National Geographic Women of The Bible

by National Geographic Society

Women play an important role in stories of the Bible, more so than any other saga of ancient Near Eastern civilizations. Women of the Bible is an indispensable guide to the customs, ideas, and aspirations of the women whose stories have shaped civilizations and spanned continents. Some highlights Insights into the lives of women in biblical times, profiles of leading women in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, and details of fascinating archaeological finds. Please note that this product is an authorized edition published by the Meredith Corporation and sold by Amazon. This edition is printed using a high quality matte interior paper and printed on demand for immediate fulfillment.

99 pages, Single Issue Magazine

Published October 9, 2020

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Susan Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jean-Pierre Isbouts is a well-qualified historian, but not a theologian, so he comes to the topic of Women of the Bible from this perspective. He shares interesting historical and archaeological information about a random selection of women, namely Eve, Hagar, Sarah, Rachel, Zipporah, Deborah, Bathsheba, the Queen of Sheba, Judith (Apocrypha), Esther, Elizabeth, Mary (Jesus’ mother), Mary (Magdalene), Mary and Martha and the women at the cross. Isbouts also shares historical information about marriage customs, housekeeping, food and clothing, education and childbirth from this geographic and cultural period.

One of his most interesting insights is that compared to other cultures, women were more highly esteemed in Israel than elsewhere in ancient cultures. This is shown by the many stories we have of women in the Bible and the important roles they played in the narratives.

The magazine has a large number of photos of various artworks by famous artists depicting the artist’s impression of various biblical women, plus a small range of archeological photos which I found more interesting.

Overall, while this magazine isn’t always accurate to the biblical accounts, it’s a brief and fascinating insight into the lifestyles of women in Bible times.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a national geographic in YEARS! Borrowed this from a friend and enjoyed reading it cover to cover in one sitting. It is a fairly accurate summary of the various stories of women in the Bible, along with descriptions of activities and customs in daily life through the centuries. I really appreciated the comparison to other literature of similar time periods.

“Women play important parts in the stories of the Bible— certainly more so than in the sagas of other ancient Near Eastern civilizations. … In many ways, the world in which the biblical stories unfold was fundamentally different from ours. It is therefore remarkable that the Bible singles out so many women for their initiative, courage, and leadership.” P5

“The Gospels are also remarkable for their attention to the role of women. In the New Testament, women—such as Jesus' mother, Mary; Mary Magdalene; or the sisters Mary and Martha—are not merely wives or mothers, but active followers and protagonists in the stories.” P81

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going into this hoping to learn something new, hoping for more of a historical and archaeological background. We did get some of that, but the magazine was more an overview, an introduction to the women in the Bible. So I already knew most of the info in here. I also wanted more of a feminist reading of these stories - instead, they were presented pretty much as-is. It was nice that the women were highlighted, but again, I wanted a little more analysis, more in-depth thought. The artwork was nice though.