In his treatment of Judith, the second of four commentaries on
stories "that speak about women," André LaCocque reflects on
the paradox that Judith--more "woman-oriented" than (the con-
ceivably female-authored) Susanna--was probably written by a
man. He concludes that while paradoxical, the situation deserves
to be celebrated: "The best advocates for a cause are those who
are not self-serving." With just a slight wink to the reader, La-
Cocque appears to plead his own cause here, as in The Feminine
Unconventional he celebrates the underrepresented but bold
interventions of women on behalf of God, for Israel and the
world. Susanna, Judith, Esther, and Ruth are individual ex-
amples of the triumph of four "subversive" figures in Israel's
history. Together, as a literary genre, they represent the persua-
sive and masterful way stories can make their truth known. In
LaCocque's able hands, one sees the potential for change not
only in the bold or cunning actions of four figurae, but also in the
power of narrative art and imagination.

A man writing on women in the Bible does not itself make an
Overture to Biblical Theology, less still an overture to the politics
of biblical studies or an overture to biblical anthropology. This is
true even as LaCocque advances several theses, some more con-
troversial than others, about the role of men and women in the
Bible. In chapter 2, for example, he argues that maleness and
femaleness in Israel have more to do with psychological and
social realities than anything we might designate simple "biologi-
cal" marking. These realities demand balance and mutuality

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