Great Women of the Bible in Art and Literature - Hardcover

Dorothee Soelle was Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary, New York for thirteen years. Among her influential writings are Great Couples of the bible and The Silent Cry. She died in 2003. Joe H Kirchberger is an historian and journalist. He is co-author with Soelle on a book on Mary and editor of a 19-volume set of eyewitness reminiscences of World War I. He lives in New York City, USA.

This splendid art book explores the various meanings artists have found in the Bible's female figures. Each section opens with the relevant citations from the good book itself, which are answered by S{™}olle's profound commentaries. After the story of Sarah, for instance, S{™}olle reflects on the meaning not only of that story but also of the parallel one of the enslaved Hagar, with its import for those who desire social justice. Further on in each section, extrabiblical materials drawn from ancient and medieval literature, Jewish folklore, and other related mythologies appear; in the Sarah section, these include the Islamic legend linking Hagar and her son Ishmael to the founding of Mecca. Finally in each section, a summary of postmedieval literature shows the ways the characters have been employed by European writers; for Sarah, we are reminded of Melville's choice for the name of Moby Dick's narrator: "Call me Ishmael." As for the illustrations--several per page--they range from ancient mosaics to contemporary paintings, with many florid Renaissance artworks in between. Tamar, Potiphar's wife, Deborah, Delilah, the Witch of Endor, Bathsheba, Judith, Mary of Magdala, and more appear in these pages, enlivened and enriched by the artists whom they have inspired. Patricia Monaghan