As a general rule, women had fewer rights, social status, and power than men in the ancient world in which the Bible was written. But Jesus regularly defied these social conventions, fulfilling his mission and purposes through faithful women and giving them dignity and purpose.

In this OneBook Daily-Weekly study, Suzanne Nicholson highlights the qualities of several women in the New Testament that Jesus asks all believers to possess: faithfulness, persistence, and a boldness to follow him even at great personal cost to ourselves. These stories help us to better understand not only our own calling, but the very nature of the gospel itself.

Suzanne Nicholson (PhD) is professor of New Testament at Asbury University. She is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church. She received a PhD in New Testament studies from the University of Durham, an MDiv from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a BA in journalism from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Nicholson is an elder in the Global Methodist Church. She currently serves on the Council for the Wesleyan Covenant Association, the editorial board of the Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies, and is the Assistant Lead Editor for Firebrand, a new online Wesleyan magazine. Her publications include an 8-week Bible study on Women in the New Testament for Seedbed, a chapter on Ephesians in the Wesley One Volume Commentary, and her book, Dynamic Oneness: The Significance and Flexibility of Paul’s One-God Language. She and her husband, Lee, have two college-aged children.