The Manliness of Women and the Social Construction of Gender in the New Testament Period
Scholars who study gender in the New Testament period largely agree that a person’s gender did not inevitably result from their sex. Masculinity was achieved through habits of behavior and bodily comportment. Men who did not maintain such standards could be criticized for becoming “effeminate,” a mo...
| Published in: | Novum Testamentum |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2022
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| In: |
Novum Testamentum
Year: 2022, Volume: 64, Issue: 4, Pages: 511-531 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Gender studies
/ New Testament
/ Church
/ Roman Empire
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| IxTheo Classification: | FD Contextual theology HC New Testament KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity ZB Sociology |
| Further subjects: | B
Women
B Masculinity B Gender B New Testament B gender theory |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Scholars who study gender in the New Testament period largely agree that a person’s gender did not inevitably result from their sex. Masculinity was achieved through habits of behavior and bodily comportment. Men who did not maintain such standards could be criticized for becoming “effeminate,” a move downward on the gender hierarchy. Yet scholars have not understood women to have a comparable ability to move up the gender hierarchy by becoming masculine. Although a few examples of “manly” women are well known in early Christian literature, scholars have largely seen such women as an aberration from cultural expectations and as likely to draw criticism. This article argues instead that manliness was a positive trait in women, meant to convey praise. However, women were also criticized as tribades for pursing sexual relationships that were viewed as excessive and framed as masculine. The variety of possibilities and the positive valence of manliness in women point to greater complexity and fluidity in ancient gender construction. |
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| ISSN: | 1568-5365 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Novum Testamentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685365-bja10029 |