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

by Nijay K. Gupta

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

Phoebe, Paul’s trusted coworkerPrisca, strategic leader and expert teacherJunia, courageous apostleNympha, representative of countless lesser-known figuresWhen 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.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, History, Theology, Faith, Religion, Audiobook

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2023

About the author

Nijay K. Gupta is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written or edited more than twenty books and has published dozens of academic articles. He is an award-winning researcher and a member of the Society of New Testament Studies.

Reviews

[Carmen Imes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The culture wars over women's roles in ministry continue to rage. Most of them center around 1 Timothy 2:12, which is "100% clear" to many Christians about what women can and cannot do in the church. But debates about this passage have often drowned out the dozens of other ways that Paul signals his support for women in ministry. Dr. Gupta helpfully takes us through Paul's letters to observe how Paul actually spoke to and about women who were engaged in gospel ministry. He doesn't stop them or tell them to go home. He commends them as co-workers and examples for other believers. Dr. Gupta also unpacks the historical context with more nuance, not to remake the past according to modern preferences, but to show where we moderns have made unfair assumptions about women's roles in Roman society. The Roman world was by no means egalitarian, but the situation was more complex than we often assume. Women could own and inherit property, manage slaves, run businesses, serve as patrons, and exercise influence on government. 30% of all property in the Roman world was owned by women. In light of these insights, Gupta revisits the household codes of the New Testament to help us see what Paul was really doing.

This book is not the final word on women in the Bible. We have so many more women to talk about, especially in the Old Testament, but also in the Gospels! However, Gupta's book is a solid start to the conversation for anyone who wants to get past angry debates and consider the evidence.

[Jared Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was blessed with the opportunity to read & review “Tell Her Story” by Nijay Gupta prior to it’s forthcoming release. Before proceeding, I should say that I was not obligated to review the book favorably. My thoughts on it are genuine and sincere.

As somebody who has read somewhat extensively on the topic of women in ministry, I can say with certainty that Nijay offers a unique and refreshing approach to the conversation, with a keen eye toward the sociohistorical contexts of the NT texts. As the title suggests, he spends less time on various “problem texts” (1 Tim. 2, 1 Cor. 14, etc.) and more time on bringing to life the manifold stories of gifted female workers in the gospels and the early Church.

The bulk of his book focuses on the stories of these distinguished NT women, but he locates those stories within a broader biblical theology of gender, which he establishes and substantiates from other areas of scripture. Toward the beginning of the book, for example, he lays a theological foundation by offering an analysis of Deborah’s leadership (Judg. 4-5) and the creation/fall narrative (Genesis 1-3). And, although it is not his primary focus, as I have stated, he does address some of the difficulties of the so-called “problem texts” in the appendices of the book.

After laying a theological foundation, he sets out to establish sociohistorical context. He examines a plethora of extra-biblical literature in an attempt to paint a clearer picture of the status of women in the NT world. The picture he paints proves helpful and nuanced, and it shatters a lot of popular misconceptions and preconceived notions about women in the Greco-Roman world.

Toward the second half of the book, Nijay finally dives into the NT texts, and examines the stories of Mary of Nazareth; Anna the prophetess; Mary Magdalene; Joanna, wife of Chuza; Susanna; Tryphaena; Tryphosa; the mother of Rufus; Lydia; Euodia and Syntyche; Apphia; Nympha; Phoebe; Prisca; and Junia.

The bulk of his time is spent analyzing and discussing the work of Phoebe, Prisca, and Junia; each one of these women receives a full chapter’s worth of treatment. Throughout these chapters, Nijay attempts to paint a more vivid picture of the work these women accomplished—by paying close attention to the immediate, canonical, and sociocultural contexts in which their stories are located.

