Were there very many women leaders in the early church? Yes. Secular historians have attested to the extraordinary number of women the early Christian church attracted. Celsus, in the 2nd century, mocked the church for attracting 'the silly and the mean and the stupid, with women and children." Bishop Cyprian of Carthage noticed that "Christian maidens were very numerous" and it was difficult to find Christian husbands for all of them. Men of the senatorial class could lose their status if they converted to Christianity. That may explain why Peter addresses wives who are married to unbelievers (1 Peter 3:1-7), encouraging them that by their conversation and demeanour, their husbands may come to believe. Ignatius, another church father, greets women leaders in the faith including Alce and Tavia. Polycarp notes that a letter to Philippi is to be copied twice, one for the female leader, Grapte, and the other for the male leader, Clement. The 4th-century theologian Jerome referred to women in his circle of scholars to resolve problems for church elders (1)
Biblical sources also give evidence to women who served as church planters, leaders of house churches, evangelists, deacons, elders and overseers. Men and women were often paired for missionary journeys, not in marriage, but as sisters, co-workers and ministry colleagues. In the 2nd century, Clement of Alexandria discussed these male/female teams saying it allowed the team to teach the word in the women's quarters without scandal.
I believe women were attracted to the early church partly because Jesus gave them freedoms greater than those available in the Greco-Roman culture. The pagan household codes said wives must submit; Paul instructed all believers to submit to one another, as wives of that culture submitted. In contrast to the secular world where veils indicated a woman's status and availability, Paul abolished status, saying a woman should have authority over her own head since the church had no policy on whether a woman wears a veil or not. While the secular world kept women largely uneducated, Paul said let a woman learn (click here for more about Paul and women). It was a scandal for women and men to be treated equally in the Greco-Roman world. And the women responded by participating fully in The Way.
As the Jesus movement became organized as the Christian religion, it acquired the Greco-Roman patriarchal hierarchy. When I began researching women in the New Testament, I thought they had simply been forgotten by historians. However, I am finding that women's stories were intentionally suppressed or discredited. Dr. Ally Kateusz provides evidence that Mary, the mother of Jesus, acted as a priest or overseer after the resurrection (2). Few of the stories of women evangelists and apostles were canonized in the Bible, and ancient extra-biblical texts were criticized. When Christians gave examples from The Acts of Paul and Thecla to support women in ministry, church authorities contested the manuscript. There is ample evidence of women deacons working in ministry, often in women's quarters, providing pastoral care for the sick, evangelizing, instructing, baptizing women and officiating communion to women. Consequently, the office of deacon was demoted for a time to 'laity', allowing the office of the ministry to exclude women (3).
Do you want to put yourself in the shoes of the woman disciples, eyewitnesses, patrons, and apostles? That's why I wrote Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold. While it is told from the point of view of two main female characters, it includes every woman I could find in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). I counted 35 of them! Who are the 35 women in the Gospels?
Now I am writing Because She Was Called, from Broken to Bold Book 2. It covers the time period of Acts 2-11. I plan to write a series covering the whole time period of the Gospels and Acts, set from approximately AD 30 - 70. All of the women of the New Testament will be in this series if all goes well.
In addition to the 35 women in the Gospels, who are another 35 women in the New Testament?
Check out the names and references to these women below. Let's get to know the woman disciples, apostles, preachers and church planters that have been largely forgotten!
First, the groups of unnamed women:
gathered with the apostles in prayer and receiving the Holy Spirit Acts 1:14
New woman believers Acts 5:14
Widows who were neglected Acts 6:1
Women committed to prison and to death by Paul Acts 8:3, Acts 9:2, Acts 22:4
Samaritan women baptized by Philip Acts 8:12
God-fearing women of high standing of Pisidian Antioch Acts 13:50
Women at the place of prayer in Philippi Acts 16:13
Girl possessed by a Spirit in Philippi Acts 16:16-19
God-fearing, prominent women of Thessalonica Acts 17:4
Wives and children of Tyre Acts 21:4-6
I would like to credit academic sources for this list (4).
