Many Christian conservatives make a loud case for the social subordination of women through New Testament texts. They argue that women should take neither leadership nor speaking roles. Some limit the reach of these to religion, but others even advance such typology towards all of society. Were women always admonished to submit? And must religion still be an oppressive force today? In this book, Susan Hylen takes on these lingering issues by addressing the historical and cultural record surrounding the New Testament era. In so doing, she finds plenty of counterexamples to current-day rules.
I taught this book in a Sunday School class of older professionals at a mainline church in Tennessee. Some of us come from conservative backgrounds with strict gender roles; others did not. All of us did not accept such strictness in our present-day lives. Nonetheless, class members – especially the women – appreciated the depth of Hylen’s approach. They saw that the narratives from Scripture that we were brought up with are not as simple as we were first taught. Just like today, women were considered simultaneously virtuous and admired leaders.
From a variety of historical artifacts, Hylen brings out that women in the New Testament era managed property, preached, prayed, advocated for others, and lived full lives. There was indeed a social tendency towards male dominance, not as pronounced as many Biblical interpreters make it seem like today. Then, she takes this culture and learns from New Testament texts. After all, the historical and cultural setting influenced the way the original listeners of the Bible would have understood the message. Her book is neither a polemic nor an argument, but rather a collection of historical data around how we understand ancient women.
This book is not written to forcefully change people’s minds about how women should be treated in the church. In fact, Hylen herself expresses doubts that it will alter many views. However, it can teach readers how to interpret Biblical texts with a greater appreciation of cultural forces surrounding both the first hearers and the writers. This book’s reach extends beyond mere interpretation, though. Women who feel a call to religious leadership can read this and be encouraged to overcome oppressive forces around them. Men can learn to better advocate for their female compatriots. We can all learn that our religious lives can expand far beyond any limits gender places upon us.
Finding Phoebe: What New Testament Women Were Really Like
By Susan E. Hylen
Copyright (c) 2023
Eerdmans
ISBN13 9780802882066
Page Count: 200
Genre: Christian, Religious
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