Roman Wives, Roman Widows : The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities

by Winter, Bruce W.

• ISBN13: 9780802849717
• ISBN10: 0802849717
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

In ancient Roman law you were what you wore. This legal principle became highly significant because, beginning in the first century A.D., a "new" kind of woman emerged across the Roman empire - a women whose provocative dress and sometimes promiscuous lifestyle contrasted starkly with the decorum of the traditional married women. What a woman chose to wear came to identify her as either "new" or "modest."
Augustus legislated against the "new" woman. Philosophical schools encouraged their followers to avoid embracing her way of life. And, as this fascinating book demonstrates for the first time, the presence of the "new" woman was also felt in the early church, where Paul exhorted Christian wives and widows to emulate neither her dress code nor her conduct.

Author Biography

Bruce W. Winter is director of the Institute of Early Christianity in the Graeco-Roman World, Tyndale House, Cambridge, a Fellow of St. Edmund's College, and a member of the Divinity Faculty, University of Cambridge. He was recently elected a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Ancient History at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Abbreviations	p. xvi
The Search for a Setting	p. 1
The Connection between Roman Law and Roman Society	p. 2
The Neglected First-Century Women	p. 3
Defining 'Appearance', 'New' and 'Roman'	p. 4
Perceptions of First-Century Women	p. 6
Proletarian or Socially Diverse Christian Women	p. 7
Enslaved v. Emancipated Women?	p. 8
The Structure of This Book	p. 9
The Appearance of New Wives	p. 17
Roman Women	p. 17
Wives and the Legal Power of Husbands	p. 17
Wives and the Portrayal of Affectionate Husbands	p. 18
Wives and Unfaithful Husbands	p. 19
'New' Roman Women	p. 21
Change	p. 21
Contemporary Writers	p. 23
The Promotion of Promiscuity by Poets	p. 24
Catullus (c. 84-54 B.C.)	p. 25
Propertius (c. 48-16 B.C.)	p. 25
Ovid (43 B.C.-A.D. 17)	p. 27
Playwrights and New Roman Comedy	p. 30
Roman Social Values in the East	p. 32
Roman Culture	p. 32
Roman Women	p. 34
Conclusions	p. 37
New Wives and New Legislation	p. 39
Augustus' Marriage Legislation of 17 B.C.	p. 40
Reactions to Augustus' Legislation	p. 47
Women's Defiance	p. 47
Equestrians' Revolt	p. 48
Horace on the lex Julia	p. 49
Legal Inequality	p. 50
Julia and lex Julia	p. 51
The Subsequent Response of Augustus	p. 52
Amendments to the Legislation in A.D. 9	p. 54
Conclusions	p. 56
New Wives and Philosophical Responses	p. 59
Cardinal Virtues and New Roman Wives	p. 60
Women Studying Philosophy	p. 63
Self-Control	p. 63
Justice	p. 64
Courage	p. 64
'Headstrong and Arrogant' Women	p. 65
Educating Daughters	p. 66
Single and Married Men and Sexual Indulgence	p. 68
Pythagorean Woman to Woman	p. 72
Conclusion	p. 74
The Appearance of Unveiled Wives in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16	p. 77
The Significance of the Veil in Marriage	p. 78
The Significance of the Removal of the Veil in Public	p. 81
Modest and Immodest Appearances in Roman Law	p. 83
Official Policing of Dress Codes on Religious Occasions	p. 85
What Was 'Proper' in Roman Corinth?	p. 91
Appearing to Be Contentious	p. 94
Deciphering the Married Woman's Appearance, 1 Timothy 2:9-15	p. 97
Dress Codes in 1 Timothy 2:9-11	p. 98
Respectable Apparel	p. 99
Modesty and Self-Control (2:9a, 15)	p. 101
Adornment	p. 103
Hairstyles	p. 104
Gold	p. 104
Pearls	p. 105
Godliness and Good Works	p. 108
Abortion or Child-Bearing? (2:15a)	p. 109
Avoiding Childbearing	p. 110
Submissiveness and Learning, Teaching and Dominating (2:11-12)	p. 112
Submissiveness or Teaching	p. 113
Speaking and Teaching	p. 115
To Have Authority or Dominate?	p. 116
Conclusions	p. 119
The Appearance of Young Widows, 1 Timothy 5:11-15	p. 123
The Widows and the Christian Community	p. 124
Inappropriate Behaviour by Young Widows	p. 128
To Marry and Have Children	p. 137
The Appearance of Young Wives, Titus 2:3-5	p. 141
The Legal Privileges of Cretan Women	p. 141
Ancient Rights	p. 141
The Coming of Roman Culture	p. 144
Cultural Conditioning and Cretan Christianity	p. 145
Instructors v. Elders	p. 146
Cretans and Cretanizing	p. 149
Drunkenness among Older Married Women	p. 152
Recalling Young Married Women to Their Responsibilities	p. 154
'Wakeup Calls'	p. 155
Lovers of Husbands and Children	p. 159
Household Management	p. 160
Debauchery among Older Children	p. 163
The Behaviour of Husbands	p. 164
Traditional and Christian Values	p. 165
Conclusions	p. 167
The Appearance of Women in the Public Sphere	p. 173
Women in Commerce	p. 174
Women in the Courts	p. 176
Women in Politics	p. 180
Election Propaganda in Pompeii	p. 180
The Roman Forum and Italy	p. 180
Woman Civic Patrons, Magistrates, and Gymnasiarch in the East	p. 181
Junia Theodora, the Federal Patron in Corinth	p. 183
Junia Theodora's Benefactions	p. 185
Junia Theodora's Official Honours	p. 186
The Stated Purposes for Honouring Junia Theodora	p. 186
Junia Theodora and the Request of the Lycian Federation	p. 187
The Limits of Participation	p. 191
Women in politeia and Women in the Church	p. 193
Junia Theodora and Phoebe, Patron and Deacon	p. 194
Junia Theodora and Junia	p. 200
Conclusions	p. 204
Women in Civic Affairs	p. 205
Iunia Theodora	p. 205
A Decree of the Federal Assembly of the Lycian Cities	p. 205
A Letter from the Lycian City of Myra to Corinth	p. 206
A Letter from the Lycian City of Patara	p. 206
A Letter of the Federal Assembly to Corinth Introducing a Second Decree in Favour of Iunia Theodora	p. 208
A Decree of the Lycian City of Telmessos	p. 209
Claudia Metrodora from Chios	p. 210
Claudia Metrodora as Magistrate (stephanephoros)	p. 210
Claudia Metrodora and Her Many Other Public Offices	p. 210
Claudia Metrodora from Ephesos	p. 211
Bibliography	p. 212
Index of Subjects	p. 224
Index of Modern Authors	p. 228
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources	p. 231
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