Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church

by Nijay K. Gupta

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2023

Overview

Women were there.For centuries, discussions of early Christianity have focused on male leaders in the church. But there is ample evidence right in the New Testament that women were actively involved in ministry, at the frontier of the gospel mission, and as respected leaders.

Nijay Gupta calls us to bring these women out of the shadows by shining light on their many inspiring contributions to the planting, growth, and health of the first Christian churches. He sets the context by exploring the lives of first-century women and addressing common misconceptions, then focuses on the women leaders of the early churches as revealed in Paul’s writings. We discover the major roles of people such as:

Phoebe, Paul’s trusted coworker

Prisca, strategic leader and expert teacher

Junia, courageous apostle

Nympha, representative of countless lesser-known figures

When we understand the world in which Jesus and his followers lived and what the New Testament actually attests about women in the churches, it becomes clear that women were active participants and trusted leaders all along. They were welcomed by Paul and other apostles, were equipped and trained for ministry leadership, instructed others, traveled long distances, were imprisoned—and once in a while became heroes and giants.

The New Testament writers tell their stories. It’s time for the church to retell them, again and again.

Key Features

• Focuses on the women leaders of the early churches as revealed in Paul’s writings
• Addresses common misconceptions
• Explores the lives of first-century women

Contents

Introduction: Hidden Figures

Part One: Before the Women Leaders of the Early Churches

Deborah: Prophet, Judge, Mother over Israel

Going Back to the Beginning: Genesis 1–3

Women in the New Testament World

The Women in Jesus’ Life and Ministry

Part Two: The Women Leaders of the Early Churches

The Early Churches

Women Colaborers in Ministry Leadership

Phoebe, Paul’s Trusted Proxy

Prisca, Strategic Church Leader and Expert Teacher

Junia, Venerated Apostle and Imprisoned Hero

Conclusion: Putting It All Together

What About . . . ?

What About Paul Prohibiting Women from Teaching in the Church?

What About the Submission Texts in the New Testament Household Codes?

Postscript

Praise for the Print Edition

Oh, what we can learn when we tell her story! Wherever you stand on women in the church, Tell Her Story will enrich you. This book shows that we still have a lot of work to do in making women visible. What do the stories of women in Scripture teach us about our God, discipleship, and ministry? How we listen to these stories can reveal what we value. Nijay Gupta gives witness to God’s work in the unfolding of the prominence of women in the Scriptures, which also makes visible the overarching story and our location in it as the bride of Christ.

—Aimee Byrd, author of The Sexual Reformation

In Tell Her Story, Nijay Gupta brings to the topic of early Christian women (and some of their foremothers) a mastery of New Testament texts and backgrounds. Combining academic expertise with approachable prose, Gupta takes a fresh look at stories, people, and contexts—from judge Deborah leading Israel to deacon-patron Phoebe delivering the Epistle to the Romans to apostle Junia doing prison time. In exploring the prominent place of women in the history of our faith, the author recovers lost meanings and casts a vision for men and women partnering to serve God’s people.

—Sandra Glahn, seminary professor and general editor of Vindicating the Vixens

Product Details

• Title: Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church
• Author: Nijay K. Gupta
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 209
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. › Biography; Women in the Bible
• ISBNs: 9781514000755, 9781514000748, 151400075X, 1514000741
• Resource ID: LLS:TLLHRSTRLYCHRCH
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-02-27T16:24:48Z

About Nijay K. Gupta

Nijay K. Gupta (PhD, University of Durham) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Portland Seminary, George Fox University, Oregon, and author of Worship that Makes Sense to Paul: A New Approach to the Theology and Ethics of Paul’s Cultic Metaphors (BZNW 175; Berlin: de Gruyter, 2010), Colossians (Smyth & Helwys Biblical Commentary; Macon: Helwys, 2013), and 1-2 Thessalonians (New Covenant Commentary Series; Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2016). He is co-editor of The State of New Testament Studies (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2019), and co-editor of a planned second edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press).