This book presents in as clear a way as possible the New Testament material dealing with women and their roles in the context of the movement Jesus began. Dr Witherington begins by illustrating the roles of women in Judaism, in the Hellenistic world, and in the Roman Empire. She goes on to show how Jesus broke significantly with convention in the way he viewed women and their roles, offering as he did a wholly new conception of the legitimate rights of women in society. An analysis follows of the apostle Paul's attitude toward women, which shows how he agreed with and differed from the ideas of his contemporaries. The concluding chapters discuss the evangelists, whose selection and presentation of material with respect to women casts much light on the early Church's understanding of women and their roles. This comprehensive survey, which avoids slanting its material to serve a modern patriarchal or feminist bias, comes to the exciting conclusion that we can see in the New Testament an attempt to reform the patriarchal orientation of the day.

Women and Knowledge in Early Christianity offers a collection of essays that deal with perceptions of wisdom, femaleness, and their interconnections in a wide range of ancient sources, including papyri, Nag Hammadi documents, heresiological accounts and monastic literature.

The status of women in the church is one of the most hotly debated issues of our time. Some Protestant churches have either abandoned or radically modified their interpretations of Biblical passages to allow women to take leadership roles and to accommodate social change; for others, the Old and New Testament passages forbid women to take leadership roles, even though equality between the sexes was taught by Jesus Christ and demonstrated in the early Christian community. The current fervor concerning women in the church is examined in this book, which also traces the status of women through 2,000 years of church history. Chapters are devoted to women in the life and ministry of Jesus, women in the earliest Christian community, solutions to transitional problems, the church's reversion to patriarchal models, Alexander Campbell and the American Restoration Movement in the 19th century, the antislavery movement and modern feminism, and the differing stances taken by churches concerning women in leadership roles.

This book is a lively and provocative treatment of the Genesis stories, which are considered to be of central importance in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The author maintains that crucial points pertaining to gender have been overlooked in the Genesis stories because of faulty interpretations that have been accepted by society uncritically. Examining the history of biblical interpretations, the study focuses on both past impact and potential for human relationships in the future, and offers a broader concept in which the creation stories are seen not as attempts to disclose early history or doctrine but as reflections of male/female relationships as well as those between both genders and their Creator. The biblical God was neither masculine nor feminine, but transcended traits which various cultures have assigned to one gender or another. The Bible reaffirms the major theme that what the sexes share in common is more fundamental than what differentiates them, and Phipps contends that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have failed during most of their authoritative early traditions. This volume is clearly a feminist treatment of biblical topics, and presents the view that, after cultural prejudices are removed, powerful insights for contemporary life are revealed. In addition, anthropological and psychological perceptions are brought to bear on the biblical literature, and some of the complexities are explored, such as the exclusion of the female image of God throughout Judeo-Christian history, interpretations of the Genesis rib story, and the myths of Eve and Pandora. A refreshing approach to an age old controversy, this work deals evenhandedly with both genders, and should prove of particular interest to scholars of women's studies and religious studies, historians, classicists, pastors, and the educated religious person.

A thought-provoking Bible study series designed to motivate Christian women to read the Scriptures for themselves

"Rosemary Radford Ruether's authoritative, award-winning critique of women's unequal standing in the church, which explored the complex history of redemption in evaluating conflict over the fundamental meaning of the Christian gospel for gender relations, is now in an updated and expanded edition. Ruether highlights women theologians' work to challenge the patriarchal paradigm of historical theology and to present redemption linked to the liberation of women. Ruether turns her attention to the situation of women globally and how the growing plurality of women's voices from multicultural and multireligious contexts articulates feminist liberation theology today." --Publisher description.

This work explores the impact of Christian women—as scholars and leaders representing the ethnic, national, racial, and denominational diversity of Christianity today—on all aspects of life. Women and Christianity explores the experiences of women and how their daily lives interface with their spirituality and faith. Beginning with a historical overview, the book presents essays grouped under five broad headings: women, family, and environment; socioeconomics, politics, and authority; body, mind, and spirit; sex, power, and vulnerability; and women, world view, and religious practice. These essays focus on multiple aspects of women's experiences and contemporary Christian realities, involving the interrelatedness of faith, thought, and activism across many strata of global society. They wrestle with the daily experiences and challenges women face integrating their lives as women of faith—as they are advocates, experience agency, and work for mutuality. It shows how in all these roles, women must negotiate power, injustice, and the impact of sexism as they work within systemic oppression amid a patriarchal system, nevertheless championing change and refusing to be severely compromised.

This anthology surveys more than 2,000 years of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim commentary and debate on the biblical story that continues to raise questions about what it means to be a man or to be a woman.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace..." (I Peter 4:10). The women whose stories are in these pages display many exceptional traits. They are wise, dependable, thrifty, energetic, and unselfish. They are good wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. Some will stand out in one or more of these spheres, while others will shine in different areas. But there is one thing they all have in common: they were all very courageous. How do these women show their courage? Many will exhibit grace under fire. They have a strong presence of mind. They are able to act decisively because they are sure of their convictions. A courageous woman can say, "I'm sorry," and mean it. She is gracious. Courageous women depend on God. They trust Him and accept His will in their lives. They are willing to accept what God gives them in their lives. When they perceive His will, they put their all into the tasks before them. Brave women are willing to take a stand for what they believe. They will draw a line in the sand and not cross it. Unjust powers, no matter how fearsome, will not deter them from their righteous goals. Courageous women also love others. They are unselfish. They put the needs of others ahead of their own. Their confidence in God's call in their lives is high enough to free them to be able to act independently. Women of courage will share Christ's gospel of peace, forgiveness, joy, and love with others. We live in uncertain times. Only the courageous woman will get through the perils holding her head up high. In these stories, we have examples before us of how a victorious life can be lived.

This volume is part of a series which provides a fundamental resource for feminist biblical scholarship, containing a comprehensive selection of essays, both reprinted and specially written for the series, by leading feminist scholars. The contributors to this volume are Lyn Bechtel, Mark Bredin, Athalya Brenner, Edna Brocke, Carole Fontaine, Lillian Klein, Amy-Jill Levine, Judith Lieu, Heather McKay, Adele Reinhartz, Jane Schaberg, Marla Selvidge, Leonore Siegele-Wenschkewitz, Beverly Stratton, Arie Troost, Pieter van der Horst, and Bea Wyler.