Abstract
This book provides a detailed analysis of the discipleship of women in the gospels and Acts. Holly Carey aims to challenge the impression that Jesus was only accompanied on his mission by twelve male disciples. She examines evidence from the gospels that women were members of Jesus’ itinerant group of disciples. Carey also proposes that the women who meet Jesus in the gospels display characteristics that are associated with discipleship. Carey defines the key characteristic of good discipleship as ‘action,’ and she argues that the women who meet Jesus demonstrate ‘faithfulness in action.’ Carey’s book provides a careful assessment of the discipleship of women such as the Canaanite woman, the Samaritan woman, and Martha in the gospels and of the leadership of women such as Lydia and Priscilla in Acts.
The strength of the book is the clear overview of the ways in which women model discipleship in each gospel and Acts. Carey argues that women often display characteristics of discipleship in a way that is more consistent than that of the Twelve. She notes that Mark’s Gospel contains the sharpest contrast between the discipleship of women and that of the twelve male disciples. Carey observes that women stay faithful to Jesus for a longer period of time than the Twelve, but she downplays the failure of the women at the end of Mark’s gospel. The women disobey the instructions of the young man at the tomb and they run away afraid to pass on the news of the resurrection (Mk 16:8). Carey also tends to compare the positive accounts of individual women with the twelve male disciples whereas Mark’s gospel includes accounts of the faith of individual men such as Bartimaeus who follows Jesus ‘on the way’ (Mk 10:52).
Mark, Matthew and Luke all refer to the presence of women within Jesus’ itinerant group of disciples. Carey regards these women as benefactors who provide financial support for Jesus’ ministry. This interpretation depends on her analysis of Luke’s account of the women’s service. Carey argues that the women would not have been seen as disreputable, but this point seems unlikely since the women travel with men who are not their relatives. It is probable that Luke seeks to explain the presence of the women by presenting them in the conventional role of patronesses.
Carey’s book will appeal to a general audience who wishes to explore accounts of the discipleship of women. In her conclusion Carey notes that debates over the leadership of women in the church often focus on passages from letters such as 1 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 11 and 14, and Ephesians 5-6. Carey draws attention to the importance of gospel passages in which women demonstrate faithful actions such as John 4, Mark 7 and Luke 8. She rightly observes that these passages contribute to a wider context for understanding the discipleship of women and the leadership of women in the early church.