10 Female Leaders From the Early Church

"The Leadership of Women: Meet 10 Female Leaders Who Helped Build the Early Church" - presented on Sept 17, 2022 at Lead Bold

Nov 08, 2022

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“What women these Christians have!” (Libanius, a 4th century pagan philosopher)

If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of what the Bible says about women as leaders, or if you have questions about the role of women in the church, this workshop was a good example of what we’ll be talking about here, in this brand new newsletter called “Question Girl,” a safe, informative place to find inspiration and answers.

This is an invitation to join me on a journey to meet the leader-women of the New Testament and beyond, into the first few centuries of the Church.

I was raised in a very conservative fundamentalist church. Women participated, but all women were expected to submit to all men and the atmosphere was stifling for a curious woman who wanted to know more. I couldn’t help but be a Question Girl, my hand always wanting to rise into the air. I took an aptitude test as a teenager and it recommended two possible career paths—church ministry, or journalism. I couldn’t fathom how on earth I could possibly pursue church ministry as I’d never seen a woman in leadership at a church, so I pursued journalism.

Years later, I found my way back to that ministry path and started seminary. I graduated a few months ago with a masters in New Testament from Northern Seminary. Now I’m pursuing a doctorate in Women, Theology and Leadership. I’m very interested in the women of the early Church, both those mentioned in the New Testament, and those in the first few hundred years of the Church. This area of scholarship is very exciting to me, and to many other women. I’m so glad you’re interested, too!

Here is a summary of my notes from the Lead Bold Workshop I did in September, 2022, called "The Leadership of Women: Meet 10 Female Leaders Who Helped Build the Early Church.”

Here’s a common question, to start: What were women actually doing in the early church? And why haven’t we heard about them before?

A. The quick answer is women were doing everything men were doing in the early church1, and Paul mentions many of these women by name! (Check out Romans 16, for a start.) In the past, however most biblical scholars were men and not that interested in these early Church women. But things are changing; women are entering the academic world and they are interested, so the scholarship is new and exciting in this area. I’ve been fortunate to sit in classes with some of the most exciting, smart, and scholarly women (AND men!) studying these Church ladies of the ancient world and the evidence for women in the early Church not only includes the Bible, but other historical and literary manuscripts and documents, stone inscriptions, artwork such as mosaics and paintings, and even coinage. These women are our sisters, I want to get to know them better, and YES, I have questions!

Click here to view the slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16q7ReR2p9eGVxsAkQ0dDisbDYpofSKkr/view?usp=sharing

Here are 10 Female Leaders Who Helped Build the Early Church

MARY: Storykeeper and storyteller

Mary, mother of Jesus - Matt 1:16, 18-25; 2-11, 13-14, 20-21; Matt 12:46-50; Matt 13:55; Mark 3: 31-35; Mark 6:3; Luke 1:26-56; 2:5-8, 16, 19, 22, 27, 34-35, 43-51; Luke 8: 19-20; John 2:1-5, 12; 6:42; John 19:25-27; Acts 1:14; Gal 4:4

I arrived at my first masters class at Northern Seminary with fear and trembling. What am I doing here? Do I belong? Can I even do this? Sometime during that week Scot McKnight tossed out a remark that I’d never heard before. “Mary the mother of Jesus contributed to the Gospel accounts. Some of the stories could have only come from her.” I felt the earth shake, and I’m from California so I know this feeling well. Dr McKnight went on talking but I couldn’t quite believe what I had heard. Mary—a first century woman—contributed to the Gospels??!! I had never heard such a thing.

Dr McKnight moved on to something else, but I couldn’t get over what I’d heard and spent the rest of that week taking out that thought, turning it over in my mind, and reacting with wonder. Did women actually contribute to the writing of the New Testament? I’ve been researching this, and writings by women in the New Testament period include:

Letters addressing important theological and political issues
Inscriptions
Prayers
Hymns and music
Religious utterances, including from oracles and prophets
Poetry, especially lyrical and elegiac forms
Philosophy: a group of highly educated women known as “the Therapeutics” practiced asceitism, “analyzed scriptures allegorically and composed hymns,” studies the Jewish law, and were praised by Philo of Alexander.
Legal cases
Letters and treatises
Historical memoirs: Pampile of Epidaurus, a first century woman, wrote historical memoirs in the form of 33 books, along with other books about history, controversies and sex.
Narrative: In 203 CE, Perpetua of Carthage wrote an emotional and engaging account of her arrest, imprisonment, and trial, leading to her martyrdom.
The Essene Community, which studied scriptures and the Law in a serious manner, is now known to have included women. As stewards and producers of ancient sacred writings, scholar Lynn Cohick reports this is, in the area of women’s authorship, a hot area for research and inquiry right now.
Jewish synagogues were known to have female leaders, or “mothers of the synagogues” (archisynagõgissa). It’s likely these women synagogue leaders were literate, and producing forms of writing for their constituents.[6]

