Recently I finished reading Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen. It's an interesting historical biography of one of the Bible's greatest villains. Author Lesley Hazleton examines archeological findings, the current Holy Land environs, biblical and modern sociology, and historical texts in her exploration of Jezebel as a woman, character, and ruler.
Many people tend to think of the Bible as a book written by God, or transmitted divinely through his servants into the book. But historical evidence clearly shows that the Old Testament, at least, was written down long after the events that took place. Hazleton gives us a clear idea of the biases and goals of those ancient authors. It's not to say that the story of Jezebel in the Bible is not true, in any real sense it's as true as any story, but it is nonetheless colored by the writers and numerous editors and translators of the book of Kings.
In examining Jezebel, we can tell that the book is written from a clearly modern, feminist perspective, giving a refreshing and occasionally jarring view of what it means to be a harlot. This goes back to more than just the sexual connotations of the word, exploring the religious meaning. For example, there is a short bit of background on the word "infidel," and an interpretation of why we use the word "bitch." So much in this book is explored through language and derivative meaning that at points the connections could be a bit of a stretch.
There are also parallels to be drawn between ancient prophets and modern religious firebrands, and the deep reasons for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. In examining the hate that fuels much of the fighting in the Holy Land, Hazleton would contend that Elijah, deeply involved in Jezebel's story, is the forerunner of many a fundamentalist religious leader, in each of the three Abrahamic faiths.
The deep thoughts here are engaging, and I would reccomend the book highly to anybody looking to know more about how the Bible was written. I fully intend to read Hazleton's other similar book on Mary, mother of Jesus.
Photo by ClockworkGrue
