Women Who Do - Print

Women Who Do: Female Disciples in the Gospels

By Holly J. Carey

Soft cover 237pp
ISBN 9780802879158
Eerdmans (2023)

[Allow 4 weeks]

To be a disciple is to follow Jesus. And that requires action. But in the gospels, the disciples often falter. The Twelve even abandon Jesus at his crucifixion in many of the narratives. Yet it is female disciples who remain faithful to Jesus to the end. What do we make of this?

Carey examines what it means to be a disciple and contends that it’s the women who best embody discipleship in the gospels. She describes the expectations and social roles for women in first-century Greco-Roman and Jewish contexts. Then she offers a close reading of each of the four gospels, as well as Acts of the Apostles.

Women Who Do is essential reading for readers seeking a fuller understanding of women’s roles in Jesus’s ministry. Carey’s argument not only clarifies the narrative of the gospels but also raises questions about how the church conceives of women’s leadership today.