While at times Nijay’s scholarship proves careful and difficult to contest (as when he defends the gender and apostolic role of Junia); there are other instances where I believe he makes too much of the evidence available to us. (Although, to his credit, I could not find one such instance in which he did not admit to the hypothetical and ultimately speculative nature of his claims.) Perhaps the clearest example of this “overplaying” of the evidence is his analysis of Phoebe in Romans 16. Nijay seems to believe that Paul’s choice of Phoebe as letter carrier virtually necessitates that she read and exposited the contents of Paul’s letter to the Roman church. While this is certainly not impossible, or even unlikely—and I don’t believe that there are theological grounds to believe that this could not be true—it is still a much more contested and less certain position than Nijay’s book might lead one to believe. Randy Richards, for instance, has studied first-century letter-carrying extensively—and he is fairly agnostic on the role Phoebe may or may not have played in the reading and/or expositing of the letter. In any case, Phoebe’s role as a praiseworthy benefactor, letter carrier, and “ministry provider” (Nijay’s helpful translation of “diakonos”) is sufficient to substantiate his broader claim that Phoebe was a remarkable and trustworthy woman on the front lines of ministry in the early church.

There are a few other speculative positions like this that are adopted throughout the book; and I do not always share Nijay’s confidence in them. But I still believe that this is an important work that will contribute much to the ongoing discussion on women in ministry. In the final chapter, Nijay summarizes the book’s contents by relating a few “key ideas and themes” that he intended to develop in the earlier chapters:

-God’s people have needed wise, faithful, and brave women from the beginning
-Women of all kinds encountered Jesus and His people
-Paul preached harmony between men and women in the home and the church
-Paul relied on numerous women leaders as coworkers in the gospel mission
-Independently powerful women existed in the Roman World—and in the early churches, too.
-Paul saw no deficiency of intellect, skill, or morality in women

Evaluated against this six-fold rubric, Nijay’s book proves immensely successful. I have been excited with his unique contributions to this discussion; and there is no key idea or theme listed above that I do not find well-substantiated in the pages of this book. Another commendable aspect of this offering is the humble and kind posture that Nijay exhibits throughout.

The book is written at the popular level; but that does not come at the expense of extensive and up-to-date scholarship—both biblical and historical. That said, it does sometimes limit the extent to which Nijay can delineate certain themes and ideas; and/or engage with specific arguments from his scholarly interlocutors. For this reason, some advanced readers might find Nijay’s treatment of particularly complex topics (like 1 Tim. 2) to be rather brief and unexacting. To these readers, I would recommend reading Nijay’s more detailed and technical work on these topics elsewhere. All things considered, I think Nijay has done an excellent job condensing and popularizing the best scholarship on these issues for his intended readership. Overall, I would recommend this book to any person/group interested in engaging the inspiring stories of the oft-overlooked women in the NT. If your small group/Bible class/book club is looking for material on women in ministry, this book could serve that purpose well.

[Natalie Herr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to start by saying I have a bias coming into books about women in the church, because I am one. 😉 I was familiar with the story of Deborah and the mention of women like Phoebe, Prisca and Junia coming into my reading. This book shed more light for me on the context of those particular stories and filled out some more of my understanding of the Greco-Roman world especially.

Gupta does not start with the popular proof texts, though he does include very helpful discussion and explanation of his take on them at the end. He starts with the story the Bible tells — what actual women said and did in its pages and how Paul described them or interacted with them.

I think one of the most encouraging things about the book was that a male scholar who loves the Lord took the time to research and write on the topic of women. And not because he wanted to put women in “their place”. He readily admits that there was much he glossed over on the topic in the past and never considered before. The act of his writing felt like a gesture of unity and commendation toward women was coming across the page.

I admit that it is hard for me to know how to evaluate the various sides of the women-in-ministry debate. So much of my theological learning has had strong complementarian foundations, and I am now just beginning to explore the work of folks with different interpretations. We are all doing our best to work out with the Spirit what it means to follow Jesus with all we’ve got. What I know from experience is that I have been deeply blessed and helped by the ministry of many women, and it appears from Gupta’s study that Paul would say the same. 🤍

[Anya Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw the cover of this book a while back, I kinda judged it as some radically liberal book, dangerous, and to be avoided. I was wrong. This is an encouraging read that emphasizes the women of the Bible who have exercised an important role in serving the Lord’s kingdom. I think the message of this book is important, as, sometimes, I may be tempted to use my gender to excuse religious passivity. And I don’t think I’m alone.
Would recommend.

[Dominic Venuso · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a general collection and survey of women in the early church, I enjoyed the book, and could give it more stars than I have. As polemic against complementarianism and for egalitarianism, I thought it failed.

