Her Name Is Woman, Book 1

by Gien Karssen, Dave Edwards

Author Gien Karssen helps make 24 women of the Bible come alive by asking, “What place did God have in her life?” Each answer will motivate you to live your life wholeheartedly for God. Women today will find at least one biblical woman to be surprisingly like themselves. Includes Scripture passages, Bible study, and discussion questions. Suitable for personal use or group study.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Womens, Spirituality

202 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1974

Reviews

[Leeanne G · Rating 3 out of 5]

For this year’s Lenten season I felt the need to read something religious. I purchased this book at a thrift store about a year ago and I decided I’d read only one chapter a day, since each chapter discusses a different woman of the bible. It was a good read.

My copy of this had obviously been used in a bible study group - as it is meant to be - since the owner before me had written in notes about the women, and lists of who she had been asked to pray for. I find it fun to get a glimpse into the life of someone you don’t know and probably never will. It’s nice to know that this book was appreciated by someone else.

I enjoyed learning about some women that I’d never heard of before, like Rehab and Hannah. My appreciation for Esther was also renewed. However, not all of these women lived lives that are motivational for readers. Some of them serve as warnings, like Rebekah and Miriam, who lost their way with God, and ended up hurting him, themselves, and his chosen people.

While reading this book I started watching the religious show,
The Chosen . I’m including it in my review here because, like Gien Karssen was trying to do with this book, this show brings the bible to life like never before. The women in Jesus’ life are very important to the story, and women like Mary Magdalene get more attention and respect than they do in the bible. I hope you check it out and enjoy it as much as I did.
The Chosen - Trailer .

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got this book at a used book sale because I was obsessed with the title and a particularly beautiful variation on the cover. I was deeply disappointed by the book. Based on this book's title and target audience I expected it to be more empowering towards women, but it seemed like the lessons Karssen wanted me to learn were obedience and submission to men and that my ability to truly speak out and act was confined to the ways I acted in obedience and submission to men. It felt like the majority of the vignettes she wrote for each woman were really about the significant male figures in their lives. Furthermore, because so much of the vignettes are based on extrapolation and creative license her particular view on womanhood and how Christian women should act was clearly biased. I'm saving the cover to make some art and you can bet I'm going to make some dope feminist found poetry with the rest of the book.

[Susan Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her Name is Woman has 24 chapters with each one being about a different biblical woman. The book is quite old—reprinted in 1987, which means some of the material is quite dated and reflects a cultural understanding about women that’s no longer accurate. As I like to write and speak about biblical women, I hoped to glean some insights that would be helpful and this proved to be the case but I would no longer recommend the book in my culture.

The 24 women are: Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Potiphar’s wife, Miriam, Rahab, Peninnah, Hannah, Queen of Sheba, widow of Zarephath, the Shunammite, Naaman’s wife’s maid, Esther, Job’s wife, Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, widow (with a mite), Martha, Mary of Bethany, Samaritan woman, Dorcas, Lydia and Priscilla.

Here are a couple of gems: Why did Eve even engage in a conversation with the devil? Sarah was honoured for the faith she had, not for her failures. Hannah prayed for more than a son. She wanted God to provide a leader for Israel. Jesus was happy to use a pagan queen as an example of wisdom. In desiring to serve God and his prophet Elisha, the Shunammite woman received a creative idea from God.

Overall, a few helpful insights.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am torn on this one. The book did make me aware that there are many women in the Bible that I may have never noticed. It was a reflective journey with frequent pauses to reflect and write. But I found myself very frustrated by the lack of additional theological and historical insight that I would have liked to read. At times it felt that her only goal was to reinforce a woman's place wielding indirect power only in a time of The Feminine Mystique.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a clear eyed overview and study of some women in the Bible. Well done!

[Duaa Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

عندما تنهي من قراءة الكتاب المترجم للغة العربية باسم (أعمالها تشهد لها) تدرك وقتها بنفسك ودون أن يخبرك أحد أنه لم توجد ديانة تكرم المرأة في نصوصها كما أكرمها القرآن.

الكتاب عبارة عن مقتطفات من سفر التكوين يذكر شخصيات نساء خالدات ذكرهن، كسيدتنا حواء وسارة وغيرهن من النساء التي لم أسمع عنهن من قبل، ثم يعقب على ما ذكر في السفر ويشرحهن وأخيرا يختم الفصل ببعض الأسئلة.

توضح الكثير من السفر أن المرأة بداخلها كائن شرير، يستسلم لإغواء الشيطان ويتحدى القوى الإلهية ويسخط على القدر، وبعض السفر تذكر مزايا جميلة وقوية للمرأة أيضا.

الكتاب بالنسبة لي مميز من نوعه، وهي المرة الأولى التي أقرأ فيها من سفر التكوين.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second reading of Karssen's fabulous and definitive work on women of the Bible. She uses deep research into the cultures and meanings of the women's lives to add a depth to the scriptural study that is not often available for female characters. She also provides thought-provoking questions for each woman that will deepen your bible study and can be used with group studies.

[Cre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful so far....