The status of women in the ancient Judaism of the Hebrew Bible and Rabbinic texts has long been a contested issue. What does being a Jewess entail in antiquity? Men in ancient Jewish culture are defined primarily by what duties they are expected to perform, the course of action that they take. The Jewess, in contrast, is bound by stricture. Writing on the formation and transformation of the ideology of female Jewishness in the ancient world, Zlotnick places her treatment in a broad, comparative, Mediterranean context, bringing in parallels from Greek and Roman sources. Drawing on episodes from the Hebrew Bible and on Midrashic, Mishnaic, and Talmudic texts, she pays particular attention to the ways in which they attempt to determine the boundaries of communal affiliation through real and perceived differences between Israelites, or Jews, on one hand and non-Israelites, or Gentiles, on the other. Women are often associated in the sources with the forbidden, and foreign women are endowed with a curious freedom of action and choice that is hardly ever shared by their Jewish counterparts. Delilah, for instance, is one of the most autonomous women in the Bible, appearing without patronymic or family ties. She also brings disaster. Dinah, the Jewess, by contrast, becomes an agent of self-destruction when she goes out to mingle with gentile female friends. In ancient Judaism the lessons of such tales were applied as rules to sustain membership in the family, the clan, and the community. While Zlotnick's central project is to untangle the challenges of sex, gender, and the formation of national identity in antiquity, her book is also a remarkable study of intertextual relations within the Jewish literary tradition.

A beautiful, fully updated edition of the popular and beloved New Jerusalem Bible, which has sold over half a million copies. The Revised New Jerusalem Bible presents anew the scholarship, character, and clarity of the 1966 Jerusalem Bible (the first modern English version) and the 1985 New Jerusalem Bible. It is a Bible that prioritizes: • a bold, rich language as suitable for reading out loud as for studying in silence, so that “the message might be fully proclaimed” (2 Timothy 4:17) • accurate translation of the original scriptures rather than the “dynamic equivalence” of some other modern versions • assurance that the message of the Bible is directed to men and women equally, despite the inbuilt bias of the English language This comprehensive Study Edition is the world’s first presentation of the full Revised New Jerusalem Bible, complete with study notes, cross-references, and book introductions. It has been prepared and edited for a modern readership by Dom Henry Wansbrough, OSB, who was general editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. Other features include: • The book of Psalms is based on the text of the 2010 translation of The Revised Grail Psalms. • Ancient systems of measure and time have been replaced by modern, metric equivalents. • A table of the notes provides explanations of the key words, themes, and ideas in the Bible’s major footnotes. • A chronological table, an index of persons, and eight pages of full-color maps provide historical context. For all who are discovering the mysteries contained in Scripture for the first time and for those coming to this holy book for regular inspiration, only a clear, understandable Bible translation will do. The Revised New Jerusalem Bible is the one Christians the world over can trust.

Believed by some to have been the original beginning of the Old Testament, The Book of Jasher has been suppressed and rediscovered numerous times since its initial translation from the Hebrew in AD 800. Referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel, this apocryphal book of the Bible expands upon some of the stories we know so well: we meet Cain and Abel's three sisters, are privy to a more detailed account of the awful circumstances of the Great Flood and Noah's conduct toward the multitudes who assembled before his ark, and learn more about the women of the Bible. Jasher's version of the story of Abraham is considered by many to be the most beautiful as this new perspective on the Old Testament will inspire believers and intrigue readers of ancient literature.

An excellent and logical combination for personal use, both in daily devotion and study, and on Sundays during the liturgy. Bonded leather, gold edges, ribbon markers, gift box.

Lay Lay explains why gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals, and transsexuals, do not go to Heaven. Lay Lay also explains why no one is born that way and how people think they were born that way.

An extensive and fascinating collection of stories featuring both famous and everyday women, giving a well-rounded view of the lives of women in the ancient world. When did women first become rulers, athletes, soldiers, heroines, and villains? They always were, observes historian Judith Salisbury. From Mesopotamian priestesses and poets to Egyptian queens and consorts, "there was never a time when women did not participate in all aspects of society." Salisbury tells the stories of 150 women from the ancient world, ranging from the very famous, such as Cleopatra VII, immortalized by Hollywood, to the barely remembered, such as the Roman poet Nossis. Writing for a general audience, Salisbury begins by painting each woman into her historical context, then recounts each woman's story, describing the choices she made as she looked for happiness, wealth, power, or well-being for herself and her family—stories much like our own. In entries on general themes—clothing, cosmetics, work, sexuality, prostitution, gynecology—Salisbury analyzes the commonalties in the lives of these women of antiquity from a cross-cultural perspective.