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By Lauren Jacobs by Lauren Jacobs The bloody tale of Jezebel’s daughter this Jewish queen, Salome Alexandra, and but before the Romans conquered Israel Athaliah’s rise to power has been used another year and a half writing her story. (between the Old and New Testaments). as a model to speak out against female I have a Jewish paternal line, so The Maccabees, members of a family also leadership. Time and time again I have I spent a number of years in a Jewish called the Hasmoneans, freed the tiny heard theologians, bloggers, preachers, synagogue, where I learned about my nation of Israel from the Greeks, and and teachers refer to Athaliah’s attempt favorite Jewish festival, Hanukkah. their family became the rulers of the to assassinate her grandchildren to Hanukkah is celebrated annually to mark land. Sadly, they quickly slipped in to the remain in power as clear evidence that the victory of the Jewish Maccabean pagan ways of the nations around them women should not be leaders. Athaliah, family over the cruel Greek tyrant and became cruel rulers. they assert, is a typical picture of a woman Antiochus Epiphanes. Hanukkah is the Salome Alexandra was a in leadership: power hungry, blood ultimate celebration of light overcoming Hasmonean, born almost twenty years thirsty, and downright unqualified for the darkness, and the ultimate portrayal after her family had taken leadership any leadership position. of victory for those who believe in the over the land. She grew up privileged, So when God led me to another queen One True God of the Bible. This feast is educated, and incredibly strong. She of Israel who ruled in the first century BC, also mentioned in John 10:22. excelled in her studies of God’s Holy I knew I had to share her story to the The Maccabean revolt took place in Law and in political affairs, so much so world. I spent a year and a half researching the 160s BC, after Alexander the Great that her uncle, King John, and his wife 18 MUTUALITY | Spring 2016 WEBSITE: cbeinternational.org chose her to marry their son Alexander, her younger son, a Sadducee, in power through prayer and love, she restored it a hot-tempered teenager who would over the army, allowing the Sadducees to to a paradise of milk and honey. God soon become the king. Alexander turned retain power and influence. blessed the land with rains because she out to be a wicked man and slaughtered Her achievements were so steered her people back to him. That’s anyone who stood in his way. The people meritorious and her reign so prosperous the power of a godly leader, and there are of Judea hated him, and while he was that the Jewish oral law, called the no limitations on that. away fighting wars, Salome governed the Talmud, says this about her reign: When I speak about her, I am often kingdom. The Jewish historian Josephus The rains would come down from asked, “Where has she been all these said that her people loved her because Sabbath eve to Sabbath eve, until years?” My answer? She has been hiding she gave them hope. They respected her the wheat became like kidneys, in plain sight, but her story is coming to to the same degree that they hated her the barley like olive pits, and the the fore for such a time as this. God is husband Alexander. lentils like golden denarii. The reminding us of stories like Salome’s and A turning point came when her sages gathered some of them and Junia’s because God is building an army husband, ill and dying, declared her as his put them aside for the coming of men and women who are fighting for successor, even though their two sons were generations. (Ta'anit, 23a; Sifra, the souls of the lost and of the broken. u at, i. 110) old enough to take the throne. It was an Ḥ ḲḲ Salome’s legacy is not dead. It was unprecedented move, never done before in Wheat as big as kidneys? Barley like dormant, but it is speaking to you and the history of Israel. Her reign challenged olive pits, stored away for generations to to me about a queen who was loved, the idea that women cannot lead but ought come? This reference reminds me of the accepted, and adored; godly, chosen, to be submissive. She was a great military, manna stored in the jars that Moses told gifted, and anointed. Her story leaves political, and religious leader, and her reign Aaron to set aside for future generations me with hope and courage. Her legacy was a one of great prosperity. in Exodus 16:33. should be something we point to While her husband lay dying, Salome joined the army of Israel, which was engaged in a battle with a foreign army at the fortress of Ragaba. Salome Arguments against women’s leadership and her forces emerged victorious after a bloody battle. At the age of sixty- based on Athaliah’s reign are undone by two, she showed herself to be a mighty warrior and a force to be reckoned with. Salome Alexandra’s. She was strong and she was capable. Salome used her political prowess to protect her nation from war. She How have I eaten from this great when we are challenged, something we forged an alliance with another miracle and how have I drunk from the appreciate deeply and take inspiration female ruler of the ancient world, her rains that fell in Salome’s day? This was from. We are like Salome in that we are close friend Cleopatra of Egypt. She what I wondered as I sat down to write facing an ever darkening world, but we strengthened Israel’s weak and ravaged her story. God was giving me the story so have the daily chance to be bearers of borders, increased the size of its army, that I could share a greater truth with the light and to change our world for the and built strategic fortresses. No one body of Christ and with his daughters— better. I pray that we will overcome the dared to attack her nation while she women who have a sword in their hands mindsets that bind women, so that God ruled as queen. but have been told they cannot use it can unleash us! May it be so! Instead, she pursued a reign of because they are the wrong gender. righteousness, seeking to undo the Arguments against women’s pain of the past. The Pharisees and leadership based on Athaliah’s reign Lauren Jacobs is a freelance are undone by Salome Alexandra’s. Her writer, author, and ordained Sadducees were already at odds with minister. She has an MA in one another, as her husband had been reign was an oasis in Israel’s history; divinity and has worked with a devoted Sadducee and persecuted the she was ruler like David, a woman who abused women as a trauma Pharisees. Salome sympathized with by the rabbis’ own admission, ruled in counselor for over five years. a golden age. She was tough, gifted, She serves in full time ministry alongside her the Pharisees, so she created greater husband and is focusing on writing historical equality between the rival factions. She and powerful, so much so that even novels on women lost through the ages. Her novel allowed the Pharisees to re-establish the her abusive husband could not stand on Salome Alexandra will be released in 2017. She judicial council of justice, called the in the way of God’s anointing and writes over at setapartwarrior.blogspot.com. Sanhedrin, and installed her eldest son desire to place a woman on the throne. as High Priest. Meanwhile, she placed She ruled over a failing country, and BOOKSTORE: cbebookstore.org MUTUALITY | “Telling Better Stories” 19.
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