The Women of Israel: Volume 2
Or, Characters and Sketches from the Holy Scriptures, and Jewish History

First published in 1845, this series of biographical essays considers the female perspective and experience of Jewish history.

Grace Aguilar (Author)

9781108019385, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 October 2010

498 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.8 cm, 0.63 kg

Grace Aguilar (1818–1847), a prolific nineteenth-century novelist and Jewish historian of Sephardic descent, was better known for her works of fiction, but in this 1845 publication she addresses Jewish history from a female perspective. These two volumes consist of a series of biographical essays on Old Testament, Talmudic and modern Jewish women. Aguilar identifies a need for more female biography of scripture, postulating a continuity between the biblical matriarchs and the Jewish women of her generation. Addressing a female readership, Aguilar writes in a didactic and highly evangelical tone characteristic of the period, using her historical discussion to argue for the emancipation of Jews, particularly Jewish women, who should also have full access to all Jewish religious texts. This second volume focuses on Aguilar's latter four periods of history. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=aguigr

Fourth Period. The Monarchy: 1. Michal
2. Abigail
3. Wise woman of Tekoah. Woman of Abel. Rispah. Prophet's widow
4. The Shunammite
5. Little Israelitish maid. Huldah
Fifth Period. Babylonian Captivity: 1. The Captivity. Review of Book of Ezra. Suggestions as to the identity of Ahasuerus of Scripture. Choice of Esther
2. Esther continued
3. Esther concluded
4. Review of events narrated in Ezra and Nehemiah
Sixth Period. Continuance of the Second Temple: 1. Review of Jewish history, from the return from Babylon to the appeal of Hyrcanus and Aristobulus to Pompey
2. From the appeal to Pompey to the death of Herod
3. From the death of Herod to the war
4. The martyr-mother
5. Alexandra
6. Mariamne
7. Mariamne continued
8. Mariamne continued
9. Mariamne concluded. Alexandra. Salome
10. Helena. Berenice
11. General remarks
Seventh Period. Women of Israel in the Present, as Influenced by the Past: 1. The war and dispersion. Thoughts on the Talmud
2. Talmudic ordinances and tales
3. Effects of dispersion. General remarks.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 [DSBF]