A Week In the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman (A Week in the Life Series)

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About A Week In The Life Of A Greco-Roman Woman

Product Description In first-century Ephesus, life is not easy for women. A young wife meets her daily struggles with equanimity and courage. She holds poverty and hunger at bay, fights to keep her child healthy and strong, and navigates the unpredictability of her husband's temperament. But into the midst of her daily fears and worries, a new hope appears: a teaching that challenges her society's most basic assumption. What is this new teaching? And what will it demand of her? In this gripping novel, Holly Beers introduces us to the first-century setting where the apostle Paul first proclaimed the gospel. Illuminated by historical images and explanatory sidebars, this lively story not only shows us the rich tapestry of life in a thriving Greco-Roman city, it also foregrounds the interior life of one courageous woman―and the radical new freedom the gospel promised her. Review "Trying to imagine what life would have been like in the Roman empire can be hard enough, it can be harder too if you are trying to imagine what life was like for women, whose voices are mostly muted and marginalized in the annals of history. So it is quite rewarding to have someone like Dr. Holly Beers do the hard work of research and creative storytelling to help us imagine the life of women in the Greco-Roman world. Anyone interested in New Testament background or Roman antiquity will find here an enthralling and informative narrative about the prominence and plight of women in the ancient world." -- Michael F. Bird, academic dean and lecturer in theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia "Holly Beers spins a mesmerizing tale that weaves the historical reality of first-century Ephesus―fishing, family life, childbirth, Artemis―with the universal human need for love and purpose. From the opening pages, I could not put down her story. Beers takes her extensive knowledge of the New Testament and shapes a fictional woman's journey of discovery of the gospel and the early church community. The fast-paced narrative is filled with dialogue as biblical characters―Paul, Priscilla, Timothy, and others―come to life under Beers's skilled storytelling. This is a must-read for men and women of all ages who want a fresh look at the power and promise of the gospel." -- Lynn H. Cohick, provost/dean of Denver Seminary "In a story that simultaneously captivates the imagination and reflects a great deal of historical and socio-cultural research, the daily concerns and plight of a first-century Greco-Roman woman come to life in the fictional Ephesian Anthia. This week-long snapshot of a life offers a truly intersectional approach to a woman's experience, which allows the reader to get an informed feel for how gender, economic status, cultural customs, gynecological health, technology, family structures, and religious practices might coalesce. Re-embedding Paul's proclamation of Christ within this fictional―but potentially realistic and certainly based on careful research―context enables modern readers to hear anew both the scandal and the hope that the gospel must have held for its earliest hearers." -- Kara Lyons-Pardue, professor of New Testament, Point Loma Nazarene University "Holly Beers masterfully transports her readers into the bustling port city of Ephesus, where we follow Anthia through the drudgery of daily life as an abused fisherman's wife. Caught between her fidelity to Artemis, fascination with Jesus, and fear of reprisal, Anthia and her readers experience the gravity of her dilemma: Will she risk everything to follow Jesus? I highly recommend this book, not only as a gripping page-turner but also as a powerful exegetical tool―rich with historical and cultural details that bring the Bible to life through the eyes of a first-century woman." -- Alicia R. Jackson, assistant professor of Old Testament, Vanguard University "With its captivating story and attention to detail, A Week in the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman paints the ancient world i