Women have always played important roles in the mission of the church and they are a part of our history. I highlight some of these women here.
Mary the mother of James and Joseph/ Joses, also known as “the other Mary,” is mentioned 7 times in the Synoptic Gospels. What do we know about her?
I look at all the Miriams, Marias, and Marys in the Bible (there are 7 in the NT), and at Mariamne in Josephus, and discuss what their names might mean.
I look at the Hebrew word chayil, used in Proverbs 31:10 for an eshet chayil, and at the Greek word andreia (“courageous”), used to describe some Bible and early Christian women.
This is the 1st of 3 blog posts taken from my chapter in the book “Co-workers and Co-leaders: Women and Men Partnering for God’s Work.” I look here at the women who followed Jesus and the women who hosted house churches.
In Daniel 11:6 it says that “the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement.” Who was this daughter? What do we know about her?
Rahab, Tamar, and Rizpah were in precarious social situations. They each took matters into their own hands, and the consequences of their daring, unorthodox actions were life-changing.
What did the Samaritan woman mean when she told the folk of Sychar, “Come, see a man who told me ‘everything I ever did'”?
Here’s a call and response prayer that thanks God for Bible women who served God and his people with bravery and grace.
Each of the four Gospels contains an account where a woman anoints Jesus with perfume. In this article, I compare these stories. How many times was Jesus anointed?
In Luke 13:10–17, Jesus sets free a woman who had been disabled for 18 years. Click to see Barbara Schwarz’s painting and to read the story that inspired her artwork.
Who was Damaris? What was her social status? What does her name mean? What was her role in the church? Evidence from ancient inscriptions help to answer some of these questions.
Here’s a complete list of women identified as prophetesses in the Bible, with a note on each. There was a recognised place for such women in Israel.
The story of David’s ten concubines, especially when linked with God’s words in 2 Samuel 12:11, is a deeply troubling story. Warning: sexual violence.
Salome was a follower of Jesus, a witness of his crucifixion and empty tomb. She is mentioned twice in the Bible but many more times in other early church documents.
Mary Magdalene was the herald of Jesus’s resurrection and of his impending ascension. After his resurrection, why did Jesus tell her, “Do not cling to me”?
Part 3 looks at what Jael’s story and the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion have in common, and at why some early and medieval theologians used Jael as a type of Mary the mother of Jesus.
In part 2 I look at the sexual and maternal imagery in Jael’s story, and the deadly determination in her actions. What was motivating her? *This article mentions rape.
Jael is a popular Bible figure, famous for her brutal act of violence against Israel’s enemy. In part 1 (of 3), I look at her story as recorded in Judges 4.
Miriam is identified as a prophet and leader in the Bible, but some say her ministry was only to women. Was this the case? What does the Bible say?
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah’s wife are the only women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. Why only these four women?
Paul honours Lois and Eunice and acknowledges they had been Timothy’s teachers. These women enabled Timothy to face challenges in Ephesus.
With the Jews in danger, Queen Esther risks her life and exerts her influence and authority. She cannot be mistaken for a sweet passive young woman.
Young Esther is taken to the harem in the palace and later taken to the king’s bed. What does the Bible reveal about her thoughts and actions?
In this 3-part series, I provide commentary on the book of Esther, focussing on the heroine at the centre. What kind of story is Esther’s story?
Who were the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting and what did they do? Did their service involve religious rituals?
Tabitha (AKA Dorcas) is identified as a disciple and described as a generous supporter of the poor. What was her association with the widows of Joppa?
In this post, I look at Nympha, a Christian mentioned in Colossians 4:15. What was her association with Paul? What was her ministry? Where was her house church? Was she really a woman?
Here’s a look at a common Greek phrase used in Phil. 4:2 concerning Euodia and Syntyche. What did Paul want them to think? Were the women quarrelling?
This article looks at Junia, a Christian missionary mentioned in Romans 16:7 who was persecuted for her faith and may have known Jesus personally. Was she also known as Joanna?
It is remarkable that the witch of Endor, who dealt in the occult, is portrayed in a sympathetic light in 1 Samuel 28. What’s going on here?
Was there a difference between the ministries of male and female prophets in the Bible? Did male prophets minister publicly and female prophets privately?
Elizabeth was a faithful woman of God who was given a remarkable son, John the Baptist. She was also given a prophetic voice.
Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:14ff), and women like her, were vital and strategic players at the forefront of the expanding Christian mission.
Matthew 27:19 mentions Pontius Pilate’s wife and her dream about Jesus. What do we know of this woman? Was she a Jewish convert? A Christ-follower?
In this article I look at the text of 2 John, especially at the words the letter writer uses to identify the people he is writing to, including the “chosen lady.”
Not all first-century women fit the stereotype of being hidden and housebound. Some were influential and prominent in society and in the church.
There were powerful women in Bible times. Some were godly, others were not. This article looks especially at the Queen of Sheba and at Berenice who is mentioned in Acts.
Apphia, a woman, is greeted by Paul in his letter to Philemon. What was her role or position at Colossae? Was she Philemon’s wife or another Phoebe?
This post is about two brave unnamed women mentioned in 2 Samuel 17 who each risked their lives to help King David’s, and God’s, cause.
Eve, Delilah, Bathsheba, Mary Magdalene, and the Samaritan woman have often been thought of as immoral. What’s with that? This article looks at the Samaritan woman without negative prejudices.
Was Deborah the wife of Lappidoth or from a town called Lappidoth? Or does “lappidoth” signify something quite different? And where does the name “Deborah” come from?
What does the ministry of Priscilla and Aquila to Apollos reveal? (Acts 18:18-28). How did others feel about the couple and their ministry? (Romans 16:3-5)
Chloe is a woman mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:11? Was she a pagan or a Christian? A concerned house church leader or the quarrelsome leader of a faction?
What was the ‘place of prayer’ in Philippi where some women, including Lydia of Thyatira, had assembled (Acts 16:13-15)? Was it a Jewish ‘prayer-house’?
In his Church History, Eusebius wrote, “Ethiopia even to the present day is ruled, according to ancestral custom, by a woman” (cf. Acts 8:27). Is there any truth in his statement? As it turns out, there is.
Bathsheba has been described as a seductress and as a conniving political opportunist. Who was she really? What does the Bible say?
This is a summary of the previous 6 parts. Paul was not reticent about using the same ministry terms (or titles), including deacon, for both men and women ministers.
In Part 6 we look at more evidence that deacons in the apostolic and post-apostolic period were travelling envoys and agents, and that some were teachers.
In Part 2, I look at what Romans 16:1–2 in the ancient Latin texts say about Phoebe. These indicate she was recognised as an official deacon (or deaconess).
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko