This is a substantially expanded and completely revised edition of a book originally published in 1988 as Maenads, Martyrs, Matrons, Monastics. The book is a collection of translations of primary texts relevant to women's religion in Western antiquity, from the fourth century BCE to the fifth century CE. The selections are taken from from the plethora of ancient religions, including Judaism and Christianity, and are translated from the six major languages of the Greco-Roman world: Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Coptic. The texts are grouped thematically in six sections: Observances, Rituals, and Festivals; Researching Real Women: Documents to, from and by Women; Religious Office; New Religious Affiliation and Conversion; Holy, Pious, and Exemplary Women; and The Feminine Divine. Women's Religions in the Greco-Roman World provides a unique and invaluable resource for scholars of classical antiquity, early Christianity and Judaism, and women's religion more generally.

About the Author
Ross Shepard Kraemer is Professor of Religious Studies at Brown University. She is the author of Her Share of the Blessings: Women's Religions Among Pagans, Jews, and Christians in the Greco-Roman World and When Aseneth Met Joseph: A Late Antique Tale of the Biblical Patriarch and His Egyptian Wife, Reconsidered

Reviews
"An invaluable collection"--Religious Studies Review
"An extremely useful book of texts in translation, providing a good introduction for students or other interested readers to primary sources of religion in the Greco-Roman world."--Women's Classical Caucus Newsletter
"Illuminates much that has been dark in studies of religion and women in the ancient world and does so with sure scholarship. I recommend this work highly to anyone interested in the intricate and challenging question of women and religion in Greco-Roman antiquity."--New England Classical Newsletter and Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9780195142785
Author Ross Shepard Kraemer
Format Paperback
Page Count 520
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 712g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 163mm * 28mm