Finding Phoebe

Susan E. Hylen’s Finding Phoebe: What New Testament Women Were Really Like explores the intersection between Greco-Roman social conditions and the experiences of, and assumptions about, women living during this period. Overall, she aims to “paint a more accurate picture of women’s lives,'' hoping to shape critical reflection on the topic (3). Women living during the New Testament period (and in other historical contexts as well) are subject to a number of misconceptions, particularly the suggestion that “women weren’t able to do much” (3). To combat this misunderstanding, Hylen directs our attention to the various practices women engaged in, including owning land, wool-working, traveling, tent-making, leading, teaching, writing, and speaking. She discusses these activities while referencing evidence from Scripture and highlighting themes of power. The text further invites readers to reflect on their own practices and experiences of social norms. Hylen declares that the intention of her book is to help us “think about the historical background and then interpret the New Testament for ourselves” (5).

Finding Phoebe is divided into four parts. First, Hylen describes women of antiquity and how they relate to property ownership, management, and marriage. In addition, she explores the wide range of occupations women held. Women were gladiators and restaurant owners (44-45), as well as “leading” property owners, patrons, teachers, and deacons. Some women in the Greco-Roman world owned property, employed scribes, and “held civic and administrative positions” (34). Though the culture was primarily patriarchal, Hylen makes it clear that women had many leadership roles in the household, community, and church (all while practicing resilience). Phoebe, a trusted friend of St. Paul and a church leader, travels through the pages with the reader, enabling us to have a closer look at one influential woman.

Building on the first part, the second part focuses on the social and educational power of women in Greco-Roman culture. Hylen highlights that “writing was important and a regular part of people’s lives,” including the lives of women, and that rates of literacy may have been higher than most people think. Third, the author explores the virtues of women during this time, encouraging the reader to critically reflect on concepts like public and private, character traits like modesty and loyalty, and positions like benefactor and deacon. Finally, she describes female practices of speech and silence in relation to themes of power.

Each chapter concludes with a set of reflection questions, which will be very helpful for teachers and educators in a number of disciplines. (Hylen even provides space for readers to write their answers and thereby makes a sort of meta-point, since she highlights the power of writing earlier in the text.) For example, she asks, “How do you think it [word choice] affects the way readers today understand these women’s roles?” (71). Hylen encourages readers to suggest various word choices while keeping in mind the historical context. Thus, Hylen develops a practical book that prompts critical reflection and yields cultural insights. Theologians, educators, parents, and leaders of the church would all benefit from a greater understanding of the women of the New Testament era. By focusing on the roles of these women, particularly those exercising power, we come to adopt a more critical, detailed, and authentic view of what their experiences were like. Is modesty a powerful tool for leadership roles today? What are the connections between silence and power, especially for women today? Do young women and men understand that women of the New Testament could own land and shops based on their social, economic, and political position? In addition, the book effectively makes connections between the women of the New Testament and the roles of women today. This matters a great deal in the contemporary world, since it enables us to interrogate wider forces that play a role in power dynamics.

As a high school teacher of Catholic Social Teaching in Florida, I find it challenging to encourage some young women to embrace the Church, especially if they are concerned about women’s leadership roles in the Church. This book, by so clearly portraying the complex role of women in the Greco-Roman world and the pivotal ways they helped shape the Church into what it is today, will help me speak to these young women. The book helps create a space for women leaders and other young “Phoebes” to confidently emerge in today’s classroom.

Lastly, Hylen’s critical reflections may help address other misconceptions about women and other groups throughout history. For example, did Latino(a) communities exercise more agency in contexts than some may think? What misconceptions of the Black and African American community exist today and how are people reflecting on this? Why is this important to our own Christian praxis and for peacebuilding practices? There is much to discover by reflecting on important communities of the past. Hylen—perhaps a Phoebe herself in our current context—brilliantly adds to this conversation by elevating women often forgotten by history.

Jane Marie Curry-Spanich is a theology teacher and STEM director at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Jane Curry

Date Of Review:

October 24, 2023