![]() However, historical evidence suggests we should rethink these assumptions. The basic idea-that widows were always at the mercy of others to care for them-is often repeated in commentaries, classrooms, and sermons. Interpreters of the New Testament often employ a common set of assumptions about the social context to understand the position of widows. See Also: Women in the New Testament World (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018). The above picture is largely false for the Mediterranean world of the first and second centuries. ![]() Widows were also legally subordinate to these male relatives. Having a father or son was fortunate, because otherwise widows were entirely without resources. A wife was dependent on her husband, and when he died, she went to live with her father’s household if he was alive, or to an adult son if she had one. Perhaps most important is the idea that widows could not possess their own property. The notion that widows needed someone to take care of them rests on ideas about the legal and social status of women.
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