The content did not live up to the title.
Despite an intrigueing title, the book read like a doctoral dissertation. It was full of important schoolarly references, but hard to follow and dry. I would have prefered the more informal style the title implied.
Seeing the Bible in a new light
This book fascinated me, as known and lesser known accounts of events took on a clarity rarely discerned in conventional study. F. Scott Spencer brings his considerable biblical knowledge to bear on unravelling truths about women related to or otherwise connected to Jesus. His fresh approach with feminist sensibilities and psychological awareness helped me "know" these women who are so often passed over as auxilliary characters in the story. Frequent references to the original Greek or Hebrew texts and a lively sense of humor combine to make an engaging and thought provoking read
An ideal book for Biblical study groups or simple individual contemplation
Expertly written by F. Scott Spencer (Professor of New Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond), Virginia, Dancing Girls, Loose Ladies, and Women of the Cloth is a collection of seven studies with regard to women referred to in the New Testament, from Jesus' foremothers to slave girls, prophetic daughters, leaders, "loose women", "distressed daughters of Israel" and more. Dancing Girls, Loose Ladies, and Women of the Cloth invites lay readers and Biblical scholars alike to re-examine the women of the era not only through the context of faith and study, but also through the lens of modern feminism. The resulting interpretations raise new questions and provoke thought considering the physical and spiritual role of women in Christ's life. Written in straightforward terms and heavily annotated, Dancing Girls, Loose Ladies, and Women of the Cloth is an ideal book for Biblical study groups or simple individual contemplation.
(3 reviews)
