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Most Christians have heard a familiar description of the Samaritan
woman in John 4: she was a sinner, an adulteress, even a
prostitute. Throughout church history, the woman at the well has
been seen narrowly in terms of her gender and marital history. What
are we missing in the story? And what difference does our
interpretation of this passage make for women and men in the
church? Caryn A. Reeder calls us to see the Samaritan woman in a
different light. Beginning with the reception history of John 4,
she pulls back layers of interpretation entangled with readers'
assumptions on women and sexuality. She then explores the story's
original context, describing life for women and expectations
regarding marriage and divorce in the first century. With this
clarified lens, Reeder's exegesis of the passage yields refreshing
insights on what the Gospel says-and does not say-about the woman
at the well. Throughout the book, Reeder draws connections between
interpretations of this text and the life of the church. The sexual
objectification of the Samaritan woman and minimization of her
positive contribution has ongoing consequences for how women are
seen and treated-including in the failure of many Christian
communities to respond well to accusations of abuse. In the age of
#MeToo and #ChurchToo, The Samaritan Woman's Story offers a bold
challenge to teach the Bible in a way that truly honors the value
and voices of women.
This fresh approach to troubling biblical texts explores the
"family violence" passages in Deuteronomy, tracing their ancient
interpretation and assessing their contemporary significance. Three
laws in Deuteronomy command violence against a family member--the
enemy in the household--who leads others away from covenantal
obligations to God. This book examines such "constructive" violence
carried out to protect the covenant community by investigating the
reading practices of ancient Jewish and Christian interpreters of
Scripture and their applications of these passages. It also helps
modern readers approach biblical texts that command violence in the
family, providing a model for the ethical interpretation of these
difficult texts.
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