The Role of Women in the Old Testament Apocrypha

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of women in the Old Testament Apocrypha. It is extremely important in this age of feminist movements to understand the religious heritage afforded us by the many women named and unnamed that we find in the Bible. These women have played a vital role as heroines, mothers, wives, temptresses, prophetesses, and symbols of God's relationship to his people. There are many pieces of literature Written on the subject of women in the Bible but few to none exist on the role of women in the Old Testament Apocrypha, that is, the fifteen books of Jewish literature written between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D.