BIBLE STUDIES

Introduction

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The Face Is Familiar:

Remembering Unnamed Women in Scripture

Contents | Lesson One | Workshop

Introduction

In the preface to her work, All the Women of the Bible, published nearly fifty years ago, author Edith Deen wrote, "While attempting to recreate these women, so that they might be seen as real human beings, I had one purpose: to try to understand and interpret their spiritual experiences, their faith, and their relationship with God." (Edith Deen, All of the Women of the Bible (New York: Harper, 1955), p.XXI.) This Bible study follows in that same spirit while incorporating scholarship and insights gained during the ensuing decades. Studying the lives of biblical women can assist contemporary women in understanding our spiritual experiences, our faith, and our relationship with God.

The women profiled in this study, with one exception, were chosen from among the large body of unnamed biblical characters---both women and men. Remembering each one offers an opportunity to recognize some familiar faces in that great cloud of witnesses. As daughters, mothers, sisters, wives, and church women, we share these roles. We also resonated with those who were different from us, and came to find in their lives and faith, insight for our own. We selected one woman who is identified by name---Mary Magdalene---because she undergoes a curious "unnaming" between the Gospels and Paul's letters. The consequences of her anonymity for the Church then and now made her a figure well worth discussion.

The challenge of any Bible study lies in hearing the Divine Word within the human written words, which reflect the social, historical, and cultural circumstances of their ancient time. Particularly in considering biblical women's lives, recognizing the role of patriarchy---the dominance of male authority---is essential. All of the biblical texts emerged from societies in which men ruled the social, political, and religious spheres. For the Bible to speak to us today, we need an array of interpretive tools. Each lesson will feature one of these tools. We hope these tools will equip you for future Bible study as well as this one, will deepen your understanding of biblical truth, and will strengthen your ability to apply God's Word to daily life.

A final word about the study---it does not have one author, but three; not one point of view, but three points of view. Throughout the study, you will hear these three distinct voices---sometimes even within a single chapter. In this way we are not unlike the biblical writers themselves---diverse persons speaking, a chorus of voices praising one God and testifying to one Lord Jesus Christ. The unity of this study originates not from a single mind, but from our common faith.

In looking at the faces of these nameless women, we will see things that challenge and inspire. We don't know their names, but their faces are familiar, and we trust that in such encounters we may come face to face with the very One who saves us all.

Louise, Mary, and Sue Westfall
Picture Rocks Retreat Center
Tucson, Arizona

Introduction Suggestions for Leaders

As you prepare to lead this year's Bible study it is possible you have some initial anxiety, especially if this is your first time. Even professional teachers may experience "butterflies" each time they face a new class. Whether you are a longtime leader or brand new to this position, take comfort knowing that a butterfly is symbolic of resurrection and new life. You can trust the God who created butterflies to also give new life to you and to your group.

One of the contributions made by the authors of this study is the gift of interpretive tools to help in our study and understanding of scripture. Consider giving some extra attention to these tools before you lead each lesson, if possible, gathering the resources mentioned. Begin your search in your church library and if all the resources aren't available there, ask your pastor, church educator, or someone at your presbytery resource center.

As you lead each lesson, draw the attention of your group to the interpretive tools and sidebar explanations and encourage questions about any of them. Even if you don't feel certain about their meaning, struggling with the terms or asking your own questions in front of the group can be a good example. Acknowledge to your group that unfamiliar or seemingly difficult words can sometimes make us feel inadequate. The word in itself is not as important as its meaning and its capacity for increasing our understanding of what is at the heart of God's Word to us.

Remember that each unnamed woman had a name but was not afforded the dignity of her personhood to have it used. It will be helpful throughout this series for all to be mindful that every person we know, meet, classify, or categorize has a name, is somebody, and most of all, is a child of God.

Freda Gardner
Princeton, New Jersey

Books for Additional Reading and Study

Blair, Christine Eaton. The Art of Teaching the Bible: A Practical Guide for Adults. Louisville, Ky.: Geneva, 2001.

Bruce, Barbara. 7 Ways of Teaching the Bible to Adults: Using Our Multiple Intelligences to Build Faith. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 2000.

Hollyday, Joyce. Clothed With the Sun: Biblical Women, Social Justice and Us. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 1994.

Meyers, Carol, ed. Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

Newsom, Carol A. and Sharon Ringe, eds. The Women's Bible Commentary with the Apocrypha, revised edition. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 1998.

Smith, Dennis E. and Michael E. Williams, eds. The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible: New Testament Women. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1999.

Spangler, Ann and Jean E. Syswerda. Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999.

Trible, Phyllis. Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984.

