Pagan, Jewish and Christian Women in the Roman Empire: Literary and Archaeological Evidence

In honor of Women’s History Month, Dr. Valerie A. Abrahamsen will present recent scholarly research, which clearly shows that women had much larger roles in the early Roman Empire than previously acknowledged. In this slide presentation we will explore women in antiquity using literary and archaeological evidence. Women in Graeco-Roman cults, Judaism, and the early Jesus groups served as priestesses, synagogue leaders, missionaries, apostles, and possibly even bishops. Contrary to traditions that still impact us in the West, we will see how ancient texts have been misinterpreted for centuries and how archaeology can not only expand our knowledge of the ancient world but also help promote justice and equality in our own society.

Valerie A. Abrahamsen holds the Master of Theological Studies and Doctor of Theology degrees in New Testament and Early Christian Origins from Harvard Divinity School. She is the author of over 100 articles, reviews and book chapters in New Testament archaeology, early church history, women in antiquity, and ancient goddess religion, and she has published two books in these fields: Women and Worship at Philippi (1995) and Goddess and God: A Holy Tension in the First Christian Centuries (2006).