{"id":45016,"date":"2024-06-25T00:00:36","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T04:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=45016"},"modified":"2024-06-24T10:40:24","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T14:40:24","slug":"lydia-and-tabitha-in-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/people-in-the-bible\/lydia-and-tabitha-in-the-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"Lydia and Tabitha in the Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_45015\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2016\/08\/tabitha-in-the-bible.jpg.avif\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/tabitha-in-the-bible.jpg&quot;}\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45015\" class=\"wp-image-45015 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2016\/08\/tabitha-in-the-bible-300x257.jpg.avif\" alt=\"Tabitha resurrected in the Bible\" width=\"300\" height=\"257\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2016\/08\/tabitha-in-the-bible-300x257.jpg.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2016\/08\/tabitha-in-the-bible.jpg.avif 400w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/257;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/tabitha-in-the-bible-300x257.jpg&quot;,&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/tabitha-in-the-bible-300x257.jpg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/tabitha-in-the-bible.jpg 400w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-45015\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tabitha in the Bible: In his painting \u201cRaising of Tabitha,\u201d Giovanni Francesco Guercino depicts the moment when Peter resurrects Tabitha. In the Bible, this episode is described in Acts 9:36\u201343. Tabitha is portrayed as a woman leader in the early Christian church. <em>Public Domain<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>What was life like for women in the early Christian church? What roles were they able to fill? How were women leaders regarded in the New Testament?<\/p>\n<p>While the majority of the leaders of the early Christian church were men, the New Testament describes several prominent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/bible-interpretation\/women-in-the-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">women leaders<\/a> as well. Teresa Calpino analyzes two of these women\u2014Tabitha and Lydia\u2014in her Biblical Views column <strong>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/department\/biblical-views-tabitha-and-lydia-models-of-early-christian-women-leaders\/\">Tabitha and Lydia\u2014Models of Early Christian Women Leaders<\/a>\u201d<\/strong> in the July\/August 2016 issue of <em>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/em>. Teresa Calpino is an Instructor in the Department of Theology at Loyola University Chicago and the author of the recent book <em>Women, Work, and Leadership in Acts<\/em> (T\u00fcbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014). Both in her column and in her book, Calpino looks at the dynamic, exemplary figures of Tabitha and Lydia in the Bible.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n\n\t\t<div id=\"mailing_list_ebook_page\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class='gravity_form_mailing_list'>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"downloadFormSec esolshortwrap\">\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-3 col-sm-3 mb-4 mb-md-0\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img data-src='https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2014\/05\/life-in-the-ancient-world-ebook-e1585324350938.jpg.avif' class='esolsetnewimg smush-dimensions lazyload' width='125' style='--smush-image-width: 125px; --smush-image-aspect-ratio: 125\/166;' src='data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==' data-smush-avif-fallback='{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/05\\\/life-in-the-ancient-world-ebook-e1585324350938.jpg&quot;}'>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-9 col-sm-9\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>FREE eBook:<strong> Life in the Ancient World<\/strong>.<br\/> Craft centers in Jerusalem, family structure across Israel and ancient practices\u2014from dining to makeup\u2014through the Mediterranean world.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\nvar 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*\/\n<\/script>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t<!-- download link -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div id=\"eBook_download_link\" name=\"eBook_download_link\">\n\n\t\t\t<button onclick=\"location.href='https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/life_in_the_ancient_world.pdf'\">DOWNLOAD EBOOK<\/button>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<hr\/>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_45014\" style=\"width: 230px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/lydia-in-the-bible.