If Gupta used the same methodology he used in the book to recover my own view of the role of women from my ministry reports in my own contemporary context, he might argue that I was an egalitarian, and that the women I mention in my reports were all egalitarian and engaged in formal, public teaching to the gathered church. Some of those women would feel disrespected to know that their stories were being used to support a position they don't even hold.

Since the beginning of the church, women have been some of the most passionate, faithful, and reliable servants of Jesus Christ. Often, they are the remaining flicker in a lampstand that is near being removed. Often, they are the spark that reignites the church. This has been true and recognized in many churches, even those that do not have women speaking publicly before the gathered the church or occupying the eldership. The true power and life of the Kingdom has never been at the place that human eyes perceive as being at the top.

The book often portrays two alternatives: 1. Where women are not noticed, respected, or present or 2. Where women are engaged in all the same things as men in the church in the same way. But there is a lot of room between these two alternatives that many churches find themselves in. Some of their stories will read very much like the explicit statements in the New Testament, even when they are unlike the speculative reconstructions suggested in the book.

[Haley Baumeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting primer on this topic. I listened on audio so I may have missed a bunch of footnotes & citations.... A lot of portions read like speculation or hearsay because of not hearing/seeing what many of his primary sources were. All in all, a pleasant audiobook experience. And definitely a popular-level book which would make a good launching point for further exploration or study, but a fascinating work of research nonetheless.

[Loraena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not going to comment too much on the content of this book because I’m not prepared to state “a position”, but I was comforted and encouraged by Gupta’s humility, kindness, and general decency. I was also challenged and inspired to think about my own work and ministry from new angles. I appreciated his emphasis on historical data and found it refreshing.

[Kristel Acevedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved reading this book. Nijay writes with so much grace and wisdom. At the conclusion of this book I felt gratitude for being a woman in ministry and an increased love for scripture.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent information about the roles of women in ancient times especially in early Christianity. However the writing style is very dry and it reads like a published thesis.

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate that the author brings attention to women in the Bible who are often overlooked. Their stories deserve to be told as well. A book that systematically explores the influential roles of women in Scripture could be a welcome and valuable read. However, that wasn't this book. This book's primary purpose was to try to convince the reader that nothing in the Bible prohibits women from being leaders and teachers in the church today.

I've thought a lot about how to review this book. I don’t want to give a low rating simply because I disagree with its conclusions. I want to support my critiques with evidence while keeping the review concise, so I’ve structured it with a general overview with more details below for anyone interested.

I think the biggest issue with this book is that the author frequently goes beyond what the Bible actually says, making broad assumptions and extrapolating far beyond the text. Essentially, he finds what he wants to find, no matter how improbable it may be.

One of his key assumptions is that nearly every named woman in the New Testament was a leader in the church—even when the text gives no indication of this. For example, Romans 16:15 “Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them." Gupta includes Julia and Nereus' sister as “ministry leaders" even though we know nothing about them, other than that Paul greeted them.

Another way he finds what he wants to find is that if there are multiple possible explanations, he will always go with the one that supports his view, even if it is much less likely. Take Lydia, for instance, and her role in the church at Philippi. She was the first convert in Philippi (at least that we are told about), and she invites Paul and Silas into her home. She’s mentioned in just three verses, all in Acts 16. Gupta takes that and runs with it. He claims that she was most likely instituted as the elder there in Philippi. But why? Yes, early believers met in her house, but does that mean the meetings continued there indefinitely? And why is she not named in the letter to the Philippians? Other people are named, but not Lydia. It seems much more likely that she is named because she was the first convert, and important to the narrative in Acts 16, not because she became the elder/overseer at Philippi.

Gupta also frequently uses straw man arguments to make his case more persuasive. A recurring one is the false dichotomy he sets up between someone being a “ministry leader” or being unimportant. For example, in Romans 16:6, "Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you," he suggests that this means Mary was probably a founding member and leading elder of the church in Rome. He argues that this kind of commendation wouldn’t be given to someone with a minor or menial role. — He seemingly ignores the fact that people can labor faithfully for the gospel without holding leadership positions.

Finally, he will sometimes pull out his ultimate “get out of jail free” card. He’ll claim that we shouldn’t “import our modern context” back into biblical times or that certain passages were intended only for a specific occasion and aren’t universal teachings. He does this, for example, with 1 Timothy 2:9-15.

Despite my issues with the book, I did find it beneficial in one sense—it prompted me to examine the biblical texts more closely to evaluate his claims. Occasionally, I was surprised to find that he made a valid point, and revealed something I hadn't considered before. More often, though, his arguments rested on assumptions and overinterpretations. Because of this, and due to some instances of weak scholarship, I ultimately didn’t find the book very convincing.



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Extended notes/thoughts
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He makes some easily refutable false claims
He says that no judge (other than Deborah) has nothing negative said about them. — Which is false.
- I'll assume he means any judge who has more than a few verses. Because many judges have fewer than 5 verses or so about them, and nothing bad is mentioned about them.
- But even with that, he is still incorrect that there are no other judges who have similar amount written about them as Deborah, but also have nothing bad written about them. For example Ehud has 16 verses of his narrative (Judges 3:15-30) and nothing negative is mentioned about him (Deborah has 10 verses of her narrative). He mentions Gideon as one example of a judge with negative verses along with the good. But that is hardly a fair comparison since Gideon has 98 verses of narrative, so it is not surprising that he has negative things written about him. As a writer, if you have to be brief, you can't afford to stray from the main point, but with more space you are free to give a more balanced picture of a person. Almost every single Biblical character who has a significant amount written about them will have negative things written about them (which is a good thing, because it gives a more balanced picture).

He claims that as a judge, Deborah was a spiritual leader for Israel, like Joshua. But is that really consistent? Were all the other judges also spiritual leaders? Gideon? Samson? Really?

He makes a big point about Deborah, being a prophet and judge, is precedent for spiritual leaders being women. But he never mentions anything about priests. Why are there no female priests?

About the list of people in Romans 16
- "His comments titles and descriptions are all positive. So he was honoring each of them, publicly praising them as model leaders. 10 of them are women."
- Even though 2 of the women are not even named, he assumes that they are being publicly praised as "model leaders."

There are a number of logically inconsistencies.
- He spends a large part of the book explaining why it would not have been odd for women to be managers of a household and business and property owners in secular contexts. But in order to dismiss the male headship passages, he says that "it's likely Paul could not comprehend anything different from the current standard of order in the household." — How could Paul have not been able to comprehend something that he had already said existed in his time?
- Also: He says that Paul could have used many different words to describe "exercise authority." Why would he use such an obscure word such as αὐθεντέω instead of ἐξουσία?
- (But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. 1 Tim. 2:12)
- To use that same argument, why would Paul say "husband to one wife" when all he meant was "free from immorality"? Why would he use such an uncommon, gender specific way of explaining sexual purity, unless he had a reason for it? In 1 Cor. 7 Paul talks about sexual purity, and he addresses having a spouse both ways like, "But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband." (1 Cor. 7:2) Why not here too, if that's what he meant? Also, he used this wording (husband of one wife) both times he gave the qualifications for overseers.

It's interesting that all of his support comes from narrative, descriptive passages. Boiled down, his basic argument is that women are viewed highly. They are honored and respected, therefore it makes sense that they would be teachers and leaders. — However, the only passages that are actually prescriptive, informing us who to put in place as teachers and leaders, have a clear male focus.

He pulls a couple "bait and switch" maneuvers when quoting John Chrysostom and Origen. — He quotes them to support his position that Junia in Romans 16:7 was a woman and an apostle. "They call her a woman and an apostle. Boom! Therefore she had a leading and teaching role." But he doesn't quote is where they also confirm that a woman cannot teach publicly. So in their mind, whatever it meant for her to be an "apostle," it didn't include teaching.

In what sense then does he say, I suffer not a woman to teach? (1 Timothy 2:12) He means to hinder her from publicly coming forward (1 Corinthians 14:35,) and from the seat on the bema, not from the word of teaching. Since if this were the case, how would he have said to the woman that had an unbelieving husband, How do you know, O woman, if you shall save your husband? (1 Corinthians 7:16) Or how came he to allow her to admonish children, when he says, but she shall be saved by child-bearing if they continue in faith, and charity, and holiness, with sobriety? (1 Timothy 2:15) How came Priscilla to instruct even Apollos? It was not then to cut in sunder private conversing for advantage that he said this, but that before all, and which it was the teacher's duty to give in the public assembly; or again, in case the husband be believing and thoroughly furnished, able also to instruct her. When she is the wiser, then he does not forbid her teaching and improving him.
○ John Chrysostom - Homily 31 on Romans
From

In this commentary, Origen dedicated a paragraph to Romans 16:6, which reads: “Greet Mary, who has labored much among you.” Origen elaborates:
○ ‘Greet Mary, who has labored much among you.’ He [Paul] is teaching even in this that women likewise ought to labor for the churches of God. For they labor both when they teach young women to be modest, to love their husbands, to raise children, to be pure and chaste, to govern their homes well, to be kind, to be submissive to their husbands, to receive in hospitality, to wash the feet of the saints, and all the other things written that are recorded concerning the services of women to do with all purity.
§ Origen, Commentary on Romans
○ Although those given above say more categorically that a woman does not have the right by her word to guide a man, I shall further prove this position from another text. ‘Bid the old women to behave themselves as befits holy women, teaching what is good, in order to form young women in wisdom,’ and not simply ‘Let them teach.’ Certainly, women should also ‘teach what is good,’ but men should not sit and listen to a woman, as if there were no men capable of communicating the word of God.
§ Origen, Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
○ But, let us be good-natured players, and cope with the arguments which they judge convincing. The Evangelist Philip, they say, had four daughters, and all prophesied. If they prophesied, what is strange, they ask, if our own prophetesses — as they are called — also prophesy? Let us then resolve this difficulty. First, since you say: ‘Our women prophesied,’ show in them the signs of prophesy. Second, if the daughters of Philip prophesied, at least they did not speak in the assemblies; for we do not find this fact in the Acts of the Apostles. Much less in the Old Testament. It is said that Deborah was a prophetess. Mary, the sister of Aaron, tambourine in hand, led the choir of women. There is no evidence that Deborah delivered speeches to the people, as did Jeremiah and Isaiah. Hulda, who was a prophetess, did not speak to the people, but only to a man, who consulted her at home. The Gospel itself mentions a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; but she did not speak publicly. Even if it is granted to a woman to prophesy and show the sign of prophecy, she is nevertheless not permitted to speak in an assembly. When Mary, the prophetess, spoke, she was leading a choir of women. For: ‘It is improper for a woman to raise her voice at meetings,’ and: ‘I am not giving permission for a woman to teach’ and even less ‘to tell a man what to do.’ (1 Timothy 2:12).
§ Origen, Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35

[Wayne Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate Gupta's vision in writing this book: highlighting the oft-neglected stories of women who played vital roles in the life and ministry of the early church. In my opinion, he succeeds admirably in this aim. He argues his position with clarity and conviction, but also with evenhandedness and nuance. I certainly don't land at all the same places he does, and feels like he steps a bit far in his interpretation of the available evidence at times. Nonetheless, his winsome tone and solid reasoning has left me eager to continue reevaluating my own interpretation of the biblical evidence regarding the roles of women in the earliest church.

[Brice Karickhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t quite decide how I felt about this book because I couldn’t really discern the author’s thesis or goal.

To a degree, the purpose of this book was to highlight the instrumental and often overlooked role that women played in the early church. I think this is an incredibly important reality, and the modern Church should acknowledge it because it is both helpful and true. The author makes this point by evaluating some of the most under-studied passages in the NT: the greetings and name lists at the beginning and ends of the epistles.

From there, the author’s assertions seemed to vary from condemning misogynistic practices, to condemning patriarchal social structures, to arguing against complementarianism, to arguing for informal female church leadership, to arguing for formal female church leadership. The Biblical cases for (or in some cases, against) these ideas are each unique and nuanced, so it was very confusing for me to take the author’s claims and compare them with scripture.

So despite the fact that I loved the idea of this book and learned a lot, this book loses a star because its arguments for its more bold assertions were hard for me to put together. I used to do this thing whenever I read an argument where if point A convincingly led to point B, I would draw an arrow in the margins, but if the author made a leap from point A to point C (they made a claim that their premises could no substantiate), I’d draw an arrow with an X through it. Unfortunately, this book would have been littered with X’ed arrows, even in cases where I agreed with point C.

