Early Christian Women and Pagan Opinion : The Power of the Hysterical Woman

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Summary: New Insights into the women of early Christianity
Review: MacDonald's book is wonderful in the way she picks up on clues that had been passed over before. By examining Christian texts and texts that criticized Christianity, we are able to find out what were the concerns of society in the first two centuries in regard to Christian women. She did a wonderful job in using socio-cultural anthropology and careful exegetical examination of the texts. It is a learned book yet easy to read that does not go into any extremes but simply makes an honest assessment of women's contributions in early Christianity. MacDonald's contributions are subtle points but have a great impact on the views and mindset of anyone studying early Christianity.