Women in the New Testament World by Susan E. Hylen (review)

Susan E. Hylen, associate professor of New Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, states that the task of her book is “to provide as clear a picture as possible of the legal and social status of women” (p. 4). H. feels that some former conclusions about women “were drawn on the basis of faulty information” (p. 165). She anticipates that her book may alter some aspects of contemporary debates about the roles of NT women.

Hylen’s chapters, entitled “Gendered Virtues,” “Marriage, Divorce, and Widowhood,” “Class Status, Wealth, and Patronage,” “Occupations,” and “Speech and Silence,” are structured to offer a lengthy section on Greek and Roman cultural norms and actual practices. Then, in shorter sections and in light of that evidence, she comments on the relevant NT material. H. defines her use of the term “gender” to mean “the social roles and values associated with being male and female” (p. 6); nonbinary gender considerations are outside the scope of her volume.

With respect to relating the various cultural practices of Greek and Roman women in general to NT women, many of whom were Jewish, H.’s assessment is that, while some Jewish practices were distinctive (e.g., she discusses Babatha’s polygamous marriage), “Jews had social patterns similar to those of the wider culture” (p. 166). She notes that elite Jewish women divorced and remarried in ways similar to Roman women, and likewise Jewish women inherited and owned property analogously.

Hylen indeed concurs with prior scholarship that societal restrictions were placed upon women and that women experienced social, educational, and legal disadvantages. As for any possible advancements for women brought about by Christianity, H. finds no evidence that Christianity improved upon “the dire circumstances of women” (p. 166). However, she repeatedly shows that the social norms dictating women’s roles and behavior were multiple, complex, and even contradictory and that a woman’s superior social standing or wealth and property holdings could become significant enabling factors even in the face of supposed cultural restraints.

As a case in point, with respect to the Roman world of the first and second centuries, H. challenges the common assumption that “men controlled women’s lives and property” (p. 65). She observes that marriages in this period were generally sine manu, meaning that a woman remained in the potestas (legal authority) of her father and then became legally independent (sui juris) upon his death. (Even if a woman were to then be placed under a guardian, she could often choose that person, even from among her own freed slaves. Further, H. observes that guardianship was depleted of any power by this period, effectively leaving decision making to a woman herself anyway). Thus, a woman’s ability to own and control property formed the basis for power within her marriage and within her social sphere. This was in spite of the fact that the law did indeed recognize male superiority and granted potestas to men alone. Many women property owners thus exercised the authoritative role over a household as paterfamilias (father of the family) even though the terminology was masculine.

Hylen’s interesting and clearly written book serves as an informative reminder to avoid assuming that blanket generalizations about cultural norms and assumed restrictions upon NT women should be taken as accurate. The fact that H. has published this work in the Oxford University series entitled Essentials of Biblical Studies indicates that she intends it to be a reference for readers interested in the social world of NT women. It offers an excellent resource for any who want to engage with the fascinating cast of females who come to us in the pages of the NT.