Eve's Bible: A Woman's Guide to the Old Testament

by Sarah S. Forth

Whatever the reason--"it’s too complicated, too big, too old, too many men and too few women, and anyway, I don’t know whether I believe it or not”-- Eve's Bible helps explain the Old Testament to readers regardless of their religious affiliation. Eve's Bible challenges conventional ideas about women in the Bible, and shows readers how to draw upon the deep wellsprings of their own truth to interpret the Bible in new and liberating ways. With Eve’s Bible as their companion, readers will be able * Recognize and read the Old Testament’s literary building histories, stories, laws, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom. *Answer the question, “Is the Bible historical?”* Learn how women in the biblical era lived * Learn why the biblical Deity is such a complex character * Derive meaning from scripture by balancing left-brained inquiry with heart-felt intuition. *Become their own authority on the Bible A friendly guide that anticipates readers’ questions and concerns, Eve’s Bible helps readers find their way through the Bible with intelligence and verve.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, History, Spirituality, Feminism, Gender and Sexuality

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 18, 2008

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A primer on how to critically read the Bible and interpret its stories for yourself. Includes tables of where to find women’s stories in the Hebrew Bible. Interesting discussion of the history of monotheism’s development in Ancient Israel and the disappearance of Goddesses.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. It was very informative and full of details about what life would have been like for those living during the time of the Old Testament. It gave context for the stories and writings in the Bible to make them more understandable. This is not a devotional book; it is for someone who wants to seriously study the Old Testament but feels like the task is a bit daunting. For me, it did not simply re-affirm things I already knew; it helped me look at them from a fresh perspective. Forth tackles some tough questions that scripture can raise. She does so with care; never does she make a point without explaining fully the idea behind it. It was a great balance of appreciation for scripture but at the same time acknowledging that some things in the Old Testament can be confusing to the modern reader. Of course, I didn't agree with everything that she said, but how fun is reading something that isn't a bit challenging in some way?

I appreciated how Forth described things in simple, concise terms but never made me as the reader feel like she had "dumbed down" what she was saying. At the end of every chapter there is a re-cap in the form of a chart that shows where everything she discussed can be found in scripture, which is very helpful. At the end of the book there are also some very useful sections about the different translations of the Bible explaining how they are similar, different, features, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am keeping it for reference and re-read purposes.

[Crista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be an excellent read for anyone who is just starting out on their journey of studying the Bible and its impact on the modern world. While the book is presented as a more feminist reading of the Bible (and it certainly has those elements!), it is primarily focused on reformulating how you think about the text of the Bible and how exactly one goes about making a critical analysis of such a historic book. It's systematic in its approach, but is written in a conversational tone that is easy for the reader to follow. This book doesn't tell you all the answers, but has enough respect for the reader to assume you will find them on your own. The author frequently encourages the reader to question what they are reading and the text of the Bible and draw your own, unique conclusions.

While this isn't an exhaustive examination of Biblical research and schools of thought, it really is a great starting off point. The book references a lot of excellent sources, spends time explaining the different editions/translations of the Bible available, and offered advice for structuring your own approach to examining the text. It's a very pragmatic approach, with the focus being on the Bible as a historical document instead of a strictly spiritual document, which is always nice. I definitely got a lot out of this one even if this wasn't my first read on critical analysis, and would definitely recommend it to anyone on the fence about it!

[Janaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned as much from this book as I did in my college level class. Excellent way to get a person reading the Bible as literature. She provides lots of cultural knowledge so you can better understand how things worked at the time it was written. She also provides tons of thought provoking questions and other ways to read the Bible better. Highly recommend this book for all genders, religions, and levels of education. The book is written professionally, but also personally, which made it very fun and relatable.

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's more of a road map of reading critically and how it applies to reading the Bible. It points out how and the context in which the Bible contains a lot of references to women from the lens of the patriarchy, but doesn't tell you directly as a women how to deal with the perception outside of just reading critically.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author’s dissection of the Bible provides a different perspective and background behind the writings that comprise today’s Bible. The author provides the standard story lines where women appear and the associated plotlines in the Old Testament. Since the Bible was written by men and are hero based, they provide the audiences with conflict, driven by genealogy and gynecology. Apparently, daughters are omitted, since cooperation and support are not dramatic.

Under Matriarchs of the Bible (Jacob’s two wives) the author states, fortunately for us, Rachel and Leah’s tale of wombs and woe received a long overdue rewrite in “The Red Tent”. Then she states that daughters would be better off reading “Judy Blume” than relying on the Bible for guidance, because Biblical daughters were the property of fathers, uncles, or brothers, and are used to cement their male relatives’ relationships with other men – or with God. Two ideas are plain: the listening heart of Wisdom has been beating since the beginning and is best embodied by a woman.

In a dream that Soloman had after he was crowned as David’s successor, God asked the new king what he wanted for himself, his only desire was to be granted an understanding mind to judge your people. Another way to interpret an Understand Mind is as a Listening Heart which the author considers a lovely metaphor for wisdom. Compassion paired with humility to know that we need to listen to others, is what distinguishes wisdom from mere knowledge or intelligence.

The author talks about God in a plural sense. Acknowledging that we have a Heavenly Mother. She breaks down the themes within the Old Testament to identify parts that are more masculine and others that are more feminine in nature. Implying that both our Heavenly parents provided spiritual revelation reflected in different books of the Bible. She also identifies prophetesses and goddesses that appeared in other religions among nations in the Far East.

[Helaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Forth puts forth a thoughtful approach to the Bible for the woman who may be asking "what does the OT have to do with me?" The answer seems to be that the stories in the Bible mirror women's place at the various times the parts of the OT were written and that place is extremely low on the totem pole. In the OT, women in most cases seem to be there to demonstrate some aspect of bad or even evil behavior or are there to produce the next generation. Even when the feminine is used to personify Wisdom, it is an "abstract idea" and really has nothing to do with living, breathing women--more like calling your car or boat "she." The only acceptable discourse between God and women seems to be an entreaty to bear a son. I can understand how Jesus followers would include women who for the first time might see his message of God's Kingdom as truly including them.

That said, I definitely will keep Forth's book as reference to use her approach on how to read a story in the Bible, how to choose a Bible as well as to refer to her time line outlines.

Two other aspects I also particularly appreciated: (1) Her thoughtful narrative demonstrating everyday life of the first millennium BCE Israelite woman (and her remark that many such women died by their 30th birthdays). (2) Her translations from the Hebrew to clarify what was actually said in the OT (even though in many cases, it only further indicates the lowly, difficult place of women in Biblical times).

Forth believes that the theme of the OT is justice. Maybe approaching Biblical passages with Forth's guidance will ultimately bring me to the same conclusion, but right now I can't see it.

[Kathryn]

I read an interview with Sara Forth in Bitch, and I'm very intrigued by this book...can't wait to read it. The interplay between feminists and religion is fascinating; it seems like a paradoxical relationship and yet it isn't. The Bible is worth exploring if you're not familiar with it, and I think this will be a good starting place for people like myself who are generally turned off by Religion.

If you haven't read the Bitch article, check it out.

[Theadora Davitt-Cornyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enlightening perspective with scriptural citations ~ well grounded...