Biblical Women in Patristic Reception

Biblical women play an important role in various genres of patristic literature and in rabbinical texts: for example as role models for women, sometimes for men, as representatives of certain virtues or vices, as authorities in disputes, as a starting point for certain practices. The images that the (almost always male) authors draw of the biblical women always reflect the contemporary social, cultural and religious context, especially with regard to widespread ancient ideas about women and the relationship between the sexes. The anthology asks about the presence and visibility or audibility and the image of biblical women in the late antique texts. It contains contributions on Rahab, the Egyptian wife of Solomon, the lover of the Song of Songs, Judit, the four daughters of Philip and the myrophores of the Gospels that bring salves to Jesus' grave, and examines the reception of these biblical women in various patristic and rabbinical ones texts.