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Deseret Book is pleased to present you with this free digital copy of Women at the Well by Richard and Jeni Holzapfel. To order a print copy of this book, please click here. SISTERS First-century Judean terra-cotta amphora, used to store and transport wine, olive oil, and fresh water Women and the Life and Teachings of Jesus JENI BROBERG HOLZAPFEL RICHARD NEITZEL HOLZAPFEL d ® SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH © 1993 by Bookcraft, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, P. O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company. DESERET BOOK is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company. Visit us at DeseretBook.com First printing in hardbound 1993 First printing in paperbound 2006 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 93-72417 ISBN 0–88494–896–X (hardbound) ISBN-10 1-59038-670-1 (paperbound) ISBN-13 978-1-59038-670-5 (paperbound) Printed in the United States of America Malloy Lithographing Inc., Ann Arbor, MI 10987654321 For our mothers, Susannah and Arleen, and our sisters, Talee, Deila, Frankie, and Linda Contents Acknowledgments......................................................... xi Introduction ................................................................. 1 1 Sisters at the Well: Women Thirsting for Living Water ...................................................... 5 2 The Daughters of Pandora and Eve: Women in Greco-Roman and Jewish Society ......................................................... 10 Classical Greece......................................................... 10 Hellenistic Period...................................................... 11 The World of Rome .................................................. 12 First-Century Judaism ............................................... 15 3 A Woman’s World: The Fabric of Everyday Life .......................................................... 19 Birth and Childhood ................................................. 21 Becoming a Woman .................................................. 22 A Woman’s Private World.......................................... 23 Wedding and Marriage .............................................. 24 A Woman’s World ..................................................... 25 The Four Gospels’ View ............................................ 26 4 Separate Witnesses: The Four Gospels in Perspective .......................................................... 27 Gospel Mosaics ......................................................... 28 viii Contents Individual Witnesses.................................................. 29 Mark’s Gospel ........................................................... 29 Matthew’s Gospel ..................................................... 30 Luke’s Gospel ........................................................... 32 John’s Gospel............................................................ 33 5 The Surprising Five: The Women in Jesus’ Genealogy ..................................................... 35 Tamar ....................................................................... 36 Rahab ....................................................................... 37 Ruth ......................................................................... 38 Bathsheba ................................................................. 39 Mary......................................................................... 40 Why These Women Are Included .............................. 41 6 The First Believers: Elisabeth, Mary, and Anna ................................................................ 45 Elisabeth (Luke 1:5–25, 39–45, 56–63) .................... 45 Mary (Luke 1:26–56; 2:1–19; Matthew 1:18–25) ..... 47 Anna (Luke 2:36–38)................................................ 58 Mary, Joseph, and the Child (Matthew 2:1–23; Luke 2:42–52) ........................................................ 59 7 Once More Astonished: Jesus’ Parables and Women............................................................. 63 The Widow and the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1–8)...... 64 The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8–10) ................................. 65 The Leaven (Matthew 13:33).................................... 66 The Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:23–35)........... 67 A Woman in Travail (John 16:21).............................. 69 The Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13)..... 70 Two Debtors (Luke 7:36–50) ................................... 72 8 Wives, Mothers, and Daughters: Women in the Teaching of Jesus............................ 75 Adultery (Matthew 5:27–28)..................................... 76 Divorce (Matthew 5:31–32; 19:3–9; Mark 10:2–12; Luke 16:18) .................................... 78 Contents ix Honor Your Father and Mother (Mark 7:9–13; Matthew 15:3–6) .................................................... 80 Little Children (Mark 9:33–37; Matthew 18:1–5; Luke 9:46–48.......................................................... 82 Blessing Children (Mark 10:13–16; Matthew 19:13–15; Luke 18:15–17)....................... 83 Lot’s Wife (Luke 17:32)............................................ 84 A Widow of Sidon (Luke 4:25–26)............................ 84 The Queen of the South (Matthew 12:42) ................ 84 Gathering in His Name (Matthew 18:20).................. 85 Those That Hear and Keep It (Luke 11:27–28)......... 85 A Woman Married Seven Times (Matthew 22:23–33; Mark 12:18–27; Luke 20:27–40) ............................ 86 Pregnant and Nursing Mothers (Mark 13:17; Matthew 24:19; Luke 21:23) .................................. 87 9 Along the Way: The Women Jesus Met.......................... 88 The Widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17) ......................... 89 The Woman Taken in Adultery (John 8:1–11)........... 90 The Woman Healed on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10–17)..................................................... 94 The Poor Widow (Mark 12:41–44; Luke 21:1–4)...... 96 Two Stories—One Purpose (Mark 5:22–43; Matthew 9:18–26; Luke 8:41–56)........................... 98 10 They Sat at Jesus’ Feet: Women as Disciples .................. 104 Discipleship............................................................... 105 Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Mark 1:29–34; Matthew 8:14–17; Luke 4:38–41)........................... 108 The Samaritan Woman (John 4:4–42) ....................... 110 The Syrophenician Woman (Mark 7:24–30; Matthew 15:21–28) ................................................ 113 Martha of Bethany (Luke 10:38–42) ......................... 114 Mary, Martha, and Jesus (John 11:1–46)................... 119 x Contents The Women of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:8; Mark 11:8; Luke 19:36; John 12:12–13; Luke 23:27–28) ...................................................... 120 Mary the Mother of Jesus (John 2:1–11; 19:25–27)............................................................... 122 11 Certain Women Which Had Been Healed: Female Disciples Who Followed Him ...................... 125 Certain Women (Luke 8:1–3).................................... 125 Mary Magdalene ....................................................... 126 Joanna ...................................................................... 127 Salome ...................................................................... 129 12 A Memorial of Her: A Woman Anoints Jesus................. 133 Mark’s Unnamed Woman (Mark 14:3–9) .................. 133 Matthew’s Unnamed Woman (Matthew 26:6–13)..... 134 Mary of Bethany (John 12:1–8) ................................ 135 Three Unnamed Women (Matthew 26:69–72; 27:19; Mark 14:16–72; Luke 22:56–62) ............... 139 The Remaining Women (Matthew 27:55–61; Mark 15:40–47; Luke 23:49–56; John 19:25–27) ...................................................... 139 13 The Last to Remain, the First to Return and Remember: Women as Witnesses ............................. 141 The Resurrection According to Luke (Luke 23–24).......................................................... 141 The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35) .................... 144 Jesus Appears to the Eleven (Luke 24:36–48)............ 146 The Resurrection According to Matthew (Matthew 28).......................................................... 147 The Resurrection According to Mark (Mark 16)........ 147 The Resurrection According to John (John 20:1–18) ....................................................... 148 14 Neither Male nor Female: One in Christ Jesus ............... 151 Notes............................................................................ 155 Bibliography ................................................................. 187 Index ............................................................................ 199 Acknowledgments We thank Diane Orton and Russell Orton, our publishers; and the staff at Bookcraft, Inc., for their efforts in making this work better, especially Cory Maxwell, Jana Erickson, Garry Garff, Carolyn Olsen, and Cinda Morgan. Several individuals read our manuscript before publication and gave beneficial suggestions: Greg Christofferson, Dan Hogan, Joseph Fielding McConkie, Talee Meacham, Dana Roper, David Seely, Susan Shupe, and David Trottier. We also thank Veneese Nelson for her help in checking sources. Finally, we express gratitude to R. Q. Shupe and L.D. Von Speierman for allowing first-century artifacts from