Counting Women & Children: Restoring the Lost Heritage of Formative Judaism & Early Christianity

1. Counting Women & Children: Restoring the Lost Heritage of Formative Judaism& Early Christianity Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D. Professor of Biblical Studies & Early Christianity John Carroll University

2. Historical ResearchDepends upon Testimony Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

3. Testimony is Interpreted • Interpreted witness (even material artifacts) • Requires further interpretation • Presuppositions influence interpretation • Nature and extent of testimony (texts, inscriptions, material artifacts, etc.) influences interpretation Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

4. Testimony of Material Artifacts When possible, combine various types of evidence to support reconstruction (e.g., use textual evidence with support identification and interpretation of material artifacts) Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

5. Testimony of Material Artifacts The James Ossuary • Which James is it? • Is the “brother of Jesus” part of the inscription authentic? • What is its date? Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

6. Objective of Historical Research: Most Probable Reconstruction Tarsus Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

7. Reconstructions are Hypotheses • Not certain knowledge of the past • Usually a broad outline with some illustrative details Corner of Mosaic Floor3rd–4th century Anatolia Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

8. Tarsus, reconstruction of tents like those made by St. Paul Readers Interpret Reconstruction Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

9. The Problem of Memory Loss Historical “Some-timers”

10. Elite Bias of Texts • Texts written for literate elite • Highlight their peers • I.e., aristocratic class, typically men • “Average” person not noted • Children rarely mentioned • Few women, fewer named • Cannot be taken as complete • Supplement with material evidence Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

11. Elite Bias of Material Evidence Only wealthy can afford durable goods like • Dedicatory statues & inscriptions • Frescoes & mosaics • Stone v. wood structures Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

12. A History of Forgetfulness Library of Celsus, Ephesus (2nd century C.E.) Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

13. Who “counts” depends upon who’s counting Terms indicating authority often re-defined when applied to women, e.g. • Synagogue inscriptions honoring women as archisynagogos, “ruler of the synagogue” • Authority of women prophets in I Cor 11:10 1st century CE Synagogue at Capernaum Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

14. Who “counts” depends upon who’s counting Terms indicating authority often re-defined when applied to women, e.g. • Synagogue inscriptions honoring women as archisynagogos, “ruler of the synagogue” • Authority of women prophets in I Cor 11:10 Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

15. Sex-Change Operations • Junia, a Roman woman Paul calls a “noteworthy apostle” (Rom16:7) becomes the man “Junias” • The woman presider in the Priscilla catecombs Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

16. The Road to Recovery The Ephesian Via Sacra Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

17. How to Overcome Communal Memory Loss • Follow an explicit, consistent methodology • Cultivate gender blindness (i.e., give same level of credence to evidence concerning women and men) • Use material remains to supplement textual evidence • Read between the lines • Sometimes read “against the grain” Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

18. Women Disciples of Jesus Most images of “the Last Supper” depict only Jesus and twelve men, but women disciples also were there (cf. John 12:1–8). Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

19. Mothers of Synagogues The Temple Scroll (11Q19–20) Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

20. Female Priests in Synagogues & Churches Marin the Egyptian, a Jewish priestess (CIJ 1514) Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

21. History of Jewish Origins: Pilgrimage of Remembrance Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium

22. Other Resources • Bernadette Brooten, Women Leaders in the Synagogues • Tal Ilan, Integrating Women into Second Temple History • ______, Jewish Women in Greco-Roman Palestine • JCU Bible Web (http://www.jcu.edu/bible) • Sheila E. McGinn, presentation on the Maltz Museum Special Exhibit, Cradle of Christianity: Jewish and Christian Treasures from the Holy Land Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., "Shared Values, Divergent Paths" Symposium