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45014\" class=\"wp-image-45014 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2016\/08\/lydia-in-the-bible.jpg.avif\" alt=\"Early Church leader Lydia in the Bible\" width=\"220\" height=\"274\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 220px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 220\/274;\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/lydia-in-the-bible.jpg&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-45014\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lydia in the Bible: This Greek Orthodox painting depicts Lydia. In the Bible, Lydia is described as a \u201cseller of purple cloth\u201d and served as a leader in the early Christian church. She came to be viewed as a saint by many Christian denominations. <em>Public Domain<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>Acts 9:36\u201343 introduces us to Tabitha. In the New Testament, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/people-in-the-bible\/tabitha-in-the-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tabitha is the only woman to be called a disciple<\/a>. She is described as being \u201cdevoted to good works and acts of charity\u201d (Acts 9:36). Lydia appears in Acts 16. Described as \u201ca dealer in purple cloth,\u201d Lydia is a successful businesswoman\u2014and very hospitable (Acts 16:14). After converting to Christianity, she opens her home to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/free-ebooks\/paul-jewish-law-and-early-christianity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul and his companions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Both Tabitha and Lydia filled leadership roles in the early Christian church. They were important pillars of their communities, and they are described positively in the New Testament. In her column, Teresa Calpino explores whether it was common for women to fill leadership roles in the Roman world. Did Lydia and Tabitha in the Bible enjoy leadership opportunities within the Christian community that were available to others in different social and religious communities?<\/p>\n<p>While this is a complex issue, Calpino demonstrates that women leaders were not unique to the church. Although they were by no means the norm, there are examples of prominent women businesswomen, intellectuals and community leaders throughout the Roman world.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about Tabitha and Lydia in the Bible, read the full Biblical Views column <strong>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/department\/biblical-views-tabitha-and-lydia-models-of-early-christian-women-leaders\/\">Tabitha and Lydia\u2014Models of Early Christian Women Leaders<\/a>\u201d<\/strong> by Teresa Calpino in the July\/August 2016 issue of <em>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"width:33%\"\/>\n<p><strong>Subscribers:<\/strong> Read the full Biblical Views column <strong>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/department\/biblical-views-tabitha-and-lydia-models-of-early-christian-women-leaders\/\">Tabitha and Lydia\u2014Models of Early Christian Women Leaders<\/a>\u201d<\/strong> by Teresa Calpino in the <a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/issue\/july-august-2016\/\">July\/August 2016 issue of <em>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Not a <em>BAS<\/em> Library or All-Access Member yet? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/subscribe-new\/?utm_term=W26009B0\">Join today.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"margin:2em 0 1.5em 0\">Related reading in Bible History Daily:<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"z5GXUihGZT\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/bible-interpretation\/women-in-the-bible\/\">Women in the Bible<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Women in the Bible&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/bible-interpretation\/women-in-the-bible\/embed\/#?secret=ZcGUOjVMOY#?secret=z5GXUihGZT\" data-secret=\"z5GXUihGZT\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"jh4CjDM6Gt\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/tabitha-in-the-bible\/\">Tabitha in the Bible<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Tabitha in the Bible&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/tabitha-in-the-bible\/embed\/#?secret=s3YI3pM5wA#?secret=jh4CjDM6Gt\" data-secret=\"jh4CjDM6Gt\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"O0Im8Qdozc\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/judith-a-remarkable-heroine\/\">Judith: A Remarkable Heroine<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Judith: A Remarkable Heroine&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/judith-a-remarkable-heroine\/embed\/#?secret=uM0Cho5V0o#?secret=O0Im8Qdozc\" data-secret=\"O0Im8Qdozc\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"63p1EyzRmA\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/people-in-the-bible\/anna-in-the-bible\/\">Anna in the Bible<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Anna in the Bible&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/people-in-the-bible\/anna-in-the-bible\/embed\/#?secret=KiG7OtvwaA#?secret=63p1EyzRmA\" data-secret=\"63p1EyzRmA\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"85Tsng9wBF\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/people-in-the-bible\/who-was-thecla\/\">Who Was Thecla?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Who Was Thecla?&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/people-in-the-bible\/who-was-thecla\/embed\/#?secret=hd0I3Cn2Rx#?secret=85Tsng9wBF\" data-secret=\"85Tsng9wBF\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on August 8, 2016.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n\n\t\t<div id=\"mailing_list_ebook_page\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class='gravity_form_mailing_list'>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"downloadFormSec esolshortwrap\">\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-3 col-sm-3 mb-4 mb-md-0\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-9 col-sm-9\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n                <div class='gf_browser_unknown 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