Ute E. Eisen is a Wissenschaftliche Assistentin at the Institute of New Testament Studies and Ancient Judaism at the University of Kiel, Germany. She has a doctorate in theology from the University of Hamburg. Her special areas of study include narrative analysis of Luke-Acts, methodology in New Testament studies, history of early Christianity, and gender studies. Gary Macy, PhD, graduated from Marquette University with both a B.A. and an M.A. in theology and went on to attain a doctorate degree from the University of Cambridge. He taught at the University of San Diego and is widely published in the areas of medieval theology and devotion. H

• ContentsPreface   viiI. Introduction   1A. The Subject and the Method   1B. Tendencies in Scholarship   6C. The Sources   18D. Summary of Purpose and Procedure   21II. Apostles   47A. Women Apostles in the New Testament   47B. Women Apostles in the Tradition of the Ancient Church   49III. Prophets   63A. The Tomb Epigraph of the Prophet Nana   63B. Literary Evidence   67IV. Teachers of Theology   89A. A Papyrus Letter  89B. Inscriptions   93C. Christian Women Teachers and the New Testament Prohibitions   99V. Presbyters   116A. Epigraphic and Literary Evidence from the East   116B. Epigraphic and Literary Evidence from the West   128VI. Enrolled Widows   142A. Epigraphic and Literary Evidence from the West   142B. Literary Evidence from the East   147VII. Deacons   158A. Inscriptions from Palestine and Vicinity   158B. Inscriptions from Asia Minor   162C. Inscriptions from Greece   174D. Inscriptions from Macedonia   177E. Inscriptions from the West   182VIII. Bishops   199A. Inscriptions   199B. Women Bishops in the Early Church   205IX. Stewards   217A. Inscriptions   217B. Stewards in Early Christian Literature   219X. Source-Oriented Perspectives for a History of Christian Women Officeholders   223Abbreviations   225Bibliography   227A. Reference Works   227B. Primary Source  s 232C. Secondary Literature   248Index of Women’s Names from Antiquity and the Middle Ages   296Index of Epigraphical and Papyrus Sources   299Index of Ancient Literature   306Index of Modern Authors   312

I enthusiastically recommend the book as required reading not only for college and seminary students but also for clergy, church leaders and anyone interested in Western history or questions of church and ministry.Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Krister Stendahl Professor of Scripture and Interpretation, Harvard University Divinity School