I hadn’t realized how few words were written in the New Testament about the women who were active and influential in Jesus’ life and ministry, and in the earliest churches. Much is left to our imagination.
Nor had I fully realized how much a predominantly male-oriented perspective had distorted or obscured what people knew about them over the centuries. A woman named Junia was even renamed Junias (a masculine name) in some biblical translations for a time. Such things are worth pondering.
Rev. Dr. Kristine Ruffatto provides us with an appreciation for these women from the perspective of contemporary biblical scholars. This creates an opportunity to reflect on how we view them today and why such views are important to us.
Because there were no photographers or artists to provide images of these women, all we have to work with are the few brief descriptions we find in the New Testament.
We decided not to use any of the existing artwork that portrays them. Those portraits employ models readily available to the artist and reveal more about that artist’s view of life than about the woman portrayed.
Rather, I invited Rev. Deborah Kerr to use her leather tooling ability to create something for us. I wanted something visual to help readers reflect on what we are learning about these women and what they mean to us. She explains how she approached that task on page 14.
As I worked with the article and the emerging illustration, the combination caused me to take time to reflect on how my own perspectives have been shaped and how the article and the art was helping me to rethink some of my own views not only about these women but of the women of faith in my own life.
I learned about Mary Magdalene and how red has been used to portray her. I began to pay attention to her colour in the illustration. Reflecting on its use and meaning proved helpful. It’s one example of how you might spend some useful time with this material. I’ve provided a few of my own notes about the use of colour on page 12 to help get you started.
Glimpses
I have a deep appreciation for Rev. Dr. Lawrence Denef and his role in our church as a distinguished theologian. Learn a bit about his amazing career, page 9.
We all have a role in seeking and encouraging people with the appropriate gifts to serve as leaders in our church. Rev. Lori-Anne Boutin-Crawfordhelps us understand how it’s done, p. 6.
Kenn Ward, Editor
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