Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life

New: New with remainder mark.
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 9780801031724
Type: Paperback

Lynn Cohick provides an accurate and full 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 (daughter, wife, mother, widow), religious community (including both official and unofficial activities), and society in general (work, slavery, prostitution, benefaction). 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.
Women in the World of the Earliest Christians corrects our understanding of early Christian women by offering an authentic and descriptive historical picture of their lives. The book includes black-and-white illustrations from the ancient world.
Contents
Introduction
1. Women as Daughters
2. Marriage and Matron Ideals
3. Wives and the Realities of Marriage
4. Motherhood
5. Religious Activities of Gentile Women and God-Fearers
6. Religious Activities and Informal Power of Jewish and Christian Women
7. Women’s Work
8. Slaves and Prostitutes
9. Benefactors and the Institution of Patronage
Conclusion
Indexes