Tragically, the title of Teubal's book (as tweaked by her publisher, as I understand it) is "Sarah the Priestess" and not "Sarah the Woman." The role of the Woman, neither priestess nor goddess, was an office which was instituted with the Lord's cursing of Lucifer with the Woman in the Paradise of Pleasure.

Adam already had a realm of ultimate authority as steward of life, and now the Woman, here used as a title, had power and authority vested in and through her to her Seed to vanquish the Father of Lies and Murder. The so-called "Patriarchal Revolution" of old was actually an assault on the two intertwining authorities of the sacred patriarch and sacred matriarch.

Teubal points out that the Lord repeatedly bolsters that unique office of the Woman with the inheritance by the youngest, a signature of sacred matriarchy. So "patriarchal" Judaism and its derivative Christianity actually retains the living remnant of the exaltation of the Woman.

WWSD? What would Satan do? As Satan or his minions would know, the enemy--the Woman and her Seed--must be eradicated. Here is the basis for the assault on the Adamic stewardship role hallowing and protecting the Woman in marriage. Here is her removal from her storehouse-wedding tabernacle, and the seizing of goods, and the right to distribute them. Here is the throwing down of the landmarks with her visage on them and the taking of lands.

Here is the enslavement of the male steward. Here is her removal from power to a post as temple prostitute while keeping the title only--EN. Here is the slaughter, in some quarters, of the children of the EN. This is surgical strike on the Adamic Steward and the Woman & Seed, true patriarchy and matriarchy, by the ravagers of sacred culture.

And this satanic assault brought continual upheaval and war for lands. The "squatter" means of controlling property is still prevalent in the Middle East today, not the inheritance and deeding with land titles, as those using the little images of the Woman as that claimed by Rachel.

The continuum of the office of the Woman, the EN, "grace," was brought forward through Sarah to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In her angelic visitation is seen the Ancient Sacred Wedding formula with the Three Sacred Strangers: the Archangel Gabriel, Abba, and the Holy Spirit, her Spouse. And most tellingly the Blessed Virgin is addressed as the ultimate EN, "Full of Grace." Teubal's book reveals the cleverness of the Virgin Mary's assent as the "handmaid" of the Lord by examining the legal ramifications in the relationship between Sarah and Hagar, the Egyptian princess.

The retention of the title EN is important in showing the continuity of office holders, and the basis in etymology for our word "queen" with the G-root for "reed" from the wedding tabernacle, linked to the gracious "N." Gwena, GYNE, queen, it explicitly denotes the Woman, she who will conquer. ...

This is one of the most signifigant books I have ever read. For years I have been buying it by the dozen to give away to women who I thought would also find it important. In this book, Teubal looks at the Book of Genesis starting from the point that Abraham and Sarah are a nice Mesopotanian couple in which Sarah is a priestess of a particular order that permits its priestess's to marry but not have children. She is a working priestess of this order and Abraham is a follower of the new ways he finds in Caanan. Through this start she explains many of the confusing parts of Genesis by looking at the stories through the eye of Mesopotainian customs. This changes Genesis totally. For example in Mesopotania the youngest inherits, not the oldest; family trees are traced through the female, so Sarah and Abraham who have the same father but different mothers are not related at all in that world. Over the years I have successfully used the book for several book discussion groups. In one instance one of the participants after we finished said " I feel better about Sarah and also myself." I cannot think of any book that has changed my way of looking at the Bible more.

The author's premise should make everyone equally happy since she makes Isaac the son of Abimelech, Ishael the son of an unknown father and mother, Hagar the mother of an unknown child, and Ketubah's children the only named children of Abraham.

This book is also known as HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN. Since there wasn't a good explanation of this book on this page, I am adding the following. Teubal, an independent biblical scholar in her seventies, may be best known for her development of the Jewish ritual of Simchat Hochmah, Celebrating the Wisdom of Age, something like a bar/bat mitvah for those who reach their Golden and Platinum years. In this scholarly feminist study of the Genesis stories of Sarah and Hagar, she explores the matriarchal tradition in the Bible, which may have been covered over by succeeding patriarchal traditions. Sarah and Hagar are given an identity other than just being sleeping partners of Abraham. She also explores what the female led religious traditions were. This may be of interest to those seeking to create female-led rituals or New Moon ceremonies. Who was Hagar, the matriarch for Ishmaelic peoples and Islam? Was she a slave to Abraham and Sarah? Was she an empowered desert figure? Was she a gift to Sarah from a Pharaoah from their sojourn in Egypt? Was she a lady-in-waiting to Sarah, who was actually a priestess? What was the custom of surrogate motherhood in the Ancient Near East? These are some of the issues explored by Teubal