Why Not Her? A Form and Literary-Critical Interpretation of the Named and Unnamed Women in the Elijah and Elisha Narratives

«This is a fine example of restorative hermeneutics. Hye Kyung Park has done an excellent job in bringing to the fore the named and unnamed women who are entangled in the Elijah and Elisha narratives. Hitherto marginalized, overlooked, and suppressed characters like Jezebel, the nameless woman from Zarephath, the anonymous Shunammite woman, and the unidentified Israelite girl not only come alive in Park's painstaking and meticulous re-reading, but are also shown as pivotal figures who energize the plot and offer critical voices that shape and redefine theological, social, and cultural concerns of the narrative. Written in an easy-to-read style, this book will have appeal beyond biblical studies and will be attractive to those who are interested in feminist studies and critical methods. I warmly recommend this book.»
(R. S. Sugirtharajah, Emeritus Professor of Biblical Hermeneutics, University of Birmingham)
«Hye Kyung Park's study on the named and unnamed women in the Elijah and Elisha narratives of the Hebrew bible is a landmark study that demonstrates the crucial role played by women in these texts. Although women are frequently rendered silent and invisible by past scholarship on these narratives, Park's analysis demonstrates that the women characters play a crucial role in driving the plot and defining the prophetic roles and functions of the male prophets in these texts. In doing so, she gives voice to the previously hidden women in these narratives. Her study serves as a model for the treatment of women characters in the biblical narratives, as well as the roles of women in the contemporary contexts of the Church and modern society.»
(Marvin A. Sweeney, Claremont School of Theology and the Academy for Jewish Religion, California)
«Hye Kyung Park's book clearly builds on literary-historical research by German and American scholars on the women associated with Elijah and Elisha. Park correctly identifies the problem of misogyny in the editions of the DtrH and in later scholars' research by examining the significance of the named and unnamed women in 1 and 2 Kings. Her book is an insightful and methodologically grounded monograph, which makes readers aware of the voices of the women whose identity has been overlooked in biblical and theological scholarship. I heartily recommend Park's book as a means to appreciate the roles and importance of the women characters in the study of Elijah and Elisha narratives.»
(Kyung Sook Lee, Emerita Professor of the Old Testament,
Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea)