The Woman's Bible [Paperback]

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Author), Maureen Fitzgerald (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 1993

The publication of The Woman's Bible in 1895 and 1898 represented the feminist pioneer's last strike at the roots of the ideology behind her gender's subordinate role in society. In keeping with her characteristic radical individualism, Stanton attacks religious orthodoxy on a political rather than scholarly basis. This clarion call to action consists of a book-by-book examination of the Bible, placing events in their historical context, interpreting passages as both allegory and fact, and comparing them with the myths of other cultures. It endures as an extraordinary document because of the questions it addresses, the topics it covers, and its still-resonant sincerity. Unabridged republication of the classic two-volume edition of 1895 and 1898.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Every once in a while as we turn the pages of [this] impressive book, there is the temptation to sigh and shout an enthusiastic 'Amen!'" --Oakland Press

About the Author

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born in Johnstown, New York, in 1815. She lived in Boston, Seneca Falls, and New York City, where she died in 1902. Maureen Fitzgerald is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Arizona.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern (June 8, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555531628
• ISBN-13: 978-1555531621
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #584,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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96 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY FEMINISM, July 30, 2010

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Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Woman's Bible (Great Minds Series) (Paperback)

Famous suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) undertook to compile this work after the 1870 revision of the King James Bible was made by an all-male committee. She recruited commentators and essayists (identified by their initials at the end of the article) such as Matilda Joslyn Gage (author of Woman, Church and State), Ursula Gestefeld, Olympia Brown, Mrs. Robert Ingersoll, etc.

The book is divided into two sections: 'the Pentateuch,' and 'Judges, Kings, Prophets, and Apostles.' Stanton herself writes the Introduction to each section. She states in her Preface to the second section, "'The Woman's Bible' is intended for readers who do not care for, and would not be convinced by, a learned, technical work of so-called 'higher criticism.'"

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

"I do not believe that any man ever saw or talked with God, I do not believe that God inspired the Mosaic code, or told the historians what they say he did about woman, for all the religions on the face of the earth degrade her, and so long as woman accepts the position that they assign her, her emancipation is impossible." (V1, pg. 12)
"Accepting the view that man was prior in the creation, some Scriptural writers say that as the woman was of the man, therefore, her position shold be one of subjection. Grant it, then as the historical fact is reversed in our day, and the man is now of the woman, shall his place be one of subjection?" (V1, pg. 20)
"Indeed the Pentateuch is a long painful record of war, corruption, rapine, and lust. Why Christians who wished to convert the heathen to our religion should send them these books, passes all understanding." (V1, pg. 66)
"The fifth commandment will take the reader by surprise. It is rather remarkable that the young Hebrews should have been told to honor their mothers, when the whole drift of the teaching thus far has been to throw contempt on the whole sex." (V1, pg. 83)
"It is truly pitiful to see the deceptions that have been played upon the people in all ages and countries by the priests in the name of religion... No other class of teachers have such prestige and power, especially over woman." (V1, pg. 133)
"Is it not astonishing that so little is in the New Testament concerning the mother of Christ?" (V2, pg. 143)
"The best thing about the Catholic Church is the deification of Mary... The cruelty of Jehovah is softened by the mercy of Mary." (V2, pg. 144)
"Until the feminine is recognized in the Divine Being, and justice is established in the Church by the complete equality of woman with man, the Church cannot be thoroughly Christian." (V2, Pg. 173)

143 of 162 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Biblical commentary that has stood the test of time, March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Woman's Bible (Paperback)

Stanton and her cohorts wrote The Women's Bible over 100 years ago and yet these commentaries are still as pertinent and valuable today as they were at the time they were written. She and others run rings around many of the tenets of organized religion, often disproving them with the very Scriptures on which they are founded! A great read for anyone who seeks equality for women in organized religion as well as those who wish to see a radical visionary (even by today's standards) at work in the 19th century!

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Historical Reading, January 27, 2011

By 

cathymarie - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Woman's Bible (Kindle Edition)

This book is interesting and provides insight into the minds of women in our history. I thought everyone knew who Elizabeth Cady Stanton was -- it is amazing to read the work of someone so accomplished.

Obviously, it is not a "real" Bible or devotional. Anyone shocked by the content of this book probably does not have the capability of comprehending it, so if you mistakenly came across this book while searching for a devotional, don't download it. You will be disappointed. But anyone reading it from a historical and/or feminist standpoint will enjoy it.