Why We're Publishing "In the Beginning Were the Women"

When you’re asked to name Old Testament characters, who springs to mind? Take a moment to jot down the first five you think of.

How many of those characters were men?

The Bible flunks when it comes to equal representation of women, but the women are most definitely there, creating their own stories of how to be faithful to God and to each other. These are the stories captured by Claire K. McKeever-Burgett in her new book In the Beginning Were the Women: Matriarchs, Mystics, Wise Women, and Warriors in the Hebrew Bible. In her follow-up to 2024’s Blessed are the Women, which focused on New Testament women, McKeever-Burgett tells the stories of women in the Hebrew Bible from a feminist theological perspective^, giving voices to women who are unnamed or underrepresented in biblical texts and offering new interpretations and insights into their lives and roles.

“This is a book to give voice to the nameless, to imagine lives for the marginalized, and to create space for the forgotten,” McKeever-Burget writes. “It is a love letter, an apology, and a thank you to the women who have been the sustaining force of creation since the beginning."

In the Beginning Were the Women is divided into four sections: Matriarchs, Mystics, Wise Women, and Warriors, with chapters dedicated to specific women like Eve, Hagar, Miriam, Deborah, and Jael. Each story includes creative first-person narratives, prayers, liturgies, and reflections to engage readers and make connections to their own lives.

Rather than a dry Bible story that may read as a monotone recitation of scripture, McKeever-Burgett writes these women like characters in a novel. Here’s a short passage from the chapter on Rahab as she encounters her mother, returning to her hometown years after leaving for life in the big city of Jericho:

Walking briskly to our village outside Jericho’s city center, it was the first time I had trod that path in more than ten years.

I found Mama pulling weeds in the back garden, tears streaming down her face, sweat mixing with the dirt, making mud.

“Mama,” I said, her back to me.

She lifted her head at the sound of my voice.

“Please, Mama, come with me. If you don’t, you will die.”

“I died a long time ago,” she said without turning to me.

“Mama,” I cried again, “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry I broke your heart, but we can work it out and find a way to live together again. I have money and a house and food and the promise of protection from the Israelites who are marching, as we speak, toward Jericho.”

Mama turned toward me, our eyes meeting for the first time in what felt like forever.

“What have you done?” She spit the words toward me.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I stammered.

“I’ll tell you,” she continued. “You sacrificed your family a long time ago when you left. There’s no saving me now.”

This time, the screams come from inside of me, the shattered pieces of my heart on the ground.

“Don’t do this,” I whispered.

“It’s already done,” she said.

Each story brings a human element to the story so often missing from straightforward scripture readings or even annotated bible studies. In the Beginning Were the Women, like its predecessor, challenges age-old patriarchal interpretations of scripture.

The Bible still inspires us with its stories of courage, compassion, mercy, and spiritual insight. In both of her books, Claire McKeever-Burgett looks deeply at the sacred text, bringing the often-overlooked heroines to the spotlight. Some names are new to us because they’ve previously been merely background characters. McKeever-Burgett’s skill at finding those characters and breathing life into them offers a fresh look at those stories and new insight on how those characters can inspire us. We get sixteen encounters with women we’ve heard of all our lives, like Eve, or who are new acquaintances, like Zohara, whose story begins in a few short verses of Judges 9.

We hope In the Beginning Were the Women inspires you to think about those we easily overlook in the Bible, and in the story of your own life, recognizing those who impact your story more than you know.

Gratefully,
Brad Lyons
President & Publisher