The Samaritan Woman's Story: Reconsidering John 4 After #ChurchToo

by Caryn A. Reeder

"Most Christians are familiar with this picture of the woman at the a sinner, an adulteress, even a prostitute. Exploring the reception history of John 4, Caryn Reeder challenges common interpretational assumptions about women and sexuality, yielding fresh insights from the story's original context and offering a bold challenge to teach the Bible in a way that truly values the voices of women"--

Genres: Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Feminism

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2022

About the author

Caryn A. Reeder (PhD, University of Cambridge) is assistant professor of religious studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Challenges the view of the Samaritan woman as a sexual sinner, considering how this has been read in the church, and the realities of the life of women and marriage that points to a very different reading.

The narrative of the Samaritan woman in John 4:4-42 is one of my favorite gospel narratives. Over the years I’ve given countless talks and led numerous Bible studies on this passage. I’ve always portrayed the woman as of “questionable repute,” having gone through a string of marriages and living with a man who is not her legal husband. I suspect that’s how you’ve heard the story as well. Caryn A. Reeder argues that we’ve gotten the story wrong and that this both reflects and reinforces unhealthy attitudes toward women in the church that thwarts real partnership between men and women in the gospel, contributing purity cultures, fear of women as temptresses, and even offering license to men to sexually abuse.

Let me talk about the second part of the book first, in which Reeder looks at the social world of the Samaritan woman. First she discusses the life of a woman in Jesus’s world. She begins with the lesser worth of girls, who are mainly an expense in terms of dowries. Some baby girls were exposed and left to die. Unless coming from upper classes, girls were taught to manage the household and all its tasks–cooking, cleaning, family businesses, farms and gardens, and specialized trades. They were married young, usually around age twelve to an older man and their primary value, in addition to the household, was bearing children, often a significant number because of those who died in infancy and childhood. Of course, many women died young. Women were married young and kept in the restricted space of the home to protect paternity. Marriages were contracted between the woman’s father and the bridegroom with the bride able to consent to or decline the marriage.

This is important in the case of the Samaritan woman. She was not hopping from the bed of one husband to another. Her five marriages were ones her family was involved with, suggesting the possibility of significant financial resources and status. The marriages may well have ended with the death of a spouse or because of divorce. In either case, women were expected to marry again. Also, men and women often lived together during the period between when a marriage was contracted and formalized. No one would have blinked an eye at this.

Two other things are important to note in the passage. One is that Jesus never speaks to her of sin or pronounces her forgiven, saying “go and sin no more” as in John 7:53-8:11. Nor do the people in town shun her when she testifies about Jesus. Rather they believe her or at least come, and then believe Jesus. Reeder also discusses her noon time visit to the well in the full light of day, contrasting it to Nicodemus’s night time visit in secret. Reeder also contrasts the two dialogues. She is far more engaged, and far more intelligently so than Nicodemus, continuing to question and learn, and she is the first to know that he is the Messiah. She understands what Nicodemus fails to perceive and models discipleship both as a learner and a witness bringing others to Jesus.

Why do I, why do we, not tell the story this way? Reeder traces this to an interpretive history of this story, largely written by men, who perceive her as a sexual sinner, shaped by the perception at times that sex was somehow unclean, even in marriage, that men needed to be wary of temptation by women, and that objectified women as objects of male desire. In successive chapters in the first part of the book she traces this through the early fathers (Tertullian, Origen, and John Chrysostom), Reformation Protestantism from Calvin (who identified her as an adultress) to Clare Lucas Balfour and Moody (who saw the woman as a prostitute, though an effective evangelist), and the present. Liz Curtis Higgs treats her as a sexual sinner after the deaths of her husbands, Barbara J. Essex describes her as having a shady past but as the first missionary, and John Piper identifies her as a adulterer and prostitute who needed the protection of a gender patriarchy.

What was striking to me is that this interpretive history obscured in my own eyes things I should have readily noted in the socio-historical context, important to careful exegesis. I ignored the role of families in contracting marriages and read contemporary practice back into the text. I ignored the betrothal practices (that played into Mary and Joseph’s story) and made her a loose woman living in sin. I ignored the immediate context of Jesus conversation with Nicodemus. And with the sexual sinner aspect so large in my view, I diminished both Jesus and the woman, in terms of the conversation that led to her being the first to see Jesus as Messiah and then bring so many others to him. I missed what “living water” would have meant to a woman who had suffered and witnessed, perhaps, the deaths of multiple husbands.

