Over 15 years in the making, an unprecedented one-volume reference work. Many of today's students and teachers of literature, lacking a familiarity with the Bible, are largely ignorant of how Biblical tradition has influenced and infused English literature through the centuries. An invaluable research tool. Contains nearly 800 encyclopedic articles written by a distinguished international roster of 190 contributors. Three detailed annotated bibliographies. Cross-references throughout.

Adapted from the biblical account of Abishag the Shulamite, concubine to both David and Solomon, kings of Israel.

"When Abishag leaves her home to fulfill the commission to comfort King David during his final months of life, she leaves behind a deaf sister, a small brother, and a father who is still grieving the death of his wife. Torn from the comfort of her small village, Abishag is thrust into a world of unfamiliar customs, royal expectations, and palace intrigue. She is greeted suspiciously by the king's concubines, warmly by Queen Bathsheba, and reluctantly by King David himself. Suffering personal losses, as well as scorn from much of the royal court, Abishag begins to question God's goodness in placing her in the king's service. Can she find someone there who understands that one who comforts the king is in great need of comfort herself? Will Abishag's time with the king end in despair or joy?"--Page 4 of cover.

“This splendid reference describes every woman in Jewish and Christian scripture . . . monumental” (Library Journal). In recent decades, many biblical scholars have studied the holy text with a new focus on gender. Women in Scripture is a groundbreaking work that provides Jews, Christians, or anyone fascinated by a body of literature that has exerted a singular influence on Western civilization a thorough look at every woman and group of women mentioned in the Bible, whether named or unnamed, well known or heretofore not known at all. They are remarkably varied—from prophets to prostitutes, military heroines to musicians, deacons to dancers, widows to wet nurses, rulers to slaves. There are familiar faces, such as Eve, Judith, and Mary, seen anew with the full benefit of the most up-to-date results of biblical scholarship. But the most innovative aspect of this book is the section devoted to the many females who in the scriptures do not even have names. Combining rigorous research with engaging prose, these articles on women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament will inform, delight, and challenge readers interested in the Bible, scholars and laypeople alike. Together, these collected histories create a volume that takes the study of women in the Bible to a new level.

This volume, part of Lockyer's All Series, contains detailed indexing of the life and times of all the women of the Bible.

"In this insightful and deeply personal work, Kathleen Norris, an award-winning poet and author of both Dakota: A Spiritual Geography and The Cloister Walk, draws on her life experiences, her poetry and her love of the Benedictine tradition to discuss the mysterious way that the daily or "quotidian" can open us to the transforming presence of God." "This volume is the text of the 1998 Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality, sponsored by the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Literary analysis has stimulated discussion in many areas, generated excitement among scholars, and offered new ways of studying the Bible for a wide variety of readers. The works chosen exhibit why literary criticism has grown from a "passing fad" to a, hopefully, lasting part of Old Testament research. The format of this collection seeks to address two very basic areas. Biblical studies both introduce and implement critical methodologies. Scholars choose approaches and then use them to explain texts. Therefore at least two articles appear for each literary approach in the sections below. One article has been chosen to help the reader define an individual type of literary analysis. Subsequent articles then use the methodology to explain an Old Testament text. In this way both an approach's theoretical and practical value can be judged. - Editor's preface.