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Six New Gospels: New Testament Women Tell Their Stories
As Margaret Hebblethwaite explores the story of six women, each one especially close to Jesus at one moment or another in his life, she has produced a book that is original in its method and eye-opening in its implications.
- GenresTheologySpirituality
1 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 20, 2011
When Margaret Hebblethwaite wrote this book back in 1994 the idea of imagining the lives or back stories of women in the life of Christ and using that to re-tell and illumine the Gospel was probably quite a new or at least little traveled road but in the 17 years since she trail blazed it has been done in many other situations and, forgive me, but much better.
The blurb on the back of the book declares how she is 'gently untangling and tentatively unwinding ' the truth from the stereotypical relationships of Virgin or Harlot that Jesus is represented as having with His mother and Mary Magdalene respectively.I am not sure if this statement can be said to have been fulfilled in her work. She appears to choose to go with traditional stories when it suits and casts them aside when they don't. This, of course, is the right of anyone taking this sort of flight of fancy but then I do not feel it should be represented as if she is uncovering the truth when all she is doing is imagining and moulding for her own purpose.
Hebblethwaite reflects imaginatively on the lives of Elizabeth, Mary, Jesus' mother, Mary and Martha of Bethany, Mary Magdalene and Photina the previously unnamed Samaritan Woman of John's Gospel. This is a valid and positive contribution to any person's attempt to draw closer to the mysterious person of Jesus but nit picking I wonder if it might not have been more interesting to delve into the lives of the women who feature even more on the edge of Jesus' story as with them her imagination could have taken greater flight as so little is known about them and Hebblethwaite could have exercised her feminist theology more cogently and powerfully whereas settling on these particular characters she is excavating passages already quite well reflected upon by christians and seems forced into the position of shoe-horning modern day theory into a social make-up which was evidently far different from our own.
There are moments of real beauty in her accounts I think but too often she forces these women into 20th Century outlooks and that seems to be an abuse of their courage and fidelity as the whole strength of these incredibly brave women is they stood by Christ and supported Him when their situations of abuse and lack of importance might make the discrimination and disadvantaged state women suffer now pale into if not insignificance then certainly a less dismal position.
Do not misunderstand me I think Hebblethwaite's idea was a sound one and the huge amount of scholarship present in the footnotes is impressive. Her use of these characters in Christ's life to shed new light on His ministry, personality and involvement with women was valid I just felt disappointed but perhaps that is because I read this after I have read other feminist theologians who, maybe on the back of Margaret Hebblethwaite, have been able to see further and imagine more colourfully.
The blurb on the back of the book declares how she is 'gently untangling and tentatively unwinding ' the truth from the stereotypical relationships of Virgin or Harlot that Jesus is represented as having with His mother and Mary Magdalene respectively.I am not sure if this statement can be said to have been fulfilled in her work. She appears to choose to go with traditional stories when it suits and casts them aside when they don't. This, of course, is the right of anyone taking this sort of flight of fancy but then I do not feel it should be represented as if she is uncovering the truth when all she is doing is imagining and moulding for her own purpose.
Hebblethwaite reflects imaginatively on the lives of Elizabeth, Mary, Jesus' mother, Mary and Martha of Bethany, Mary Magdalene and Photina the previously unnamed Samaritan Woman of John's Gospel. This is a valid and positive contribution to any person's attempt to draw closer to the mysterious person of Jesus but nit picking I wonder if it might not have been more interesting to delve into the lives of the women who feature even more on the edge of Jesus' story as with them her imagination could have taken greater flight as so little is known about them and Hebblethwaite could have exercised her feminist theology more cogently and powerfully whereas settling on these particular characters she is excavating passages already quite well reflected upon by christians and seems forced into the position of shoe-horning modern day theory into a social make-up which was evidently far different from our own.
There are moments of real beauty in her accounts I think but too often she forces these women into 20th Century outlooks and that seems to be an abuse of their courage and fidelity as the whole strength of these incredibly brave women is they stood by Christ and supported Him when their situations of abuse and lack of importance might make the discrimination and disadvantaged state women suffer now pale into if not insignificance then certainly a less dismal position.
Do not misunderstand me I think Hebblethwaite's idea was a sound one and the huge amount of scholarship present in the footnotes is impressive. Her use of these characters in Christ's life to shed new light on His ministry, personality and involvement with women was valid I just felt disappointed but perhaps that is because I read this after I have read other feminist theologians who, maybe on the back of Margaret Hebblethwaite, have been able to see further and imagine more colourfully.
June 17, 2008
What I really learned from this book is answers to some questions I had. And it really answered them. As a chrisian myself and the lives of these women. I think I could never measure up to them. But, I would liked to had the chance to see Jesus or even touch him. I really liked this book. I would tell anyone to read it. And If Jesus came today I think I wouldn't be able to speak to him....I would just fall down on my knees and cry.
April 29, 2016
clearly a slow read. Umm, I liked that it emphasized that women were, indeed, a part of the regular group that followed Jesus, and despite the relegation to the background in most of the gospels, they played an intricate part of his ministry, during and after His time on earth. But, I really am not a fan of books that tell a story, yet half, or more, of the page is notes. It is distracting from the story overall.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews