Bruce W. Winter

"In ancient Roman law you were what you wore. This legal principle became highly significant because, beginning in the first century A.D., a "new" kind of woman emerged across the Roman empire - a women whose provocative dress and sometimes promiscuous lifestyle contrasted starkly with the decorum of the traditional married women. What a woman chose to wear came to identify her as either "new" or "modest."" "Augustus legislated against the "new" woman. Philosophical schools encouraged their followers to avoid embracing her way of life. And, as this fascinating book demonstrates for the first time, the presence of the "new" woman was also felt in the early church, where Paul exhorted Christian wives and widows to emulate neither her dress code nor her conduct."--Jacket.

"On an almost daily basis new discoveries are made that shed light on the New Testament. As these discoveries are published and old material is reevaluated, we get clearer glimpses into real life as it was at the time that the New Testament arose. The New Testament in its First Century Setting brings together an international group of scholars responsible for much of this cutting-edge research. What all of their essays have in common is that they help readers to better understand the New Testament by illuminating its context and setting."--BOOK JACKET.