Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities

Bruce W. Winter

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003 - Rome - 236 pages

In Roman law you were what you wore. This legal principle became highly significant because, beginning in the first century A.D., a "new" kind of woman emerged across the Roman empire - a woman whose provocative dress and sometimes promiscuous lifestyle contrasted starkly with the decorum of the traditional married woman. What a woman chose to wear came to identify her as either "new" or "modest." Augustus legislated against the "new" woman. Philosophical schools encouraged their followers to avoid embracing her way of life. And, as this fascinating book demonstrates for the first time, the presence of the "new" woman was also felt in the early church, where Christian wives and widows were exhorted to emulate neither her dress code nor her conduct. Using his extensive knowledge both of the Graeco-Roman world and of the New Testament writings, Bruce Winter shows how changing social mores among women impacted the Pauline communities. This helps to explain the controversial texts on marriage veils in 1 Corinthians, instructions in 1 Timothy regarding dress code and the activities of young widows, and exhortations in Titus for older women to call new wives "back to their senses" regarding their marriage and family responsibilities. Based on a close investigation of neglected literary and archaeological evidence, Roman Wives, Roman Widows makes groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of first-century women, including their participation in public life as lawyers, magistrates, and political figures, which in turn affected women's ministry in the Pauline communities.

Contents

• The Search for a Setting: 1
• I The Connection between Roman Law and Roman Society: 2
• II The Neglected FirstCentury Women: 3
• III Defining Appearance New and Roman: 4
• IV Perceptions of FirstCentury Women: 6
• V Proletarian or Socially Diverse Christian Women: 7
• VI Enslaved v Emancipated Women?: 8
• VII The Structure of This Book: 9
• PART I: 15
• The Appearance of New Wives: 17
• Wives and the Portrayal of Affectionate Husbands: 18
• Wives and Unfaithful Husbands: 19
• II New Roman Women: 21
• Contemporary Writers: 23
• The Promotion of Promiscuity by Poets: 24
• Catullus c 8454 BC: 25
• Ovid 43 BCAD 17: 27
• Playwrights and New Roman Comedy: 30
• III Roman Social Values in the East: 32
• Roman Women: 34
• IV Conclusions: 37
• New Wives and New Legislation: 39
• I Augustus Marriage Legislation of 17 BC: 40
• II Reactions to Augustus Legislation: 47
• Equestrians Revolt: 48
• Horace on the lex Julia: 49
• Legal Inequality: 50
• Julia and lex Julia: 51
• III The Subsequent Response of Augustus: 52
• IV Amendments to the Legislation in AD 9: 54
• V Conclusions: 56
• New Wives and Philosophical Responses: 59
• I Cardinal Virtues and New Roman Wives: 60
• II Women Studying Philosophy: 63
• Justice: 64
• III Headstrong and Arrogant Women: 65
• IV Educating Daughters: 66
• V Single and Married Men and Sexual Indulgence: 68
• VI Pythagorean Woman to Woman: 72
• VII Conclusion: 74
• PART II: 75
• The Appearance of Unveiled Wives in 1 Corinthians 11216: 77
• I The Significance of the Veil in Marriage: 78
• II The Significance of the Removal of the Veil in Public: 81
• III Modest and Immodest Appearances in Roman Law: 83
• IV Official Policing of Dress Codes on Religious Occasions: 85
• V What Was Proper in Roman Corinth?: 91
• VI Appearing to Be Contentious: 94
• Deciphering the Married Womans Appearance 1 Timothy 2915: 97
• 911: 98
• Respectable Apparel: 99
• 9015: 101
• Adornment: 103
• Hairstyles: 104
• Pearls: 105
• Godliness and Good Works: 108
• 15a: 109
• Avoiding Childbearing: 110
• 1112: 112
• Submissiveness or Teaching: 113
• Speaking and Teaching: 115
• To Have Authority or Dominate?: 116
• IV Conclusions: 119
• The Appearance of Young Widows 1 Timothy 51115: 123
• I The Widows and the Christian Community: 124
• II Inappropriate Behaviour by Young Widows: 128
• III To Marry and Have Children: 137
• The Appearance of Young Wives Titus 235: 141
• The Coming of Roman Culture: 144
• II Cultural Conditioning and Cretan Christianity: 145
• Instructors v Elders: 146
• Cretans and Cretanizing: 149
• III Drunkenness among Older Married Women: 152
• IV Recalling Young Married Women to Their Responsibilities: 154
• Wakeup Calls: 155
• Lovers of Husbands and Children: 159
• Household Management: 160
• Debauchery among Older Children: 163
• The Behaviour of Husbands: 164
• Traditional and Christian Values: 165
• V Conclusions: 167
• PART III: 171
• The Appearance of Women in the Public Sphere: 173
• I Women in Commerce: 174
• II Women in the Courts: 176
• III Women in Politics: 180
• Woman Civic Patrons Magistrates and Gymnasiarch in the East: 181
• Junta Theodora the Federal Patron in Corinth: 183
• Junia Theodoras Benefactions: 185
• Junia Theodoras Official Honours: 186
• Junia Theodora and the Request of the Lycian Federation: 187
• The Limits of Participation: 191
• IV Women in politeia and Women in the Church: 193
• Junia Theodora and Phoebe Patron and Deacon: 194
• Junta Theodora and Junia: 200
• V Conclusions: 204
• Women in Civic Affairs: 205
• 2 A Letter from the Lycian City of Myra to Corinth: 206
• 4 A Letter of the Federal Assembly to Corinth Introducing a Second Decree in Favour of Iunia Theodora: 208
• 5 A Decree of the Lycian City of Telmessos: 209
• Claudia Metrodora from Chios: 210
• 3 Claudia Metrodora from Ephesos: 211
• Bibliography: 212
• Index of Subjects: 224
• Index of Modern Authors: 228
• Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources: 231

About the author

Bruce W. Winter is the former warden of Tyndale House, Cambridge, and a respected authority on the historical background to the New Testament.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities
• Author: Bruce W. Winter
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003
• ISBN: 0802849717, 9780802849717
• Length: 236 pages