The first century A.D. saw the rise of a 'new' kind of Roman woman whose provocative dress and decorum departed radically from the image of modesty that epitomized the traditional wife or widow. In this fascinating book Bruce Winter explores for the first time the impact of the new women on Christian wives and widows living in the early Pauline communities. Using his extensive knowledge both of the Graeco-Roman world and of Paul's writings, Winter shows how changing social mores among women - changes that even drew sharp responses from Roman legislators and teachers - help to explain controversial texts in the New Testament, such as Paul's discussion of marriage veils in 1 Corinthians, his instructions in 1 Timothy regarding dress code and the activities of young widows, and his call in Titus for older women to instruct new wives. Based on close investigtion of Graeco-Roman society, Roman Wives, Roman Widows makes groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of first-century life and the social background of the Bible.
