I read an interesting book the other day – Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs. Her premise is to take several “bad girls” of the Bible – for example Eve, Rahab, and Jezebel, and apply the lessons of their stories to our lives.

Now, I’ve never been Protestant, so much of my discovery while reading this book is probably unique to me. She had a very conversational tone; in fact, her website calls it a “girlfriend” style of commentary. She did bring up some interesting thoughts, had some good insights, and tells the stories with a good sense of humor. Her style of writing made Kh. Frederica’s First Fruits of Prayer click for me. I had suspected that the style of the questions came from contemporary Christian writings, but this confirmed it *

The most striking part was statement that she’d researched many bible commentaries, some going back into the 19th century to do her study (this is my paraphrase). I kept contemplating how much of the historical church and commentary she was missing. She brings up the Sinful woman with the alabaster jar without the historical context of the beautiful intertwining of her story with Judas’ betrayal that is sung on Holy Wednesday. And, she brings up the Samaritan Woman and then has her vanish from history.



The Orthodox Church knows her story, and she didn’t vanish from history. Yesterday (clearly I am a day late on my post, please forgive me) we commemorated St. Photini, who as the Prologue of Ohrid states:

This was the Samaritan woman who had the rare fortune to converse with the Lord Christ Himself at the Well of Jacob, near Sychar (St. John 4:4-31).Believing in the Lord, Photina afterwards went to preach His Gospel with Victor and Josiah her two sons, and with her five sisters, Anatolia, Phota, Photida, Parasceve and Cyriaca. They had gone to Carthage in Africa. There they were arrested and taken to Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero and were thrown into prison. By God's Divine Providence, Domnina, the daughter of Nero, came into contact with St. Photina and was converted to the Faith of Christ by her. After imprisonment they all suffered for the sake of Christ. Photina, who for the first time was enlightened with the light of truth at the well of Sychar, was now thrown into a well where she died and
entered into the eternal kingdom of Christ

While I found that it was difficult to get past the a historicalness of this book, and kept a running commentary with the author in my head, I do think it was an interesting book, and not a bad read. I also appreciate her research and effort in bringing the Bible into our daily lives. If you’ve read it, let me know what you think.

Holy St. Photini, pray to God for us.

And, to those of my friends who are commemorating Holy and Great Friday today, may it be a day of blessed quietness, peacefulness and prayer and may your Easter bring joy and love.

*while I feel that Kh. Frederica’s questions for reflection at the end of her contemplations are the weakest part of her book, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is an excellent Lenten read and the words of the Canon of St. Andrew speak to our souls today as they did when it was written. I also have to shout out to my lovely Goddaughter, who gave me this book, it is greatly appreciated.

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