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In the ancient world, there was a strong sense of one’s gender. However, it was not always determined by their biological sex. Gender was seen as a fundamental social attribute. Males were the dominant gender, ruling over the females. But men could have female characteristics and in that sense be dominated by more masculine males. So it would seem necessary to indicate whom I am speaking about in this paper when I say “men” and “women.” This analysis of women in the early Christian communities will strictly be referring to men and women by the biological definitions of the two. So how exactly were women treated in the ancient world? Some might argue they were less oppressed then than they have been in recent times, while still others would say women were incredibly dominated and controlled by their husbands in ancient times. By reading further into the subject, it is clear that both of these arguments each hold some truth, and by investigating analytical texts on the subject, I will gain a clearer understanding of how women were actually treated in the ancient world. Ancient ideologies of gender shifted some during the first and second century. During the time that the apocalyptic mentality was popular, ma