{"product_id":"pagan-jewish-and-christian-women-in-the-roman-empire-literary-and-archaeological-evidence","title":"Pagan, Jewish, and Christian Women in the Roman Empire: Literary and Archaeological Evidence - 20 May 2026","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in; color: #222222; background-color: #ffffff; line-height: 18.4px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Avenir Next LT Pro', sans-serif;\"\u003eHow much do we really know about women's lives in the ancient world — and how much has been obscured, mistranslated, or simply overlooked? This presentation takes a fresh look at women across Graeco-Roman cults, Judaism, and early Christian communities, drawing on both literary sources and archaeological findings to reveal roles far more expansive than traditional accounts suggest. From priestesses and synagogue leaders to missionaries and apostles, women shaped religious life in the Roman Empire in ways that challenge long-held assumptions. We'll also examine how centuries of misinterpretation have influenced Western traditions — and how archaeology can help set the record straight, with implications for justice and equality today.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in; color: #222222; background-color: #ffffff; line-height: 18.4px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Avenir Next LT Pro', sans-serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in; color: #222222; background-color: #ffffff; line-height: 18.4px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Avenir Next LT Pro', sans-serif;\"\u003eGuest Speaker:\u003cbr\u003eValerie A. Abrahamsen\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Avenir Next LT Pro', sans-serif;\"\u003e is a Harvard-trained independent scholar, lecturer, and retreat leader based in southern Vermont. Her research focuses on women in antiquity and New Testament archaeology, with particular expertise on the ancient site of Philippi, Greece. She has contributed to \u003cem\u003eThe Oxford Companion to the Bible\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eWomen in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible\u003c\/em\u003e and serves as a book reviewer for Anglican and Episcopal History. She is the author of several books and writes a monthly blog on social justice, early church history, and paranormal research at \u003ca style=\"color: #1155cc;\" href=\"http:\/\/wisdomwordsppf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/wisdomwordsppf.org\u0026amp;source=gmail\u0026amp;ust=1773853514940000\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw30GqrBU287XRYBCsSlWrMR\"\u003ewisdomwordsppf.org\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"event-calendar-app","offers":[{"title":"Registration Fee","offer_id":45325449822399,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/4723\/6799\/files\/unnamed_e33efd53-3d21-4182-acb5-4bd3ca4260bb.jpg?v=1773767401","url":"https:\/\/greenmtnacademy.org\/products\/pagan-jewish-and-christian-women-in-the-roman-empire-literary-and-archaeological-evidence","provider":"Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning","version":"1.0","type":"link"}