Women could, and did, write! When looking at the New Testament, pay attention to the particular experiences of women recorded there, especially when they include intimate details, thoughts and emotions, as a clue as to where this information may have originated. The scene at the cross, where women were witnesses, is an important primary account of a pivotal moment in the Gospels and a good example of eyewitness testimony by women at the scene of a singular event. It’s very likely that eyewitness accounts of many Gospel events came from Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was there and a witness to Jesus’ life from before conception to his death and resurrection, his ascension to heaven, and the birth of the Church in Jerusalem and likely Ephesus. Carry this thought with you: Mary was a crucial and active contributor to the Gospels.

MARY MAGDALENE: Disciple, Witness, and Proclaimer

Mary Magdalene - Matt 27:57, 61; Matt 28:1-10; Mark 15: 40-41,47; 16: 1-8, 9-11; Luke 8:2-3; 24: 1-11, 22-24; John 19:25; 20: 1-3, 11-18

Mary Magdalene, the first to meet the risen Christ, and the first to run and tell others, is a key witness and proclaimer of the Gospel. Without Mary Magdalene, there might not be a Christianity. Named first among the women who followed Jesus, Mary Magdalene was not only the first to see Jesus after he rose from the dead, but the first human being Jesus chose to speak to. She didn’t recognize him at first, so he made a point of talking to her and letting himself be seen and known. Mary Magdalene’s witness is crucial to the Gospel, which is the foundation story of the entire Bible and the key to the very meaning of God’s story. In John 20:16, there is a touching scene between Jesus and Mary Magdalene; they speak together and Mary calls Jesus “Rabboni,” which is Aramaic for “my master-teacher.” Carry this thought with you: Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ closest female disciples.

JOANNA (AND MANY OTHER WOMEN): Jesus’ Support System

Joanna Wife of Chuza (and “many other women” who came up with Jesus from Galilee) – Luke 8:2-3; 24:1-11, 22-24. Mark 15:40-41. Apostles gathered in Prayer and Supplication with the Women - Acts 1:14

Joanna was healed by Jesus, then later supported Jesus and the disciples in their travels, sometimes traveled with them, and was a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. Her husband was Chuza, who managed the household of Herod Antipas. Joanna is named among the women in Luke 24:10, who, along with Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, took spices to anoint Jesus’ body after death. Instead, they found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.

Joanna was an upper-class Jewish woman of means in 1st century Palestine, married to an influential member of the Roman-appointed ruler of Galilee. She knew Jesus at least as well as any of the apostles did and was committed to his mission. It’s clear that Jesus had other female friends, supporters, and students, such as Mary Magdalene, Susanna, Salome, and Martha and Mary of Bethany. He never barred them from his presence nor treated them as lesser-than; in fact, he defended women and spoke to them as equals. Carry this thought with you: Jesus was a friend to many women and ministered alongside them, even when this surprised others.

PRISCILLA: Church Planter

Priscilla - Acts 18:2-3, 18-20, 24-26; Rom. 16: 3-5; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19

Priscilla, a nickname for “Prisca,” was a Jewish woman married to Aquila, and involved with Paul in ministry. The couple were friends of Paul, and the three lived, worked, travelled, and ministered together. Paul mentions that these two risked their lives for Paul’s sake. A church met in Priscilla and Aquila’s home, and of the six times the two ministers are mentioned, Priscilla is mentioned first, suggesting she was more prominent in ministry. Priscilla and Aquila taught a well known and highly educated evangelist named Apollos in a more accurate version of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Carry this thought with you: Priscilla is a candidate for authoring, or co-authoring (perhaps with Apollos), the anonymous New Testament book of Hebrews.

