Israel's story as a people of God is a tale of women, men, and their children. Moving past a patriarchal reading of the Bible, Fischer presents a new interpretation of neglected biblical narratives. From a gender-balanced perspective, she reveals the political dimension and narrative continuation of ancestral stories in the Book of Ruth. Women Who Wrestled with God demonstrates the significance of women in religious history in a way that will inspire as well as inform.

Chapters are: "The 'Fathers' and the Beginnings of the People– An Introduction to Israel's Ancestors," "Sarah, Hagar, and Abraham: Scenes From a Marriage Under the Promise," "Rebecca: A Strong Woman With a Colorless Husband," "Rachel and Leah: The Founders of the House of Israel," "Dark Sides of the Family Chronicle," "Subversive Women at the Beginnings of the People in Egypt," "Naomi and Ruth: The Unconventional Women Ancestors of the Royal House of David," and "Women Who Wrestled with God."

Irmtraud Fischer is professor of Old Testament and women's studies (theology) at the University of Bonn, as well as chair of Old Testament studies at the University of Graz, Austria. President of the European Society for Women's Research in Theology, Fischer was given the 2003 Bad Herrenalber Akademie Preis.