If you are intrigued by the question of how we are to understand the texts in the New Testament that speak of women, be they wives or widows, then Dr Bruce Winter’s latest book is a mind-opening read.
By making available significant examples from the literature of the late republic, the early empire, from the marriage legislation of Augustine and from some of the writings of the main philosophical schools and the letters of Paul, Dr Winter concludes that all were reacting to the phenomenon of the ‘new Roman woman’. Dr Winter therefore has made it possible for us to learn more about the cultural developments that lay behind Paul’s letters.
Dr Winter believes that most Bible teachers have paid little attention to the relationship between the words ‘woman’, ‘veil’ and their social context. Because exegesis has largely been focused on the texts with little time spent exploring social context, he holds that this has resulted in a less than adequate hermeneutic. He records that he had become aware of this when reviewing the secondary literature on 1 Timothy 2:9-15. He was surprised that the literature of the first century was rarely considered and few writers demonstrated any understanding of the ‘new woman’ of Roman society.
His work explores the ‘new Roman woman’ through the words of contemporary writers and through the legislation of the Emperor Augustus. The ‘new woman’ had such an impact on society that Augustus legislated to regulate marriage, to provide incentives for having children and penalties for refusing. Acts of adultery and promiscuity were brought under the jurisdiction of a specially created court. Roman marriages and Roman women had to operate within the law.
Why was it necessary for such laws to be passed? Dr Winter looks at the growing financial independence of some women and the consequent social freedom that brought. This freedom caused discontent with the inequitable moral standards of the day, which produced a trend to promiscuous behaviour by some women.
The literature provides glimpses of these women living lives of total self-gratification. These were the behaviours of the ‘new Roman woman’. The ‘new women’ had an unsettling influence on Roman society and it is this shift in social mores that Augustus legislated against.
In part one, Dr Winter unpacks the evidence in a systematic, thorough and readable way. In part two he turns to examining 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 and sections of 1 Timothy and Titus. His exploration of 1 Corinthians 11 and his careful examination of the Greek leads Dr Winter to the conclusion that it is the marriage veil that Christian women were removing and thereby flouting Roman legal convention. And the men? Their culpability lay in drawing attention to their secular status.
When he examines 1 Timothy 2:9-15, he concludes Paul’s writing was to prevent women being influenced by the ‘new woman’ – not remedial but preventative. The Christian wife’s modesty was a sign that she wasn’t a promiscuous wife and therefore protected the Christian gathering from enemies who could look to bring legal action against the church for promiscuity.
Dr Winter also treats the sections in 1 Timothy on young widows and young wives.Part three unpacks the evidence for the public role of women and, not withstanding a frustrating lack of information, Dr Winter concludes that there is sufficient information to show that Christian women would have been present at house church meetings and that there had been a relaxation of some prohibitions against women in the public sphere.
His final exploration of the world of Phoebe and Junia Theodora provides very interesting insights into Paul’s use of the word ‘patron’ and the importance of these and other women in the early church.
Who is this book for? Certainly for Bible teachers and New Testament scholars, but also for every Christian keen to understand the Bible as accurately as possible. It confirmed some understandings and challenged others. Thank you, Bruce, for your diligent research and readable book.
Narelle Jarrett
Archdeacon Narelle Jarrett is Principal of Mary Andrews College.