PHOEBE: Paul’s Letter Carrier for the Book of Romans

Romans 16:1-2

Phoebe was a minister in Cenchrea, a port town of Corinth. She travelled to Rome where one of her tasks was to deliver Paul’s letter to the Romans. When Paul calls her “our Sister,” this meant she was a follower of Christ. Describing her as “of Cenchrea” meant she was in the vicinity of Corinth for the writing of Romans, with Paul likely there, too. He calls her a deacon and benefactor, meaing she was a key leader of the local church and a supporter of Paul’s ministry. When Paul starts Romans with, “I commend to you,” scholars recognize that this wording is almost always used in letters like this for the courier/letter reader. This meant Phoebe was highly educated and prepared, as a letter-reader’s responsibility was not just to read but likely to perform the entire book of Romans from memory, to ad lib at times, to add emphasis, gestures, and expression, and to answer questions and provide explanations. She was a proxy, or stand-in, for Paul himself, with Paul preparing Phoebe and listening to her practice. The book of Romans is recognized as the most important theological book in the New Testament in understanding what it means to be a Christian. Carry this thought with you: Paul entrusted a woman to deliver and perform (preach) his most important book of theology.

JUNIA: Prominent Among the Apostles

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me.
They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
Romans 16:7 NIV

Andronicus and Junia were well known to the churches in Rome, shown by Paul’s mention of them in Romans. They had been Christians longer than Paul, had been imprisoned with him, and it’s possible they may have been among the founding members and leaders of the church at Rome. Both Junia and her husband were considered outstanding among the apostles. The word “apostle” (Greek: apostolos) suggests someone who is commissioned and “sent” (apostellō) on a mission—today we might call them missional church planters. Carry this thought with you: Paul acknowledged Junia as a Christian who had been in the Lord longer than he had, and as an outstanding apostle.

NYMPHA: House Church Leader

Colossians 4:15

We don’t know much about Nympha, other than she is a recognized house church leader. Paul recognizes and celebrates many female co-workers in his ministry, including house church leaders, patrons, and deacons, businesswomen, and women of high status through family and marriage. These female leaders were likely literate, communicating both through spoken and written words. Carry this thought with you: Paul commemorates a woman, who is single, as a house church leader. She is the patron (host and financial supporter) and the supervisor of the congregation.

THECLA: The Beast Fighter

Thecla was a first century woman in Asia Minor, her story told in “The Acts of Paul and Thecla.”

Early Christians in the first several hundred years of the Church were very familiar with this story, written around 150 CE, and often named their daughters Thecla. Thecla was a young woman who encountered a Christian evangelist named Paul (probably not the actual Apostle Paul), and fell in love with the Gospel. She rejected her fiancee and decided to follow Jesus. She was thrown into the arena and through a series of miracles, survived. For the rest of her life, she lived outside of town, preached the Gospel, and taught male and female disciples. Carry this thought with you: Thecla lived out her faith by resisting societal norms and expectations, embraced ascetism, and dedicated her life to living for Jesus and teaching the Good News to others.

PERPETUA: Spiritual Gladiator

Perpetua was a North African woman who wrote her own story in 203 CE

Perpetua of Carthage, a woman of color from the coast of North Africa, wrote a personal account of her arrest, imprisonment, and trial, leading to the bloody spectacle of an arena martyrdom along with her friend, Felicitas. The editor of the text attests that Perpetua wrote “in her own hand and in accordance with her own understanding,” which is taken to mean that Perpetua kept a journal in prison. She showed agency by defying her father, and praying and interceding throughout the narrative. She also asked for visions; she takes on male form and fights as a gladiator in her final vision, a powerful and memorable metaphor for her struggle to keep control of her public self-sacrifice in the name of Jesus and his kingdom. Ultimately, her vision grants her victory over her gladiator opponent: “she landed the final blow to his head, and he fell on his face…” Carry this thought with you: Perpetua’s prison journal lives on to shock, grieve, and ultimately inspire and empower women today. Because she wrote her own story, Perpetua comes to life as a woman empowered by God to call other women to courage and strength in her faith journey.

HELENA: “Stable Girl“ Turned Christian Empress

Mother of Constantine the Great, and a Builder

Helena was the mother of Roman emperor Constantine I (r. 306-337 CE), known as Constantine the Great, who confessed Christianity and stopped the persecution of Christians. Helena came from humble origins, but in her older years her son gave her the rank of “Augusta,” which means that she was considered an empress and a holy person. When she was 80, she traveled to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, tore down pagan temples, and initiated the building of beautiful churches such as the Church of the Nativity, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on holy sites. Some religious traditions recognize her discovery of the wooden cross Jesus was crucified on. Carry this thought with you: Though she was an empress in her later life, Helena was known to worship with church congregations wearing plain clothes, mixing in with the crowd.

10 Female Leaders From the Early Church

"The Leadership of Women: Meet 10 Female Leaders Who Helped Build the Early Church" - presented on Sept 17, 2022 at Lead Bold

Click here to view the slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16q7ReR2p9eGVxsAkQ0dDisbDYpofSKkr/view?usp=sharing

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