Women on the Biblical Road: Ruth, Naomi, and the Female Journey

This book investigates the feminine traditions of the Hebrew Bible in a readable manner, pertinent to contemporary times. It is unique in its focus on the experiences of biblical women and not how they were perceived within a patriarchal context.Women on the Biblical Road explores, through an eco-feminist lens, female heroes, their journey cycles, and the oral tradition from which these stories originate. At the core of this look at women on the biblical road is the book of Ruth, the Bible’s most complete tale of the female adventure. Caspi and Havrelock point out that the journey of Ruth and Naomi corresponds with a cycle of return and redemption, inseparable from Ruth’s and Naomi’s experience on the road. The authors also propose that this story of two women from distinctly different places who are able to fuse their goals and help each other survive, points to plausible cultural reconciliation in the Middle East and beyond. This book is intended for any university class studying the Hebrew Bible, courses at synagogues or churches, and women interested in tracing female spiritual traditions. Women on the Biblical Road is an important book for the Women’s Spirituality Movement and will surely appeal to the contemporary woman interested in reconstructing women’s traditions.

Mishael M. Caspi is Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Bates College in Maine. Rachel S. Havrelock is Renegade Scholar and Religious School Teacher at Congregation Beth Shalom in San Francisco, California.