Esther’s Story (3): Esther in Action
With the Jews in danger, Queen Esther risks her life and exerts her influence and authority. She cannot be mistaken for a sweet passive young woman.
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Category: Bible Women
Esther’s Story (2): For Such a Time as This
Young Esther is taken to the harem in the palace and later taken to the king’s bed. What does the Bible reveal about her thoughts and actions?
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Esther’s Story (1): Setting the Scene
In this 3-part series, I provide commentary on the book of Esther, focussing on the heroine at the centre. What kind of story is Esther’s story?
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Women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting
In Exodus 38:8 and in 1 Samuel 2:22, we are told that women served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Who were these women and what did they do? Did their service involve religious rituals?
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Tabitha: An Exemplary Disciple (Acts 9:36-42)
In Acts 9, Tabitha (AKA Dorcas) is identified as a disciple and described as a generous supporter of the poor. What can we know about her? What did her ministries involve? What is her association with the widows of Joppa? Why did Luke include her story in Acts?
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Nympha: A House Church Leader in the Lycus Valley (Colossians 4:15)
In this post, I look at Nympha, a Christian mentioned in Colossians 4:15. What was her association with Paul? What was her ministry? Where was her house church? Was she really a woman?
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What were Euodia and Syntyche thinking?!
Inspired by a recent reading in Acts, I’ve taken a close look at a common Greek expression that Paul uses when addressing Euodia and Syntyche. What was Paul saying to these women in the Philippian Church?
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Junia: The Jewish Woman who was Imprisoned with Paul
This article looks at Junia, a Christian missionary mentioned in Romans 16:7 who was persecuted for her faith and may have known Jesus personally. Was she also known as Joanna?
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The Witch of Endor, the Dead Prophet and the Doomed King
It is remarkable that the witch of Endor, who dealt in the occult, is portrayed in a sympathetic light in 1 Samuel 28. What is going on here? Did she really conjure up the prophet Samuel? And is it simply a coincidence that the story of Abigail and the story of the witch of Endor are both prefaced with similar statements about Samuel’s death?
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Huldah’s Public Prophetic Ministry
Was there a difference between the ministries of male and female prophets in the Bible? Did male prophets minister publicly and female prophets privately? This is what the authors of Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood assert. Does this view do justice to the memory of Huldah’s influential ministry?
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All About Elizabeth (Luke 1)
According to Luke’s Gospel, Elizabeth was a faithful woman of God who was given a remarkable son, John the Baptist. She was also given a prophetic voice.
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Lydia of Thyatira: The founding member of the Philippian Church
Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:14ff), and women like her, were vital and strategic players at the forefront of the expanding Christian mission.
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