This work presents a broad overview covering the place of women in the writings in the Old Testament. The essays examine attitudes toward women and their status in ancient Near Eastern societies, focusing on the Israelite society portrayed by the Hebrew Bible. "The scope and breadth, the range and diversity of the set of articles offers great access both to the feminist project of the late twentieth century and to Hebrew biblical study." -- Hebrew Studies"Bach has compiled a fascinating collection of nearly 40 essays on attitudes toward women and their status in early biblical times...Highly recommended for special collections." -- Library Journal"Alice Bach has gathered an excellent collection of essays in the field. This reader is a 'must' for anyone taking courses in Biblical Studies." -- Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Harvard Divinity School"The emergence of feminist biblical criticism is one of the most exciting and provocative developments in modern biblical scholarship, and Alice Bach is one of the leaders in the field. Her new anthology serves as both an excellent introduction and a fine survey of the state of the art. I recommend it highly to all biblical scholars, and to general readers with an interest in some of the most important biblical criticism of our time." -- Alan Cooper, Jewish Theological Seminary of America