In her conclusion Reeder discusses contemporary views of women in the age of #MeToo and #ChurchToo. She argues that how we tell these stories does color our views of women in the present–how we honor their worth and their voices. The story challenges men committed to Christlikeness to be like Jesus in this story–not afraid to be with her and respecting her enough to engage her in thoughtful conversation that invites her to explore and question. He takes her intelligence, worth, and voice seriously enough, that, despite barriers of gender and ethnicity, she joins him as a partner in mission.

One thing for sure. I will never tell the story the same way again.

____________________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will make you reconsider how the Samaritan Woman's story in John 4 should be interpreted. The majority, and traditional, interpretation is that this sexually promiscuous woman is met and challenged by Jesus. I expected the book to flip the narrative by explaining that the woman is not a sexual sinner, but an abuse victim who is seen by Jesus. The book actually does not even consider that interpretation. Instead, the book argues that the woman is never presented as a sinner and is instead a righteous example to emulate.

The book is heavy on the historical and traditional background. The first several chapters walk through how this story has been interpreted throughout Church history. It deals with early church fathers, reformers, medieval thinkers, and more modern readings as well. I was impressed at the thoroughness of engaging with these sources. The book does not just give a few quotes for Irenaus or Origin. Instead, it traces their other writings on women and sexuality in order to paint a complete picture. This is by far the strongest section of the book.

The second half of the book spends more time on the historical background of the time period. What was it actually like to be a woman at this time? A lot of time is spent again in the historical record with actual descriptions of Roman marriage in Jesus' day. I enjoyed the second half less, but it was helpful information for background and context.

The discussion of how to actually interpret this passage does not come until the second to last chapter. Most of the book is an argument against the majority interpretation. I think the book spends too much time disagreeing with the majority. I spent most of the book just asking myself "well okay, how should I read this then?"

I think the book was weak in its engagement with the actual text of the Bible. There was almost no engagement with the Greek text. There was little exegetical work done at all. This was primarily an argument based on a better historical understanding. I think the argument is persuasive, but could have been much stronger in this area. The interpretation argued has plenty of merits, but it needs to be found on a better reading of the text. I found myself persuaded that the church has historically misinterpreted it, but we can't base any interpretation on history alone. I wanted to be argued from the text as well that this is what it teaches.

I also spotted several potshots at John Calvin and his understanding of total depravity and sin. At best they revealed a misunderstanding of Calvin's own argument, or at worst the author was deliberating misrepresenting his ideas. This was strange to me because the book was fair to other thinkers and ideas even while finding them objectionable. This might be nitpicky, but it distracted me and made me less trusting of the arguments being made.

I also think that the book barely interacts with the #metoo/churchtoo movement. It briefly addresses it, but I was left unsure what it had to do with our woman. The reinterpretation presents her as a hero, not a sinner, or even a victim. I am not sure that part of the title is accurate, though it is provocative and got me to pick the book up.

Overall the book is compelling and worth reading. I am not sure that I completely buy the interpretation offered here. I think that the book deconstructs the previous interpretation well, but does not spend enough time building its own. But I am persuaded that the majority interpretation is incomplete and needs to be revisited. Definitely pick this book up if you want to think deeply about the Samaritan Woman's story. You will probably want to skip it if you do not want to spend time digging through church history and historical background information because that is 80% of the book.

I received an advanced copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for a review.

[Josh Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t remember when I first realized that the interpretation of the Samaritan woman of John 4 that I’d heard my whole life was wrong. I do remember that it was after I had been a pastor for several years, meaning that neither a lifetime in the church or a seminary degree had corrected my “traditional” thinking—or even forced me to think through the text critically. Because once you see it, you see it. It’s obvious. There’s no going back.

The first part of The Samaritan Woman’s Story is historical theology, focusing on how her story has been considered throughout church history. One chapter is spent on early Christianity. one chapter covers the Protestant perspective from the Reformation to the 1800s. Those two chapters set the foundation for the third chapter, which explores how the Samaritan Woman has been interpreted today—and how that might have implications for the #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements.

The cultural purpose of The Samaritan Woman’s Story is unapologetically a response to these movements that have highlighted sexual abuse in the church and the culture at large. Reeder’s intention in the book isn’t just to correct our exegesis or our theology, but to indict a church culture that has overlooked and covered up sexual abuse. She draws connective threads from those abused by or in the church today back to the Samaritan woman in order to show how the “traditional” interpretation has been used to subjugate and silence women—but also to show how Jesus’s view of the Samaritan is so utterly different.