[Suzannah Rowntree]

Women's lives in history are not always easily accessible. Decency standards often dictated that the details of notable women's lives should be obscured, and as for women lower down the social chain, their obscurity often adds to the fog that surrounds them. Nijay K Gupta's TELL HER STORY reminds me of certain other works of historical retrieval - Helen Nicholson's SYBIL OF JERUSALEM, and Hallie Rubenhold's THE FIVE: THE UNTOLD LIVES OF THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER - which take historical women about whom not much is known, and in the absence of certainties, uses history to reconstruct the probabilities of their lives.

Gupta's subjects are the women mentioned in the New Testament, specifically in the epistles of Paul. For instance: Phoebe, the deacon who carried Paul's epistle to the Romans from the Peloponnesian peninsula. Painstakingly, Gupta uses what few details are known about her to outline the contours of a possible life: a wealthy woman, possibly a freed slave, active in ministry in her hometown, who carried Paul's letter to Rome and then would have (as letter bearers were expected to do) read it, exposited it, and answered questions about it in various Roman house churches. Phoebe, in other words, was quite likely the first preacher on the book of Romans.

Nor is she the only woman to receive a remarkable amount of historical context in this book: Junia, Priscilla, Nympha, Apphia, Euodia and Syntyche, and more are brought a little more to life. Largely, Gupta doesn't rely on subsequent church tradition, but on the words of Scripture and the informed conjectures of scholars. The picture that emerges is of an Apostle Paul who, far from denigrating or despising women, saw no problem with working alongside them, trusting them, and recognising their efforts on an equal footing with male colleagues. This book is the one to wave at the folks who think that Paul was a woman-hater.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It helped give answers about some things that I felt were left unfleshed-out in TWO VIEWS ON WOMEN IN MINISTRY, for instance, support from Linda Belleville's assertion in that book that women in whose houses churches met (such as Lydia and Nympha), were probably the church leaders. I really appreciated Gupta's careful discussion of patriarchy in the Roman empire, which was nuanced and credible, and also his discussion of the domus in Roman culture. Paul advising Titus that women should focus on being keepers at home, for instance, gains a lot more nuance outside the 21st century tradwife paradigm once you realise that the Roman home was a semi-public space from which women could and did conduct business, exercise patronage, and so forth.

One of the most valuable insights in this book is Gupta's ability to discuss how the intersection of Roman classism with Roman patriarchy would have created loopholes for women. While classism, obviously, is a grotesque evil, in societies such as western medieval Christendom it could and did create openings for higher-status women to exercise authority over men. For instance, Gupta points out that Paul's household codes which assume a paterfamilias in command of the whole family would have been applied by a wealthy widow unquestioningly to herself as the mother of the household's children and mistress of the household's slaves. Similarly, a married female slave in the same household would have read Paul's household codes as requiring submission to her widowed mistress above submission to her enslaved husband. So, in Paul's times these codes would not have been read in exclusively gendered terms.

Two reservations about this book. First of all, Gupta repeatedly uses the term "ministry leaders" and this combined with other language did import notions of church hierarchy into the text without (in my opinion) convincing reason. Second, Gupta finishes with a chapter on Paul's household codes, wherein he eventually throws up his hands and says that Paul, despite his clear respect for women ministry colleagues and Galatians teaching about the equality of men and women in Christ, probably didn't have the imagination to envisage equality in marriage. I found this wildly unsatisfying, because Paul did have the Holy Spirit? Which could quite easily envisage things like (in Isaiah) the lion and the lamb grazing together, and a world in which no one harms or destroys? I don't see how envisaging men and women as equals in marriage is a huge step beyond that. I did find much in the chapter to be worthwhile, but let's not suggest the Holy Spirit couldn't overcome a failure of imagination on the part of the apostle. If I really had to, I'd be more inclined just to admit to exegetical difficulties for the egalitarian position.

