Changing the narrative for women in the Bible In my previous post, August 2025, I discussed reframing the narrative or shifting our perspective on Martha and Mary. I would like to continue this month with the story of Martha and other women we find in the New Testament. Last month, we concentrated on the firstContinue reading “Reframe the Narrative – Shift your Perspective”
Category Archives: Leaving Bethany
The Historical and Biblical Background to Advance from Antioch
In the past two posts, I have looked into the Biblical and historical background of my novels. In January I looked at Leaving Bethany and last month, Return to Caesarea. Now it is the turn of the final book in the Leaving Bethany Trilogy, Advance from Antioch. The story picks up one year afterContinue reading “The Historical and Biblical Background to Advance from Antioch”
The Historical and Biblical Background to Return to Caesarea
Last month I launched a blog series on the Biblical and historical basis of my novels starting with Leaving Bethany. My focus now shifts to the second novel, Return to Caesarea. It is a story where my protagonist, Martha of Bethany fights against potential murderers and her own prejudices. It is five years after theContinue reading “The Historical and Biblical Background to Return to Caesarea”
The Historical and Biblical Background to Leaving Bethany
With the launch of Advance from Antioch, my third and final book in the Leaving Bethany trilogy, I thought I would write a mini-series of blogs, examining the historical and Biblical background of the stories. This month we begin with the first, Leaving Bethany. The novel opens with house-proud Martha sweeping the dust out ofContinue reading “The Historical and Biblical Background to Leaving Bethany”
The women who saw and told
The credible witnesses to Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection Imagine you have witnessed a crime, and you have to make a statement to the police to say what you saw or heard. You need to be truthful and tell the whole truth and not add any details which did not occur. In a court, a credibleContinue reading “The women who saw and told”
Martha and Mary in Art
Literature, as an art form, is not only concerned with words but also images and pictures the reader makes in their mind. Our words create these images as a visual artist may use paint. It is interesting to look at how the two sisters, Martha and Mary, have been portrayed in art during the agesContinue reading “Martha and Mary in Art”
The Easter Story
April 2021 These excerpts are from my novel, Leaving Bethany, and cover the events of Jesus’s crucifixion and his resurrection. Each of the four Gospels give us a list of women who were present at the cross and tomb. However, they each list slightly different names and add that other unnamed women were present. ForContinue reading “The Easter Story”
It’s not just a story
I was ten years old when my grandfather took me to Water Gate Square. We gathered with our neighbours to listen to Ezra, the scribe read from the law. Grandfather was a big man, and as strong as a bear. He’d carried, chiselled, and cut great blocks of stone and put each one into its place to build Jerusalem’s new city walls. But he crumbled as a stone dropped from a great height when he heard the stories of old, and his tears watered the ground.
A Tale of Two Sisters
Has anyone ever asked you, “Are you a Mary or a Martha?” Or “Which sister do you identify with?” It is a question often asked of women, with men being spared this comparison. I know I have, both in the past and when people hear I’m writing Martha’s story. The presumption behind the questions isContinue reading “A Tale of Two Sisters”
Martha’s Mysterious Disappearance
History is written in more than words. Our story is inscribed in sculpture, pictures, and the articles we leave behind. It is a record of how people thought and what they believed the world should be like. A recent Channel 4 programme called “Jesus’s Female Disciples”, raised many questions about the women who followed Jesus.Continue reading “Martha’s Mysterious Disappearance”
Leaving Bethany 