The second half of the book offers a robust, thorough, and compelling reinterpretation of the story, one that not only redeems the Samaritan woman from the reductive sexualization of the traditionalists, but one that speaks to the healing and safety that Jesus brings to all who have been abused or silenced by religion. Reeder outlines what the life of a first-century woman might be like, citing extensive historical and archaeological records to make her case. Along the way, she offers glimpses into the lives of other biblical women and gives insight into their stories that are often ignored.

The Samaritan Woman’s Story: Reconsidering John 4 After #ChurchToo isn’t just an academic text that explores a compelling exegetical interpretation of a key biblical text. It is a book that speaks out against the dominant church system that problematizes women, exonerates men, and covers up abuse. As I read this book, news broke that John MacArthur, a popular pastor, covered up the fact that one of his staff pastors raped his daughter repeatedly over the course of many years. In a letter to the victim, MacArthur wrote: “Your dad is really sad about it all…He has been a faithful part of our staff and will continue to be in the future.” This is the situation that Reeder is trying to prevent—one where women are silenced and marginalized even as their abusers remain in power.

And since, as of the time this review is being written, MacArthur has suffered no consequences for his coverup, it’s clear that we still have a way to go. The Samaritan Woman’s Story is not her story. It’s the story of so many women in the church. Perhaps even people you know. For some, this book will be an indictment of a systemic failure to listen to or value women. For others, it’ll hopefully be a redemptive note that proves that the way women have been viewed in Scripture isn’t the view of Jesus. It’s a valuable, important, timely work.

[Grace Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in elementary school, I vividly remember my mother wearing a scarf over her hair, holding a big water jug, and preaching in character about the woman at the well story. Found in John 4, the Samaritan woman’s story is quite infamous. But do we actually interpret this scripture passage accurately? And if not, what are the implications for us today?

In The Samaritan Woman’s Story, the author Caryn Reeder invites the reader on a journey through time. She explores ancient interpretations of the story from as early as the second century and journeys forward in time to the modern day. She challenges us to reimagine the historical context of the story and to reconstruct our view of the Samaritan woman. Traditionally, the Samaritan woman has been labeled as a sinner, a prostitute, and an adulterer. But what if we have labelled her incorrectly?

This book challenges us to realize how we interpret the Bible matters— specifically in relation to stories about women. The author explores the #metoo and #churchtoo movements on social media and how church theology and teaching have created environments where the victim is too often blamed and the perpetrators protected. Inviting us into the Samaritan woman’s context, the author invites us to repent of our misplaced judgements and humbly re-examine the story: a beautiful and scandalous story of a woman outside of Judaism having a profound theological conversation with Jesus, believing, and becoming a (successful!) missionary to her hometown.

While not a light read, this book is profound. I highly recommend it!

[Conrade Yap · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the many critiques of the Bible is about the patriarchal nature of the ancient culture. Pointing to the unequal status of gender, women throughout biblical history have been painted (or interpreted) in a rather negative light. Many are victims of some male schemes, such as the maidservants of Abraham and Sarah, made to bear children for them. Others include the stories of Dinah, Tamar, Hagar, etc whose lives were either sad or tragic. With the highly male-centric cultural norms at that time, modern readers find it hard to reconcile the stories of women with the biblical truths of grace, fairness, justice, mercy, tolerance, love, etc. The famous story of the adulterous woman exposes a woman to public disgrace while the man (or men!) were nowhere to be found. Wasn't adultery a two-person affair? Why only accuse the woman? Moreover, the Old Testament laws also placed an unfair burden on women as if there was no such thing as sexual equality. Rather than simply accepting the popular cultural narrative of the Bible being sexist against females, biblical scholar Caryn Reeder offers us a new interpretation of the "intersection of women, sex, and sin" as well as an alternative interpretation of the story of the Samaritan woman.

Traditionally, many have interpreted John 4:16-18 and painted the samaritan woman with disdainful strokes. Tertullian called her a prostitute. John Chrysostom describes her as one with a "wicked, shameful sin." Even the reformed preacher Charles Spurgeon calls her a "shocking character." Modern preachers like Mark Driscoll accuse her of sexual sin. The conservative preacher John Piper labels her a "whore." The author lumps all of these opinions under the category of "majority interpretation," with a particular critique on Piper's skewed interpretations that lean toward gender hierarchy, misogyny, and sexism. She calls Piper's interpretations forms of "minimization, subordination, and sexual objectification of women." She calls for a re-examination of the majority view to reconsider the samaritan woman as:
- The victim instead of the victimizer
- Survivor instead of the perpetrator
- Women who can receive and reach divine truth
- Having alternative reasons that might be culturally acceptable for her six marriages
- Having lesser rights than men in a culture that marginalizes women
- Being one on the receiving end of any divorce/separation
- .. and how she was treated by Jesus.

My Thoughts
==============
Author Caryn Reeder makes a compelling case to reconsider the Majority-View interpretation of the status of the samaritan woman at the well. By showing us the historical, cultural, and social background of women then, she urges readers to take a more sympathetic (and fairer) view of the Samaritan woman. Chapter Five should be an important read because it gives us contextual information to help us frame any interpretations beyond the majority view. It reminds us not to impose our modern cultural mindsets on ancient times. Many of the common experiences experienced by women at that time did not receive the same kind of female initiatives as the #MeToo movement currently dominating the headlines in many parts of mainstream Western society. For example, education for women was limited to those in elite families. Thus, a large segment of women in ancient times was not as educated like the women of today. Marginalization was not only widespread but largely accepted as a way of life. Unlike today's environment where duties and jobs could be done by all genders, roles at that time were also quite clear-cut according to gender. Understanding this environment helps the modern reader recognize the differences in upbringing and cultural conditioning. In fact, it could be argued that the Majority View of the Samaritan woman is also an unfortunate lack of appreciation of this ancient culture.

Reeder constantly argues that the samaritan woman is more "unlucky" rather than sinful. She supports this by re-examining the meaning of marriages, divorces, widowhood, remarriage, and cohabitation in the first-century world. This is crucial in supporting her thesis of an alternative interpretation of the Samaritan woman. Significant too is the use of sources from both male and female writers in the writing of this book. Here I sense a problem. What is curious is the tendency to use multiple female voices to support this alternative interpretation versus some of the male voices depicted in the Majority View. This unfortunately projects a skewed perspective on an otherwise commendable effort. Maybe the significant figures in the Majority View would catch more attention. Unfortunately, the author might have unwittingly pitted male interpreters against female interpreters as if the interpretation is biased according to our genders. I know of several egalitarian writers who are male whose views could have been added to support a non-gender-biased position. Having said that, being open would be a good position to hold when we re-examine certain presumptions.

All in all, Reeder has provided us a good alternative to help us correct (or augment) some of the views of the Majority interpretation. It is important to recognize that this book is spurred in part by the #MeToo movement, an awakening of the female voice against all forms of discrimination both present and past. My caution will be this. Like many movements of the past, there is a tendency for people to react by jumping to the other extreme. Do not let any reaction becomes an over-reaction. Do not let this alternative interpretation jettison everything that the Tertullians; the Dwight Moodys; the Charles Spurgeons; the John Pipers, etc. have diligently and honestly wrestled with.

Caryn A. Reeder (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of New Testament and co-coordinator of the Gender Studies program at Westmont College. Her books include The Enemy in the Household: Family Violence in Deuteronomy and Beyond and Gendering War and Peace in the Gospel of Luke.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Renae Stahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Marriage was not fundamentally emotional or romantic. Marital respect and love were the consequence of a shared life rather than the reason for sharing life....To be married was to participate in and contribute to communal life.”

In “The Samaritan Woman's Story: Reconsidering John 4 After #ChurchToo,” Caryn A. Reeder re-examines the overfamiliar story of the Samaritan woman which has long been read as the redemption narrative of a woman caught in adultery or other sexual sin.

Reeder suggests that it might be necessary and helpful to unwind this story and see it for what it is, within its historical context and without the centuries of interpretations that, while adding necessary angles, often dance around the same topic; not the woman’s intelligent and the insightful dialogue or her eagerness to share the gospel, but her sexual sin and social status. Ryder suggests that perhaps, there is another way to interpret this text and perhaps, in light of the church’s often harmful view of women’s sexuality, we need to reexamine this story through a new-to-us lens.

Caryn A. Ryder did an incredible job of presenting first the traditional interpretations, showing the different and fascinating ways the text has been dealt with and then the cultural context; what marriage looked like in that place and time. Lastly she illustrated a new way for us to read this story. These last few chapters unveiled the complexity and beauty of this text, as well as how entwined this narrative is, with previous and subsequent biblical passages.

Although I think there is much more that could be said about this story, this is a book the church needs. It is time to reexamine not only this woman’s story, but the story we have written for all women in the church.

[Catherine McNiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work. Very well researched and written, and so very important. I've written many things on the Samaritan woman myself, and am always grateful to see the truth of her story, and of women, find space to exist.

