A Woman's Place is in the House: Royal Women of Judah and their involvement in the House of David

Description

Archaeological discoveries have increasingly brought to light evidence of women's involvement in the royal houses of the ancient Near East, yet such evidence has not fundamentally altered the perception of monarchy as an exclusively male-gendered theological, political, and social institution. Solvang's study assembles the evidence in search of an integrated view of royal women's position and power in critical functions of monarchy, challenging customary assumptions about women's place in the royal harem. The historical information serves as a backdrop for a literary reading of biblical texts describing the royal house of Judah. Attention is given to three women representing different royal positions: Michal (daughter), Bathsheba (queen mother), and Athaliah (queen and monarch).

Elna Solvang is Assistant Professor of Religion at Concordia College, Moorhead.

"The excellence of this study lies in its grounding in a cross-cultural matrix and a historical-anthropological context, especially as rooted in family structures of the ancient Near East.... -Anne Johnson, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 66, 2004 * Catholic Biblical Quarterly * "...a commendably nuanced work." -Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 27.5, (2003) * Journal for the Study of the Old Testament * "...a concise and coherent study... The interdisciplinary nature of this study means that it will be useful for a variety of modules, not least those that deal with feminist readings and the images of women in the Hebrew scriptures." -Reviews in Religion and Theology, 11.1, February 2004 * Reviews in Religion and Theology *