Under Her Wings: Mothers and Motherhood in the New Testament - Paperback

by Jennifer Houston McNeel (Author)

A comprehensive study of motherhood in the New Testament

Mothers and motherhood-related themes are present throughout the New Testament, yet they have not received sufficient attention from biblical scholars. Under Her Wings fills this gap by exploring the literary, historical, feminist, and theological significance of mothers and motherhood in the New Testament.

Balancing critical scholarship with sensitivity to the importance of the Bible, author Jennifer Houston McNeel analyzes the stories of mothers in the Gospels and Acts, mothers referred to in New Testament letters and Revelation, and metaphorical uses of motherhood throughout the New Testament. Following this comprehensive survey, she draws together the motherhood-related themes that have been explored throughout the book--new life, suffering, identity, caregiving, and influence--and offers reflections on why the study of mothers in the New Testament matters.

Readers of Under Her Wings will come away with a clearer understanding of what motherhood signifies in the New Testament, and of the meanings and themes that are being communicated when mothers appear in the text. They will also learn how the historical realities of women in the ancient world should inform our reading of mothers as biblical characters and maternal metaphors. Comprehensive and insightful, this book is a valuable resource for seminarians, scholars, and readers interested in the intersection of biblical studies and motherhood.

Author Biography

Jennifer Houston McNeel is a core faculty member at St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research and writing interests focus on the social world of the New Testament in general and women in the New Testament in particular. She is the author of Paul as Infant and Nursing Mother: Metaphor, Rhetoric, and Identity in 1 Thessalonians 2:5-8.