[Jody Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author researches life in Biblical times. She chronicles marriage, relationships between men and women throughout Biblical times and how a variety of scholars have interpreted the story of the Samaritan Woman. While I may not understand or agree with all of what I read it did challenge me to reread the Biblical account of the Samaritan Woman. It encouraged me to reconsider my understanding of this very famous Scripture passage, rereading it from a different perspective.

[James Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all this is a scholarly work. It’s well cited and researched and very in depth. This is the kind of book that will make you want to fact check things and conveniently the sources to fact check are cited right there on the page.

Second of all the main point of this book is to challenge our view that the Samaritan woman is a sexual sinner. It is often preached that the reason the Samaritan woman had so many husbands is that she was sexually promiscuous, but this story isn’t backed by Scripture. Jesus had no problem calling people sinners, but in this passage, not once does he do so. While he does point out that she’s been married multiple times, there’s no hint of calling her out because of it. It’s more stated as a fact.

Additionally, if she was the outcast we’ve been led to believe she is, why did the town so quickly listen to her and come to hear more from Jesus? Why don’t we hear them murmuring about how Jesus would come to a promiscuous women before he came to them?

Once you remove her supposed sexual sin from the narrative, the meaning and power of the story changes drastically. Instead of an incompetent woman prone to sexual promiscuity, we find an intelligent debater who talks to Jesus about serious matters of faith. It is this line of thinking that Dr. Reeder draws out in her book. And her thoughts in this matter are deep, profound, and worthy of consideration. Anyone preaching or teaching on this passage would do well to read through this book and consider the implications.

There is no way to read the facts Dr. Reeder sets out, the context of the story, and the details within it and continue to tell the story the same way we’ve always heard it. The Samaritan woman was no prostitute or sexual sinner. She lived in a time where women were greatly devalued and marriage was a thing arranged by families to gain political and financial capital.

Dr. Reeder draws out many historical interpretations of this passage and shows us that from the very earliest days of the church there were church fathers who did not believe she was an adulterer and that God cares for the lowly and protects the weak, just like this woman.

There are some things in the book that I don’t believe she developed well enough. Perhaps if I spent more time looking at her citations, I would be more moved by the argument, but as it stands there are times she points to the historical records and says “this was a common thing back then and accepted in society.” I have no doubt that those statements are true, but being accepted in society doesn’t mean they’re accepted within the religious community. You can be a Jew by lineage and not a Jew by faith. For example, just because it was acceptable for Jews to have sex once engaged (but not married to) their spouse, does not mean that religious Jews would feel the same way.

But whatever complaints I might have about the book are overshadowed by the overwhelming facts and research that went into shattering the perspective we’ve been taught that this woman was a sexual sinner and not the intelligent and spiritually curious woman the story projects.

Top Quotes

"Take, for instance, biblical representations of God. Many metaphors come from nature (God is a rock or a fire). Others reflect masculine images like fathers, kings, or shepherds. But the Bible also portrays God as a woman giving birth, a mother avenging her cubs, and a woman cleaning her whole house to find a lost coin (Is 42:14, Hos 13:8, Lk 15:8-10). If we ignore these representations of God, we stunt our own knowledge of God. In the process, we make it more difficult to recognize the image of God in women." ~ Page 8

I have repeatedly heard that God never refers to himself with feminine descriptions and thus we should never do that too. Seeing this brief list shows that the premise of that argument is false. While we can all agree that God is neither male nor female, we can also rest assured that metaphors used to describe God take both genders and the forms of inanimate objects. We should not let gender get in the way of our describing God as accurately as possible in the metaphors we use.

We can see God describe himself as a nurturing mother raising children (Hosea 11:3-4), an eagle watching over her eggs (Deuteronomy 32:11-12), the God who gives birth to you (Deuteronomy 32:18), the mother who comforts her children (Isaiah 66:13), a mother hen (Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34), and so many more. God had no gender and is not offended to be described as having one or the other. He himself describes his compassion and care as feminine love and his hatred as a man going to war.

This concept is super important for women. In the biblical counseling movement we’ve seen many women struggle to relate to God because they’ve been taught that God identifies solely as male. Showing them that God does relate to women and they have things in common with him allows them an easier time trusting and loving God.

"Early purity movements centered on changing men’s behavior to protect women. Today though, from adolescence onwards men hear that they are driven by physical desire and pleasure. The minimal expectation for their self-control is out weighed by the sexual objectification of women, who are simultaneously identified as inferior, weaker, and subordinate. As such, women are not taught how to say no. Instead of protecting women, purity movements endanger women." ~ Page 90

This has been something I’ve been grappling with for a few years. My own sexual desire consumed me for a long time, and only several years into my marriage did I begin to realize that it was largely steeped in a miseducation from purity culture.

The goal of purity culture started out as all things do, with good intentions. It aimed to curb the mistreatment of women by teaching men discipline and self-control. But over time it was corrupted and taught men that women, especially wives, can’t say no to their sexual advances. They’ve neglected to teach men to use self control, discipline, and biblical meditation to master their sexual desires. That teaching has been replaced with the lie that men can’t control their eyes and impulses and women need to wear the right clothes, talk the right way, and behave right in order for their lustful desires to be kept in check. Both genders have been greatly been harmed by this deceit.

"DeMuth’s fictional retelling of the story provides the Samaritan woman with a life history of abuse, divorce, and sexual slavery. While poverty led to the woman’s immoral life, DeMuth also suggests that past abuse may have affected her ability to connect emotionally with her husbands. As is the case for many survivors, DeMuth’s Samaritan woman internalized the abuse in a deep sense of shame." ~ Page 94

One of the more modern perspectives taken on the Samaritan woman’s story is that far from being a sexual sinner herself, she was the victim of severe sexual abuse. This perspective turns the narrative on its head.

The church at large has only recently begun to understand how deeply damaging abuse is and to a further extent how emotionally damaging that is to the victim. If it’s true that the Samaritan woman was a sex slave, her ability to respond well to her husbands would be greatly impeded, and an ignorant or obstinate man would only make it worse. I’ve seen men who don’t understand and don’t try to understand the pain their wife has gone through in being raped result in them trying to force their wife to repeat the same sexual acts that were forced upon her in that dark hour. That kind of sinful obliviousness further destroys the victim. She was already brought low through the abuse done to her, but the person she’s supposed to trust most in the world repeating those acts upon her violates all remaining trust she has and alienates her from him.

There’s no good way to wrap up this review after such a heartrending and evil thought. My best attempt is to say that we must be careful when reading these stories in Scripture. There is culture, context, and harsh realities that are easy for us to sugar coat and turn into picturesque fantasies. But the truth is the Bible is a history book full of evils and goods and we must carefully dissect not only what our translations read, but also the surrounding facts and what God wants us to learn from it.

There are no easy answers, just a lifetime of seeking God.

[Dave Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Reeders provocative reimagining of the Samaritan woman's story in John 4, she not only takes a big swing in challenging the majority interpretation, she even circumvents the expectations of the minority position. If, as the early chapters of the book intricately outline, the problem is a lengthy Tradition of interpretation which has used the woman's percieved sexuality and the passages perceived condemnation of it to preach messages about God's necessary response to sin, alternative readings are likely to emphasize her as a victim of such perceptions. Reeder reaches past this interpretation to present her as a righteous figure.

The book is chalk full of facts and information pertaining to a lengthy history of interpretation. The author does a nice job of capturing the ebb and flow of this evolution, noting how even where we find certain paradigms being challenged, there remained and remains an indebtedness to readings that highlight her sexuality despite the fact the passage does not mention it at all. Perhaps more importantly this tradition of interpretation, which is more aptly described as a tendency within interpretation to make such judgements and assumptions of female figures in the Bible, has not only influenced how stories of other female figures are read, but led to unfortunate abuses in the modern church landscape.

For those eager to get to the alternative interpretation, she leaves that for the final chapter. This might try the patience of some, as there is a whole lot to wade through in terms of establishing the problem, demonstrating how the problem exists and persists, and showing how this has plenty implication for today. She constructs the context and backdrop for the story, and spends a fair amount of time exploring how that can shape the language of the text in its world.

Thus when she gets to the final chapter her exegesis has a strong foundation to work from and a convincing basis for its claims. This is true when it comes to the Jew-Samaritan relationship, the rich Imagery of the well and the water, the biblical parallels between this story and Nichodemus as well as this story and the story of the blind man. She establishes that the story is about salvation not sin, and that the woman at the well is both connecting Jesus to the Jewish promise while also functioning as a leader and a witness with influence to those around her. She is neither depicted as one being judged for her sins of adultery nor is she presented as a victim and an outcast, and seeing the way the text actually depicts her- as one with agency and respect- enables us to both counteract majority readings with a more faithful rendering, but allows us to see how the stories of women in the Bible have been grossly misappropriated and subsequently buried from our view. Seeing this story in its proper light and giving it a voice can afford us a paradigm for unearthing the others as well.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently doing research to write sermon on this text, and I came across this book. After skimming through her arguments, I want to leave a review here both for my own record, but also for others.

