The author discusses 24 women in the Bible: Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Potiphar's wife, Miriam, Rahab, Peninnah, Hannah, queen of Sheba, widow of Zarephath, and more.

I picked this book up in conjunction with a Bible study on women of the Bible I was evaluating, but ended up just reading the book on its own. Overall, it was a good read. Mrs. Karssen's book serves well as one part of a two-part encyclopedia of some women of the Bible, and can either be read devotionally (there are Scripture readings at the beginning of each chapter), in conjunction with a Bible study, or just as one would read an average book.

In this day of confusion about the biblical view of women, with lots of people misreading and feeling pity for those of us who joyfully and gratefully accept the role God has given us in our homes, society, and His Church, Mrs. Karssen takes care to explain Jesus' view and treatment of women in one of the chapters about Mary, Martha's sister:

"He started by giving His friendship...Up until that time a wide gulf had existed between men and women. After all, didn't the Jewish men thank God every morning in their prayers that He had created them 'not as a slave, nor a heathen, nor a woman?'... 'It would be better that the Articles of the Law be burned than that their contents be revealed to a woman publicly,' said their rabbis.

"He had introduced a new respect for women. He had offered her possibilities that had been unknown until then. He had lifted her to His plan.... The purpose of her existence had become clear in listening to this Man. A conviction grew within her, 'I am created for God. I exist because of Him.' (pp. 168, 175)

As I read through HER NAME IS WOMAN, as often happens with Bible lessons, there were some characters that resonated more strongly with me right now than others. Some were reminders to me of what I ought to be doing; some were cautionary, showing me the end result if I continue in some sinful path or other. Some chapters contain my highlights throughout, some chapters aren't marked up at all.

While I'm not sure I enjoyed the book as "a good read" like many other books in my library, it is an invaluable resource to keep on hand, and I look forward to using it for many years to come.

See my full review and others at http://www.vangorden-vm.blogspot.com ( )

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