Читать книгу The Book Of Lists - David Wallechinsky - Страница 17

1 NOAH’S WIFE She is mentioned five times in the book of Genesis, but only in the context of being one of a group who is present. This is surprising considering how talented and efficient she must have been to have been suddenly uprooted from her home and asked to set up housekeeping in a gopherwood ark filled with birds, snakes, insects and full-grown animals of every species. This woman, who kept everything in order in the ark for 12 months, is known to us today, not by her own name, but only as ‘Noah’s wife’, (Gen. 6:18; 7:7 and 13; 8:16 and 18).

2 THE PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER Her father, probably Ramses II, decreed that it was necessary to kill all male children born to the Hebrews because the Hebrew population in Egypt was growing too quickly. One day the pharaoh’s daughter was bathing in the Nile with her attendants when she noticed a basket containing a three-month-old baby boy. She realised that he was a Hebrew child and decided to raise him rather than allow him to be killed by her father. The baby’s sister, Miriam, was standing nearby and offered to find a Hebrew woman to suckle the child. The baby’s mother, Jochebed, conveniently close at hand, was summoned and hired as a nurse to care for the child. The pharaoh’s daughter later named the baby Moshe, or Moses, and he grew up to become the greatest leader and teacher in the history of the Jews. The woman who saved his life and raised and educated him was known in various history books as Thermuthis, Myrrina or Mercis. However, the authors of the Bible referred to her only as ‘the pharaoh’s daughter’. (Exod. 2:5–10)

3 THE WOMAN PATRIOT OF THEBEZ Abimelech was a tyrant who ruled over Shechem for three years during the twelfth century BC. Having taken power by slaughtering 69 of his 79 brothers, he continued his bloody ways by killing the entire population of the town of Shechem when they revolted against him. Moving on to the neighbouring town of Thebez, he was about to set it ablaze when ‘a certain woman’ appeared on the roof of the town tower and dropped a piece of a millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull. Humiliated by the prospect of being killed by a woman, Abimelech ordered one of his followers to run him through with a sword. With Abimelech dead, his supporters dispersed and Thebez was saved. (Judg. 9:50–55)

4 THE WISE WOMAN OF ABEL When Sheba, the son of Bichri, led a revolt against King David, David sent his commander-in-chief, Joab, to track down the rebel and kill him. Joab finally found the culprit hiding in the walled city of Abel. Joab and his soldiers began the destruction of the city, but stopped when a wise woman called out to them to discuss the situation. Joab explained that if the people of Abel turned the rebel Sheba over to him, he and his soldiers would leave them alone. The wise woman easily convinced her people that this was a good deal. Sheba was quickly decapitated, his head thrown over the wall to Joab, and the city of Abel was saved. (II Sam. 20:15–22)

5 BARZILLAI’S DAUGHTER When this Gileadite woman married, she retained her own name rather than take her husband’s. In fact, her husband, a priest, took her family’s name. Despite this early display of feminism, or perhaps because of it, the Bible authors do not tell us her name, but refer to her merely as ‘one of the daughters of Barzillai’. (Neh.7:63)

6 THE SHULAMITE SWEETHEART According to some scholars, the Song of Songs tells the story of a young Shulamite maiden who attracted the attention of King Solomon. He forced her to come to Jerusalem and tried to convince her to marry him, but she resisted him and insisted on remaining faithful to her shepherd lover. Eventually Solomon gave up and allowed her to return home, while he was forced to continue living with the 700 women he had already married. (Song of Solomon)

7 HERODIAS’ DAUGHTER Known to the historian Josephus as Salome, this most famous of all dancers is not given a name in the New Testament. King Herod was so impressed by the dancing of Herodias’ daughter that he offered her any gift, including half his kingdom. After consulting her mother, who was angry with John the Baptist for publicly denouncing her as an incestuous adulterer, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. She got it and promptly turned over the grisly prize to her mum. (Matt. 14:6; Mark 6:22)

8 THE ADULTEROUS WOMAN Caught in the act of adultery, this woman was brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees, who pointed out that the law required that such an offence be punished by stoning. Jesus ignored them at first and then said, ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’ One by one her accusers slithered away, and she was not punished. (John 8:3–ll)