I want to say that this book should be read by all who want to properly tackle this text and challenge the traditional approach to this text. She cogently argues for a number of very important observations: Firstly, it may not be her fault that she has had 5 husbands; marriage was not usually a woman's choice in those days. Secondly, it may just be coincidence that she comes at midday, not because she was trying to escape the notice of others. Thirdly, she is quite an effective communicator, both to Jesus and to her village. Fourthly, she asks the right questions, and expects the Messiah. Fifthly, she receives Jesus's first "I am" statement in John, and Jesus reveals himself to her the clearest, in comparison with others.

However, I find her interpretation selective on a number of key points:
1. She never deals with the phrase "and the one that you now have is not your husband." Jew or Samaritan, no one would have thought that was OK.
2. She argues that we should not consider the woman a "sinner", but we should consider the story about Christ's salvation. However, if Christ does not save us from our sins, I'm not sure what he does. Also, it is clear from my first point that she is a sinner.
3. It is also important to note that the Jews would have considered the Samaritans sinners based solely upon the fact that they worshipped syncretistically and falsely. Recent scholarship has challenged this interpretation handed down by Josephus and the early church fathers, and I agree that the Samaritans were probably not syncretistic in the sense that they worshipped many different gods. However, they did change the pentateuch and rejected God's word from the prophets after Moses, so in that sense they were sinners and false-worshippers.
4. And about the comment about how it is not necessary that she is avoiding people if she is going to the well at midday; that may be true, but one must ask *why* God would include such a detail, and how it parallels with the Nicodemus narrative. Both Nicodemus in John 3 and Samaritan woman in John 4 are trying to hide themselves from others, and they do it differently.

Thanks for reading my comments.

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth chapter of John's Gospel presents a remarkable dialogue between Jesus of Nazareth and a woman of Samaria at Jacob's well near the Samritan village of Sychar. The woman asks some important questions, and Jesus' answers persuade her that she is talking to the Messiah of Israel whose coming was anticipated by both Jews and Samaritans. The woman spreads the good news of the Messiah's arrival to others in her community, and many come to believe in Jesus.

John's Gospel presents a contrast between Jesus' exchange with the Samaritan woman in chapter 4 and his conversation with Nicodemus in chapter 3. While the ordinary woman of Samaria becomes an eager and effective evangelist, the Jewish leader and teacher Nicodemus is slower to accept the good news.

Sadly, the overall message of John 4 has too often been obscured by a tendency to get stuck on the details of John 4:16-18, where Jesus comments that the woman, whom he has not previously met, has had five husbands and is currently in a sixth relationship. Within the narrative these unusual details function to show that Jesus has supernatural knowledge. But it has been typical to assume that the woman is a prostitute or sexual sinner and have that assumption dominate the interpretation of the chapter.

All of this is explained by Dr. Caryn Reeder in The Samaritan Woman's Story, an excellent book that I highly recommend.

The book has two parts. In the first part, the author surveys the reception history of John 4, showing how often interpretaers have concentrated on the woman's maritial history. In the second part, she looks at the realities of marriage in the first century Roman world, where life expectancies were significantly shorter than today's. Without further evidence, she asserts, one can't assume that the Samaritan woman was immoral, especially gven that Jesus did not call her to repentance in John 4. She then presents a detailed exegesis of John 4 in light of its literary and historical context.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinarily thoughtful, well written and well-researched examination of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well from the Gospel of John. It gave me fresh tools for reading John’s gospel and a new appreciation for remarkable story it tells. I wanted the author to reach broader conclusions, but, in the end, the author gave me everything I needed to think much more deeply about a familiar story and how familiar stories are retold.
In the first part of the book, the author critically reviews many of the notable sermons based on the story beginning with Tertullian in around 200 CE through John Piper in the modern era and many prominent preachers in between. She shows that only a few, mostly female, preachers did not immediately sexualize a story that, as written, has no references to sex or sin.
In the second part of the book, the author reviews, quotes and summarizes numerous historical documents regarding women in marriage in the first century of the Christian Era. The author showed that while women had some rights and some women had some wealth, influence and power, women typically entered an arranged marriage as a young teen. They did not have the right to arrange their own marriages. Some men and women did not have the legal right to marry and thus, cohabitation was not necessarily immoral. Marriages were arranged to enhance the social, economic and political standing of the families involved. Lives (and marriages) were short.
Within this context, the woman at the well could have many backstories, but social outcast and heinous sinner does not seem to be one of them.
Read this book and then read the gospel with fresh understanding.