# | Reference | Name |
1 | Acts 5:1-11 | Sapphira, wife of Ananias |
2 | Acts 8:27 | Candace, Queen of Ethiopians |
3 | Acts 9:36-42 | Tabitha (Dorcus), dressmaker in Joppa |
4-5 | Acts 12:12-15, Col 4:10 | Mary, mother of John Mark, and Rhoda, her servant (already introduced in my novel set in the Gospels). |
6 | Acts 16:1, 2 Tim 1:15 | Eunice, Timothy's mother |
7 | 2 Tim 1:15 | Lois, Timothy's grandmother |
8 | Acts 16:11-15, Acts 16:40 | Lydia, church host in Philippi |
9 | Acts 17:34 | Damaris at the Areopagus in Athens |
10 | Acts 18:2-3, 18-20, 24-26, Romans 16:3-5, 1 Cor. 16:19, 2 Timothy 4:19 | Prisca (Priscilla), tentmaker, teacher |
11-14 | Acts 21:9 | Four prophesying daughters of Philip (traditional names: Hermione, Eutychis, Irais, Chariline) |
15 | Acts 23:16 | Paul's sister |
16 | Acts 24:24 | Drusilla, daughter of Herod Agrippa I and Cypros, wife of Felix (Governor of Judea). |
17 | Acts 25:13-14, 23, 26:30 | Bernenice, sister of Agrippa II, last King of Judea |
18 | Romans 16:1-2 | Phoebe, Deacon of Cenchreae, patron, overseer, letter carrier |
19 | Romans 16:6 | Mary of Rome (same as Mary Magdalene in Orthodox tradition) |
20 | Romans 16:7 | Junia, outstanding apostle |
21 | Romans 16:12 | Tryphena |
22 | Romans 16:12 | Tryphosa |
23 | Romans 16:12 | Persis |
24 | Romans 16:13 | Mother of Rufus (wife of Simon the Cyrene) |
25 | Romans 16:15 | Sister of Nereus |
26 | Romans 16:15 | Julia, wife of Philologus |
27 | 1 Corinthians 1:11 | Chloe whose people report problems in Corinth to Paul |
28 | Philippians 4:2-3 | Euodia, Paul's co-worker in Philippi |
29 | Philippians 4:2-3 | Syntyche, Paul's co-worker in Philippi |
30 | Colossians 4:15 | Nympha, host of a church in Laodicea |
31 | 1 Timothy 2:11 | A woman who is teaching false doctrine should be allowed to learn truth |
32 | 1 Timothy 3:11, Titus 2:3 | women elders and deacons |
33 | 2 Timothy 4:21 | Claudia |
34 | Philemon 1:2 | Apphia, ministry colleague in Colossae |
35 | 2 John 1:1 | The elect lady and her children |
36 | 2 John 1:13 | The elect lady's sister |
Sources:
1) Catherine Kroeger, Christian History Institute, originally published in Christin History Issue #17 in 1988. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/women-in-the-early-church
2) Ally Kateusz, Mary and Early Christian Women: Hidden Leadership, Palgr4ave Macmillan, 2019. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-11111-3
More from Ally Kateusz: https://www.elainekelly.ca/post/art-preserves-mary-as-liturgical-leader
3) Darrell Pursiful, Priscilla Paters "Ordained Women of the Patristic Era", CBE International, July 31, 2001, https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/ordained-women-patristic-era/
4) Sources for the list of women in the New Testament:
Heather Farrell https://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2014/05/list-of-all-women-in-new-testament.html
Marg Mowczko https://margmowczko.com/paul-and-women-in-a-nutshell/
Marg Mowczko https://margmowczko.com/list-of-people-in-romans-16_1-16/
Marg Mowczko https://margmowczko.com/a-woman-not-all-women-1-timothy-212/
Alice Matthews https://www.theologyofwork.org/key-topics/women-workers-in-the-new-testament/
Elaine Ricker Kelly uses her experiences as a woman in business to inspire and empower women at home, church and society. She was an investment and insurance advisor for thirty years, has three grown daughters, and advocates for equality for all people. Elaine R. Kelly lives near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with her husband and lap dog. She and her husband have hiked the 900 km Bruce Trail and enjoy hiking, nature, tennis, music, history and culture.
Books by Elaine Ricker Kelly:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold - biblical fiction offering hope and healing to anyone who feels forgotten, belittled, or out of place.
The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role - a non-fiction book of 104 flashcards with an objective, memorable look at the rationale for diverse views on gender roles.