Overall, the main benefit of this book is simply that by retrieving and celebrating the lives of the New Testament women, Gupta enables us to read Paul's words about women in a new and more informed light. It strains belief, for instance, that the Paul who commended Priscilla for teaching Apollos, Junia as an apostle willing to face the horrors of Roman imprisonment for her work, and Phoebe for carrying and teaching the letter to the Romans, would then have turned around in 1 Timothy chapter 2 and said, "Women are all gullible and dumb, so they should never be allowed to teach men." If there are more nuanced interpretations of his words, that do not paint women as by nature inferior, those ought to be preferred.

I'm excited for a book which finally presents a rousing defence of the great apostle in the face of some of the flak he's copped in recent years.

[Abigail Borland]

Highlights women leaders named by Paul in the New Testament (pretty much half of the list of people he commends in Romans 16) and discusses everything we know about them. Also does a great job explaining the context of the “household codes” passages. One weakness would be that some of the information is simply speculation, but I found the primary sources about women in Ancient Greece/Rome Gupta pulls in to be informative.

[Vanessa Siemens · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is refreshing to read a book that highlight women in ministry from a Biblical perspective, and highlighting the lives of women in the early church. This is a fantastic book that provides insight, depth and clarity around the topic of women in ministry.

We often skim over the names listed in the Bible that aren't as familiar to us, but throughout these chapters, the stories of women are told and expanded upon, bringing them off the page and giving each woman a story to go with her name.

This book will challenge misconceptions or assumptions that have been made while reading the bible through a patriarchal lens and shows the richness of the early church and how women were a driving force within the church.

Parts one and two lay a base and then highlight various women. At the end of the book, there is also a section that addresses passages of scripture that have often been used to argue against women in leadership.

A well researched and thoughtful book that is easy to read but rich in its content.

[Jake Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Well-researched and steeped in the Christian story, Gupta chronicles how women like Phoebe, Nympha, and Junia advanced the gospel message in the early church through their leadership, teaching, and ministry and also how both Jesus and Paul consistently empowered women in their interactions and writings. I appreciated that Gupta focused on tracing the stories of prominent women in the Bible rather than simply unpacking "problem" passages like 1 Timothy 2 and Ephesians 5 (those are addressed in the appendices). This book is highly accessible and a formidable challenge to conceptions of biblical womanhood that exclude women from leading and ministering in the church.

[Noah Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just the right reading level for me, and makes its case persuasively. It’s not comprehensive or exhaustive, and I still have questions, but Gupta does really well at moving past the rhetoric on both sides of the theological issues, and making straightforward arguments without pressing them farther than necessary.

Anyone who needs a college-level treatment of women-in-ministry should go for this!

[katasaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that convinced me there are not biblical grounds to forbid women from preaching or holding leadership positions in the church. I can't really divorce that realization from what was almost more powerful about this book -- a deep dive into what early church leadership actually looked like. It seems that some of the positions we see as normative today are not a direct reflection of what Paul would have been talking about in his letters. The idea of a "senior pastor" or an "elder board" doesn't seem to have an early church analog.

I listened to this on audio but hope to purchase a hard copy so I can use as a reference. I also really want to look at the bibliography!

4 stars instead of five because the treatment of two areas (Eden, household codes) was not as robust or well thought out as it could have been. In particular , the section on the household codes (while it had some helpful points) appeared to downplay the prophetic inspirational role of the Holy Spirit. See Suzannah Rowntree's review for more details: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many Christians my age, in recent years I have found myself trying to untangle what’s biblical and what’s cultural about my faith. Unsurprisingly, women in church has loomed quite large in my mind (especially as a woman who has worked for and taught [women] in a conservative church). I am thankful to live in a time where I have access to a wide range of scholars and fellow believers’ thoughts on the subject.

Gupta does an excellent job providing (well-researched, well-cited) context for much of what was happening culturally in the early church and how that may have influenced the fledgling faith. While I was most interested in the last two chapters of the book dealing with the so-called prohibitive Pauline texts and household codes, I am glad Gupta puts those at the end as the earlier chapters provide a necessary foundation.

One other reviewer noted that this text is unlikely to change the mind of many conservatives, and I believe they’re right. However, I think most readers would benefit from understanding the wider cultural context and history. “Tell Her Story” provides perspective from a faithful believer who arrives at a different conclusion and I think differing conclusions are beneficial for us to engage with.

