Women in the New Testament World

Description

Readers of the New Testament notice varying ideas about women. Some women are submissive and silent; others have titles of leaders or speak with approval. In this book, Susan Hylen guides readers through new interpretations of this evidence. She argues that women in the culture enacted feminine virtues in a variety of ways, including active leadership in their communities.

• Part of Oxford's Essentials of Biblical Studies series
• Offers a new interpretation of the conflicting evidence for women's roles and authority in the culture that shaped the New Testament
• Intersects with contemporary discussions of women's roles in churches or women's ordination

About the Author(s)

Susan E. Hylen, Candler School of Theology

Susan E. Hylen is Associate Professor of New Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. She is the author of four books, including A Modest Apostle: Thecla and the History of Women in the Early Church.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Interpreting Evidence for Women's Lives
Chapter 3: Gendered Virtues
Chapter 4: Marriage, Divorce, and Widowhood
Chapter 5: Class Status, Wealth, and Patronage
Chapter 6: Occupations
Chapter 7: Speech and Silence
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Primary Sources
Topical Index

Reviews

"There is much to appreciate in this careful study, and the book is a welcome addition to resources on women in the ancient world...clearly written and impressively researched book." - Colleen Conway, Seton Hall Univeristy, Review of Biblical Literature

"Overall, I highly recomend this book as an academically rigorous and socially responsible treatment of the socio-historical world of women in the New Testament World... this book is prescient in this moment in history as modern biases about culture continue to shift and expand." - Amy Lineman Allen, Christian Theological Seminary, Horizons in Biblical Theology

"Hylen's interesting and clearly written book serves as an informative reminder to avoid assuming that blanket generalizations about cultural norms and assumed restrictions upon NT women should be taken as accurate. ... [The book] offers an excellent resource for any who want to engage with the fascinating cast of females who come to us in the pages of the NT." - Florence Morgan Gillman, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"Women in the New Testament World is suggested for anyone seeking to better understand the world that women lived in during the composition of the New Testament. Many of the chapters promptly address the common assumptions regarding women in the first centuries, systematically opposing them in a wellorganized and thoughtful manner. The brevity of the work only heightens the achievement. The amount of content packed into such a small volume is a feat in itself. Hylen's work will serve as a standard introductory primer in classrooms that are interested in addressing gender issues in the ancient world." - T. G. Barkasy, Reading Religion

"Susan Hylen's new book is not another study of the literary portraits of New Testament women, but rather an in-depth exploration of the social world in which these real women lived and these literary figures are portrayed. It lays out methods and interpretive problems, presents evidence, and walks the reader through the conflicting ideals and reports that come to us from that world. An excellent resource for the interested general reader." - Carolyn Osiek, Professor Emerita, Brite Divinity School