Women in the New Testament & Early Church

This course will examine women’s lives in the New Testament and the wider Greco-Roman world (including Second Temple Judaism) by studying the biblical text, literary sources, and archaeological evidence. This course extends the discussion into the second through fifth centuries of the early Church, addressing women’s participation in the intellectual, liturgical, ascetic, and monastic arenas. The course explores women’s participation in and contributions to the Christian story in the first five centuries and discuss women’s participation in leadership in the church today. Pictures of Jewish and gentile women’s lives in these centuries will supplement the portrait of early Christian women.