So, you should read this book. Gupta is a masterful writer with a lot of compassion for the “conservative” view. Even if you don’t end up agreeing with him, you will be the wiser and better able to engage those who disagree with you for having read “Tell Her Story.”

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Wagner Floriani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bible feast addressing the subject of women in church leadership. Unlike other great contemporary works that tackle the topic from a cultural or sociological evaluation, Gupta’s insights into the New Testament world make this volume a must read for students of Scripture and church leaders across denominations.

The chapters exploring the types of leadership in the NT, and the leaders themselves in context of the NT world, were eye opening and challenging. It made abundantly obvious that, yes, women were valued leaders in various capacities in the early church. However, while the gospel did in fact produce an equalizing effect across genders in the NT, Gupta does not persuade, either from a cultural or biblical standpoint, that certain church offices (pastor/elder) did not require an exclusively male leadership. I appreciate the clarity of his argument regarding the lack of strict or explicit prohibitions concerning the topic, but it seems the NT model betrays the principle as far as I can tell.

While I was left unconvinced of some conclusions regarding egalitarian offices in the local church, I was challenged by the NT de facto elevation of women across leadership responsibilities in the church. Required reading for anyone entrusted with any level of church authority.

[Jen Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was afraid it would be stuff I’ve already heard before. But much of it was new. Well researched, easy to follow. A perfect read (listen). It will be my go to book to refer to people about women in ministry.

[Sarah Stallard · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK... I am probably not the target audience, but in all honesty after reading this book it does not really identify who this books target audience is. if it's women finding their place in Christianity, it's incredibly intense mansplaining about "women existed and actually DID things". this is not a revelation.
if it's to help reformat the patriarchal and abusive church, then it was incredibly frustrating that he refused to be anything but intentionally obtuse, saying several times that he couldn't understand *why* women keep getting subjugated..... I'll say it, IT'S SO THAT MEN CAN KEEP THE POWER AND ABUSE WOMEN!

[Emily Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****3.5 stars****
Nothing about this book was wild or revolutionary. Gupta basically puts a lot of famous passages into context, as well as introduces the reader to women leaders in the early church. Tbh, a lot of it is speculation and the authors says as much, but it was still refreshing to read about women ministry leaders in the early church that Paul mentions in his letters. Even though I’m giving it a solid 3.5 stars, I’ve still recommended it to quite a few people and think it’s worth a read, if anything to see things from a different perspective :)

[Adrie Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Where men have sometimes said ‘women can’t’, the Old and New Testaments testify, they did.”

“At the end of the day Paul was a pragmatist when it came to ministry. He did not vet his list of gifted individuals to screen out women and promote men. Whoever had spirit given capacity and availability for leadership, man or woman, he supported and commended.”

Started dragging a bit when talking about historical/extra biblical women in leadership in the Greco-Roman world. But great, true, biblical stuff here.

[Bec R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt uniquely special to read this book the month I’m getting ordained! Praying that I will be able to lead, love, and minister like the inspiring women of the early church.

[Brennen Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gupta focuses on the STORIES of women who led in the scriptures - women like Deborah, Phoebe, Lydia, Junia and more. Women whose stories are often overlooked, untaught, and forgotten. They were there… they are important.

“We can talk theory and theology all day, but I find it incredibly clarifying to look at the specific people in God’s good news story.”

[Sarah Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was so good! it approaches this topic in a really robust manner, not favoring one theological side over another but presenting them both in a respectful manner. really appreciated how deep the research went into cultural context and original word meanings & loved that the author used scripture from both the old and New Testament. as a woman, it’s so encouraging to be pointed to strong women the Lord used in the metanarrative, and it offers relatable examples for me to follow. seeing women in the Bible rocks! super fascinating read!

[Audrey Hammitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book for Christian men and women! It is well-researched and helps us better understand how women were present and equally important to the early church (and always!). It revealed my own skewed assumptions about women in the Roman Empire and the Bible as well as traditions in churches (I’ve been a part of) that don’t have solid reasons for holding.

[Levi Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful

[Molly Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ✨This is the BEST book I’ve read on this subject/issue so far. I absolutely loved diving deeper into the stories of the prominent women leaders of the NT!