Women Class And Society In Early Christianity

Often scholars and students of the New Testament view women as if they all existed at the same social, political, and economic level. Rather, women in antiquity could be found anywhere along the spectrum of society, from voiceless slave to wealthy landowner. An indispensable work for understanding the variegated nature of women in the ancient world and the gospel s impact upon them.

Lynn Cohick provides an accurate and fulsome picture of the earliest Christian women by examining a wide variety of first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman documents that illuminate their lives. She organizes the book around three major spheres of life: family, religious community, and society in general. Cohick shows that although women during this period were active at all levels within their religious communities, their influence was not always identified by leadership titles nor did their gender always determine their level of participation. The book corrects our understanding of early Christian women by offering an authentic and descriptive historical picture of their lives. Includes black-and-white illustrations from the ancient world.

First Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Laurie Guy provides an illuminating, broad-brush survey of the early church in its first four centuries. Readers get to witness the emergence of Great Tradition Christianity as themes unfold over time regarding women, persecution and martyrdom, asceticism and monasticism, eucharist and baptism, doctrine and the ecumenical councils.

As an unabashedly sexist institution that has long been rooted in patriarchal ideals, the Christian church has few . Written by recognized experts in church history, the articles in this book take a close look at women's status in key periods.

This focused look at women in the household context discusses the importance of issues of space and visibility in shaping the lives of early Christian women. Several aspects of women's everyday existence are investigated, including the lives of wives, widows, women with children, female slaves, women as patrons, household leaders, and teachers. In addition, several key themes emerge: hospitality, dining practices, and the extent of female segregation.