Jesus’ view of women has become in the last two decades a subject of increased discussion both inside and outside the Church community. The better part of this discussion has been purely on a non-technical level, and there still seems to be a need for a detailed exegetical treatment of the relevant Gospel material. This monograph attempts to meet that need.

It should be said at the outset that my discussion will be limited to the material dealing with Jesus' words and deeds during His earthly ministry. Thus, the material in the Birth and Resurrection narratives will not be treated. There will be some attempt, however, to deal with the Evangelists' perspectives on women as a secondary area of interest as it is reflected in the pericopes that will be examined.

Since our main focus is on Jesus' view of women, our discussion of the relevant background material will be limited to an examination of women and their roles in Palestine. Background material on other areas in the Mediterranean will be referred to in passing where it seems to bear on the Gospel material under examination (e.g., Mk 10). Finally, our investigation of background material must also be limited in scope to certain major issues or areas that shed light on the portion of NT material under discussion – (1) women and their roles in marriage and the family; (2) women and their roles in religion; and (3) women and their roles as witnesses, teachers and leaders.