Here is a wonderful quote from Carolyn Custis James’ new book, Lost Women of the Bible.

In her introduction, she writes:

It is not often noted, but many stories of women in the Bible make no mention of a husband or children. Although singleness was exceedingly rare in the ancient Hebrew culture, no one knows if Miriam, Mary and Martha, or Mary Magdalene ever married. In a jarring break from the culture (and without diminishing the family), the New Testament anchors a woman’s identity and purpose to her relationship with Jesus rather than her parentage, her marital status, or her children.