Williams, Michael E., ed. The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible: Old Testament Women. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1993.

All titles were available at the time this was printed. We suggest you purchase them from your local bookseller or borrow copies from your presbytery resource center.

Chronological Chart

B.C.E.
13th century Exodus and Israel's Entry into Canaan
13th--10th centuries Conquest
12th century The Period of the Judges
10th century United Kingdom
9th--6th centuries Divided Kingdom [Judah (Southern Kingdom) and Israel (Northern Kingdom)]
722/21 Fall of Israel
587/586 Fall of Judah
586--538 Babylonian exile
538 Return of Judean exiles

Birth of Jesus

C.E.
33 Jesus' death and resurrection
54 Presumed date of 1 Corinthians
70 Observation of Pentecost begins
80 Approximate date of appearance of written Gospels
382 Closing of the Catholic canon

Historical Designations

This study uses the abbreviations B.C.E., Before the Common Era, and C.E., Common Era, to denote the centuries before and after the birth of Christ.

Societies throughout time have needed to talk about their pasts, presents, and futures, so multitudes of ways
to designate time exist. Different cultures have built their understandings of time around a variety of events including

• the birth of Christ (B.C.)
• the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina (A.H., anno Hegirae, in the year of [Muhammad's] Hegira)
• the founding of Rome (A.U.C., ab urbe condita, "from the founding of the city")
• the creation of the world (A.M., anno mundi, "year of the world")

These are only a few of the reference points for time in our diverse, multifaith world. The increasing frequency of diverse communities and interfaith dialogues require that we have a common way to talk about time and history. Therefore, out of Christian love and basic respect for our global brothers and sisters, we have chosen to use the most inclusive time designation available now---B.C.E. and C.E.

Using Horizons Bible Study

In a fast-paced society, people are searching for community and yearning for deeper spirituality. Comfort, relationships, workplace shifts, stress, private living patterns---these are all factors that draw people to small groups. The need for spirituality in an increasingly secular world brings people to Bible study groups in particular, and these groups benefit individuals as well as churches. The connectedness, commitment, and fellowship participants experience in their small groups spill over into congregational life.

Small groups should
1. Cultivate leadership
2. Establish good administrative oversight
3. Equip leaders to be good teachers

Bible study elements include
1. Observation---discovery of facts, structure of text
2. Interpretation---the meaning of text
3. Application---relationship of text to life and the world

Suggested pattern for small group study
· Opening with prayer
· Summarizing the material to be discussed
· Reading assigned scripture
· Discussing scripture and the lesson
· Applying scripture and lesson to daily life
· Sharing questions and concerns
· Closing with prayer

Settings for This Bible Study
The Horizons Bible study can be used in a variety of settings. For shorter gatherings, such as retreats or special events, consider combining lessons or choosing fewer discussion questions to cover the lesson in the time that's available. For groups that meet on a regular basis, lessons are easily covered in nine one-hour sessions, either weekly or monthly.

How to Lead Discussions
Asking good questions is an art. Discussion can flourish or flounder based on the types of questions that are asked. The leader's role is to be aware of all group members, encouraging those who are hesitant to respond and checking those who want to dominate the conversation.

Consider the following types of questions that can facilitate discussion.

Personal: Questions related to a person's own life experience. Their intent is to guide learners in personal decision making and value forming. For example: "If you had been the father of the prodigal son, what would you have done when he came home?"

Analytical: Questions that require learners to think. These questions are open to many different responses. They suggest that the teacher really wants to know what the learner thinks. For example: "What do you think the father in the prodigal son parable meant when he said, 'Son, you are always with me . . .'?"

Informational: Questions that require learners to remember facts. It is almost impossible to have a good discussion guided by information questions. These must be followed by analytical or personal questions. For example: "What did the younger son do with his share of the property?" has only one answer. To explore the parable further, the teacher must then ask another question, such as "How do you think that made him feel?"

Resources

Blair, Christine Eaton. The Art of Teaching the Bible: A Practical Guide for Adults. Louisville, Ky.: Geneva, 2001.

Bruce, Barbara. 7 Ways of Teaching the Bible to Adults: Using Our Multiple Intelligences to Build Faith. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 2000.

Juengst, Sara Covin. Equipping the Saints: Teacher Training in the Church. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 1998.

McBride, Neal F. How to Lead Small Groups. Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 1990.

Osmer, Richard. Teaching for Faith. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 1992.

Rusbuldt, Richard. Basic Teacher Skills. Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson, 1997.

All titles were available at the time this study was published. We suggest you purchase them from your local bookseller or borrow copies from your church library or presbytery resource center.

Contents | Lesson One | Workshop

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