Rose Publishing - Women of the Bible New Testament: Bible Study

Women of the Bible: New Testament
Rose Visual Bible Studies

2022 Rose Publishing

Published by Rose Publishing
An imprint of Tyndale House Ministries
Carol Stream, Illinois
www.hendricksonrose.com

ISBN 978-1-64938-028-9

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Author: Cyndi Parker (PhD, University of Gloucestershire) teaches in seminaries, universities, and churches around the world. Cyndi is the Professor of Holy Land Studies at the Israel Bible Center and an adjunct professor at Jerusalem University College. She hosts the Context Matters podcast and publishes papers focused on the cultural and geographical context of the Bible. Cyndi lived in Jerusalem for five years, has led dozens of trips to Israel, and continues to develop innovative, educational trips that inspire students of all ages through experiential education.

Special thanks to Rachel Asproth, whose poem A Prayer for Women: Remember Your Daughters inspired the prayers in this study. This poem first appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of CBEs Mutuality magazine (www.cbeinternational.org).

Portions of session 1 are revised from the chapter Birth Narrative in Encountering Jesus in the Real World of the Gospels , by Cyndi Parker, copyright 2021 by Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture texts in this work marked NAB are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition , copyright 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Images used under license from Shutterstock.com: fizkes, pp. 3,7; ArtMari, pp. 3, 25; kuzmaphoto, pp. 3, 41; Wiresrock Creators, pp. 3, 41; Anutr Yossundara, pp. 3, 55; FotosDo, pp. 3, 71; vovidzha, pp. 3, 83; Chat Karen Studio, pp. 3, 95; OM SHIVA, pp. 8, 26, 42, 56, 72, 84; Anneka, p. 9; Stone36, pp. 10, 22, 23, 28, 37, 38, 44, 51, 52, 58, 68, 69, 74, 80, 81, 86, 94, 95; Suzanne Tucker, pp. 12, 13, 14; godongphoto, p. 19; KieferPix, p. 27; TamuT, p. 30; Guy Zidel, p. 31; StockStudio Aerials, p. 34; Sojourner87, p. 48; Anton Kudelin, p. 75; salajean, p. 89; BlackMac, p. 90; Oleg Senkov, p. 91; mountainpix, p. 92; Maxwell Photography, p. 98; Amenic181, p. 101; Keep Smiling Photography, p. 103.

Other images: Ancient Kechries, Wikimedia Commons / George E. Koronaios, p. 85; Hellenistic-era house on Mt. Gerizim (p. 63) and Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, near the ancient village of Sychar
(p. 65), by Cyndi Parker.

Build: 2022-07-25 15:19:43 EPUB 3.0

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!

Luke 1:45

Women of the
New Testament

God has given us the fullness of his plan in both the Old and New Testamentsthe Old forming the basis for the New, the New explaining the Old. The coming of Jesus Christ, detailed in the New Testament, fulfilled decrees of salvation and justice God had promised to his people centuries before. Not surprisingly, God appointed specific women to play significant roles in the story of Jesus earthly life and the church that blossomed after him. Each of the women highlighted in this study has something to teach us about God. If we look closely enough, we may also notice how deeply God trusts his daughters to proclaim to everyone the good news of who he is and how he is at work in the world.

Women of the Bible: New Testament highlights the lives of several women you may or may not be familiar with. We start with the women listed in Jesus genealogy: Who were they, and how did they merit inclusion in a typically male-only list? The second session is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is one of the few women we can follow through the entirety of Jesus life, and here we will focus on her as a student of Scripture. Next, well learn about Anna, whose lifelong faith in Gods promises to send a Savior spills over into one of the first recorded evangelistic outreaches. The following two sessions turn familiar passages on their heads, prompting us to reexamine the assumptions modern audiences bring to the story of Martha and Mary and the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. We end with Paul and his shout-out in Romans 16 to many of the people who had partnered with him in ministry. Its time for a fresh look at the strategic women mentioned in Pauls list!

Perhaps youve read these narratives before but have never discovered how history, culture, and geography flavor their background. In the following sessions, youll study aspects of these stories that arent commonly discussed but will better inform your perspective and broaden your understanding of the original intent behind their inclusion in the Bible. Although in several ways these womens lives differed from ours today, we also see our own hopes and challenges reflected in how theyve overcome obstacles and persevered in believing Gods promises. In short, they relied on the same God we know and worship, and he blessed them as he blesses us. Are you ready to discover new and interesting insights into key women of the New Testament? Bring your curiosity as you learn more about the God of the Bible and your own transformative role in the story God is writing.

Mothers of Jesus

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary

Tracing family history has become a pastime for some people. These days, chances are pretty high youve noticed the popularity of DNA testing to discover your ancestry, and connecting the dots through genealogy websites has also become more common. But western society traditionally has not made a huge effort to trace family roots or understand personal identity based on a long list of ancestors. Even today were more likely to think of ourselves as individuals with a future that doesnt depend on our background.

The world of the New Testament, however, was completely different. People not only valued the stories of their ancestors but also understood their personal identity based on connections to the past. In fact, connection was so important that Matthew opens his gospel with a list of the radical people who made up Jesus family tree. Each name demonstrates that Jesus life was connected to the larger Israelite storyline and stirs up readers anticipation for the grandness of who Jesus would become. Interestingly, Matthews genealogy breaks the traditional mold by specifically identifying women. To answer why, lets dig into their fascinating stories.