Jesus treated women with remarkable equality for his time, welcoming them as disciples and traveling companions despite norms against public interaction between men and unrelated women. He challenged patriarchal assumptions by praising Mary's study of God over Martha's domestic duties and showing that women could be teachers of the faith. The resurrection accounts are considered historically credible because they include women as the first witnesses, even though women's testimony was not legally valid at the time - indicating the texts were not fabricated to promote a patriarchal agenda.