruth boldly proclaims that she will not leave her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi (who, at this point, is a bitter old woman).

When Ruth goes to Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, she again BOLDLY goes. First, she asks to come in behind the field workers, but NOT as a typical gleaner (they would have collected whatever morsels of wheat they could find in the field AFTER the wheat was cut down and AFTER it was bundled, but Ruth does something that could have brought her punishment; she asks Boaz to come in between the cutting and bundling.) Ruth wants something better for her mother-in-law than just scraps, so she sets out to secure it in spite of the risk. Also, Ruth goes to Boaz on the threshing floor (a bold move itself, as many a sin was known to be committed there.) She uncovers his feet, which again was a bold move to suggest to him that he propose marriage to her.

[JillyO]

Wow, I don't think I've ever heard or seen my name talked about so much. :lol: My name is Yael. I'm not Jewish (nor Christian, for that matter). My mom just picked the name because she was learning Hebrew and loved the name and its meaning and the biblical story. I like my name and I, too, think Yael was a badass, so no complaints there. It's still not always easy having a name that is virtually unknown where I live/grew up and then not even having the cultural or ethnic roots to explain why I have the name. (I get asked where the name is from and what it means all the time, and when I say it's Hebrew, the next question is ALWAYS "Oh, so you're Jewish? No? But you're from Israel?") So personally, I am going to give my future kids names that they won't always have to explain. But I digress.

To the person who said she likes the name Jael/Yael, but it's difficult to pronounce in German: I completely disagree. I'm German, too, so I'm something of an expert on this particular topic. 8-) It's literally just pronounced Ja-el (for us German speakers - for English speakers, the equivalent would roughly be Yuh-el). Super-easy. But again, I wouldn't choose the name for my kid, personally.

[2xx1xy1JD]

What about Abigail? She's married to a nasty man who pisses off David, and there's about to be a bloodbath between them. She finds out what's going on, talks David out of his plans, and saves the family.

[FoxyMoxie]

A lot of people think Priscilla may have written the book of Hebrews.