[Meredith Storrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was tremendously helpful—one of the most comprehensive looks at marriage and family experiences for women in the Roman world that I have read to date. Come for new insight about the Samaritan woman but stay for all the other cultural research that impacts other stories of women in the Bible.

The first half of the book gives a history of how this story has been interpreted my famous church leaders from Origen all the way to Piper. The second half includes a lot of research that illuminates not only what rabbis discuss as “proper” social order but what epitaphs and legal documents reveal as regular, on the ground experiences. So much detail to chew on I underlined at least a third of the content.

[Scott McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do we bring to Scripture? Our imaginations, yes, but also our preconceived ideas that traditional interpretations and cultural dynamics have formed. In this famous narrative of John 4, many readers will see the interaction of this story through a specific lens. The hermeneutical challenge of all Scripture reading is to examine the text, examine yourself and what you bring to it, but in the end, allow it to speak for itself. If we are not careful, we can add layers to a story that was never there and miss out on the main theological points Jesus brought in this interaction at the well in Sychar. This book was a challenging and thought-provoking read, and I am thankful for the contextual and scholarly work by Caryn Reeder in this work.

[Marbeth Skwarczynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm beyond grateful that so many women are stepping forward to provide the sound theology we've longed for. In an era of man-worship, where the typical sermon consists more of anecdotes, preferences, and sports analogies than of actual Bible preaching, THE SAMARITAN WOMAN'S STORY is a refreshing dive deep into the Word.
Reeder uses historical and Scriptural context to reclaim the story of the Samaritan woman after generations of commenters added "line upon line" of false information to the actual biblical narrative. Reeder provides us with the opportunity to embrace the real meaning of this pivotal event.

[Robby Eckard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author makes a strong case based on historical records that the typical way this story is interpreted has some significant holes in it. There are probably still some things we are missing that would have been clear to first and second century readers about the Samaritan woman and her life, but there is enough here to say that the interpretation of her being an adulteress/prostitute is likely colored in by our own cultural expectations and misunderstandings about the role of women and marriage in the 1st century.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much of who this woman was is implied. Wow! I’m such a sucker to take to heart what Sunday School teachers and Pastors have told me. Before I started reading this book I read the story in John 4.in fact I reread it several times while I read this book. The traditional assumptions that have been made by so many people are not culturally accurate nor are they taken from the text.
This book is for everyone that has ever questioned women’s contribution to the Gospel account and in fact women’s role in the whole Bible and in the Church today.

[Katie Bracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I've been looking for! I've long had trouble with the take that the Samaritan Woman is an adulteress and a sinner, because I'm skeptical of assuming women's culpability in divorce in the NT. This book provides a deeply historical, exegetically robust, and logically compelling re-read of her story, lifting her up (rightfully it seems) from her maligned position, to that of a respected disciple, who faithfully shares her encounter with God with her community.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an excellent analysis of how the Samaritan Woman's story has been used to diminish the role of women in the church, and Reeder sets about changing the perspective to empower women instead. The one key issue I had with the book was the way it was put together. I could have used one more round of editing to make the message a bit more smoothly written and put together. But still worth the read.

[Kim W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Using well-researched scholarship, Reeder debunks the myth that the Samaritan woman was a sexual deviant and instead paints a picture of a faithful, theologically astute woman who has a rich theological discussion with Christ himself, then goes on to be commissioned by him as an evangelist. So well done. This picture is more contextually fitting as well.

[Gail Holman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone seriously concerned with the biblical image of women. An excellent reframing of the historical role of women in biblical time and through to present day. The portrayal of the woman at the well as an "insightful theologian" and "teacher who helps others understand the truth" is something I will treasure.

[Peg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. An important contextual interpretation of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman that the church desperately needs to hear.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid. Makes me wonder what other passages I've had wrong all along.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't convinced of every conclusion but I was helpfully challenged to see how history and culture inform my ways of understanding scripture.

[Tyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

May be the most interesting book I have ever read.

[Mike Fedewa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book for our time. A necessary corrective to our all too common misreading of this important text found in John 4.

[Sarah Butterfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish every Christian would read this well-researched account of John 4 and its enormous implications on women in the church.

[Graydon Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The John 4 story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman is desperately in need of careful reading, re-interpretation, and liberation from sexism and sexualization. This book is a great start!

[Amy Letinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was phenomenal. I appreciated the in depth scholarship and documentation. She made a strong case for her points, giving more evidence than you typically see in this kind of book. I found it concise and eloquent. And I hope to read more from her. Few books change my thinking as much as this one did. Way to go Westmont! She’s an excellent addition to your faculty.