Before You Were Born, I Anointed You: Uncovering Scripture’s “Hidden” Female Prophets
Ebook
Prophetic ministry in the Bible has long been perceived as the exclusive domain of individuals who were powerful, authoritative, argumentative, and, almost always, male. This impression cannot be sustained. In a logical and engaging way, Anna Beresford convincingly shows us that female characters throughout the biblical story are not merely peripheral actors but are often the ones who proclaim God's prophetic word with disturbing clarity. Beginning with the few women acknowledged as prophets in the Hebrew scriptural tradition, Beresford proceeds to uncover a surprising host of "hidden" female prophets. Among this cast we meet the widow whose last penny is consumed by organized religion; the gate crasher who teaches a pious Pharisee stern lessons in hospitality; a woman who has the last word in a theological debate. A woman used to trap Jesus proclaims truth to power, and a feisty foreign lady cleverly proves that God's love is for all of us, regardless of gender or ethnicity. This book is a compelling reminder that God speaks to all people--women and men--and calls on us to share the message "whether it is convenient or not" (2 Tim 4:2 NET).
“This is a fascinating, well-written, and very useful book. It
sets out on a quest to uncover women prophets in the Bible silenced
by patriarchy and misogyny in subsequent interpretation. Its
inclusion of ‘enacted parables’ in the stories of women,
particularly in the New Testament in women’s encounters with Jesus,
is particularly insightful, demonstrating how the Bible can be used
today to resist patriarchal readings and structures within the life
of the church.”
—Dorothy A. Lee, University of Divinity, Trinity College
Theological School
“We often speak today of giving voice to those at the margins.
Anna’s comprehensive study, in which she uncovers the hidden female
prophets of both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, does just
that. . . . I recommend the reading of this book to all
who wish to deepen their understanding of the role and place of the
female prophet in our Christian faith tradition.”
—Patty Andrew, OSU, teacher educator, Catholic Education Office,
Diocese of Parramatta
- Title: Before You Were Born, I Anointed You: Uncovering Scripture’s “Hidden” Female Prophets
- Author: Anna Beresford
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666796988, 9781666737486, 9781666796971, 1666796980, 1666737488, 1666796972
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666796988
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-24T04:36:54Z
Anna Beresford works as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital in
Sydney, Australia. She has authored journal articles including
“Feathers, Fins and Fur: The Significance of the Animals in the
Book of Tobit,” and “Whose Wife Will She Be? A Feminist
Interpretation of Luke 20:27–38.”