Join leading biblical scholar Elizabeth Schrader Polczer for eight fascinating lectures that explore prominent women from the pages of the New Testament and early Christian literature. Explore their important and sometimes unexpected roles in early Christianity, as well as how modern scholars have viewed and interpreted these extraordinary women.

Have questions about the program? Send an email to Peter Megginson (Travel Study Director) at [email protected] or call 800-221-4644, ext. 424 (Toll-free).

Topics We’ll Cover

• Leading female characters from the New Testament, and how their stories continued to evolve in early Christian literature
• Legendary stories associated with several important women in early Christianity
• Debates about women and women’s roles in early Christianity
• How women were portrayed in the New Testament, the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, the Nag Hammadi codices, and the early church fathers

When Is the Course?

Live classes every Monday and Thursday in July 2026 (7:30pm – 9:00pm ET)
Classes will be recorded

This Course Includes

• 8 live classes, with a live Q&A session following each lecture
• Link to download the class recordings

Lecture Overview

1. Women in Pauline Literature: This week we will read about some of the first women to be mentioned in the Christian movement, including Phoebe and Junia. We will also consider the reasons for why later generations of Paul’s followers (especially the author of the Pastoral Epistles) may have felt the need to advocate for stricter control over women’s roles.

2. Mary, the Mother of Jesus: This week we will read the gospel passages that mention Jesus’s mother, and consider why each evangelist seemed to have a different perspective on her role in Jesus’s life. We will also look at the Protevangelium of James, a second-century “biography” of the Virgin Mary.

3. Mary Magdalene: This week we will read the gospel passages that mention Mary Magdalene, and again consider why different evangelists present her in different ways. We will discuss the article I co-wrote with Joan Taylor arguing that “Magdalene” may be an honorific title rather than a reference to Mary’s hometown. We will also briefly portions of the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Philip, and a recently-published papyrus fragment that may preserve a portion of the Gospel of Mary’s lost vision section.

4. Mary, Martha, and the Anointing Women: This week we will read passages from Luke 10 and John 11–12, the passages that mention the sisters Mary and Martha. We will also look at the four evangelists’ anointing stories, and consider how they are both similar to and different from one another. There will also be a discussion of my 2024 BAR piece, “The Mystery of Mary and Martha."

5. Salome: This week we will look at the two mentions of Salome in Mark’s Gospel, but also consider mentions of a woman named Salome in extracanonical literature such as the Protevangelium of James and the Gospel of the Egyptians. We will also discuss the findings of my 2022 article “Was Salome at the Markan Tomb? Another Ending to Mark’s Gospel."

6. Thecla: This week we will discuss The Acts of Paul and Thecla, a popular second-century apocryphal story of a woman named Thecla who followed Paul, baptized herself, dressed like a man, and went out to preach the good news.

7. Perpetua and Felicity: This week we will read the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, including the diary of a woman who was martyred in the arena alongside her friend in 203 CE for their Christian faith.

8. Macrina: This week we will read Gregory of Nyssa’s biography of his sister Macrina, a consecrated virgin and leader of an ascetic women’s community who Gregory paints as a model of philosophy.

Your Instructor

Elizabeth Schrader Polczer is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Villanova University. She holds a doctorate in early Christianity from Duke University, with a focus on textual criticism, Mary Magdalene, and the Gospel of John. [More Bio]

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