This book presents and interprets evidence for women’s lives in the social context of the New Testament. Some of the evidence from this period of Roman history suggests that women’s roles were sharply restricted. Other evidence shows women taking on leadership roles, managing property, and the like. Previous interpreters have often argued that the two kinds of evidence describe different groups or arenas where women’s activity was either forbidden or allowed. However, this book argues that the evidence points to complex gender norms that were sometimes in tension. The culture widely recognized modesty, submission to men, and silence as virtues of women. Yet society also encouraged women to contribute to the economic well-being of their families and to serve as patrons of individuals, groups, and cities. The chapters of the book address the virtues of women, their legal status, wealth, patronage, occupations, and speech. Each chapter explores the way the New Testament writings emerge out of and reflect this complex set of social expectations for women.
Scholars have often explained discrepancies in evidence for women's participation in the early church by reference to the gendering of public and private spaces. Public spaces were coded male, and when churches moved into these spaces, women's leadership was disavowed. This article rejects the usefulness of the public/private dichotomy as an explanatory tool, arguing that the modern sense in which these terms are used was anachronistic to the New Testament period. The overlap between public functions and space that the modern concept of the ‘public sphere’ takes for granted did not exist in the ancient world. Public functions often occurred in household spaces, and functions considered private also took place outside homes. For these reasons, scholars should look for new language that better describes the ancient patterns.
In the first and second centuries ce, the legal status of women, children, and slaves varies due to factors like location, social status, and wealth. This chapter identifies three factors that complicate the description of these groups’ status under the law: the nature of law as both written law and custom; the breadth of the Roman empire and the practice of self-rule in the provinces; and tensions within the existing historical evidence. It goes on to describe central laws and customs pertaining to marriage and divorce, adoption and care of children, and slave ownership and manumission. Although scholars often contrast Christian practice with Roman or Jewish law regarding women, children, and slaves, the chapter argues that the groups had a good deal in common. Within each group, law and custom are not always in agreement, but they make possible a range of legal actions.
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