Women and Gender Equality in the Bible
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Topic: Women and Gender Equality in the Bible
Posted By: morticia
Subject: Women and Gender Equality in the Bible
Date Posted: 11-May-2006 at 23:50
Eve. We all think we know her and understand what she represents. Few come of age in the western world without having heard of Eden. It would be difficult to find anyone unfamiliar with the primeval couple, Eve and Adam. Nearly all of us have read, or have had read to us, the simple and powerful narrative of Genesis 2 and 3.
Portrayed as the first woman, Eve in fact symbolizes all women. She stands alone of her sex, signifying to all others in times to come the essence of female existence. Her story is so well known that it is somewhat surprising to find that in the rest of the Hebrew Bible, the story of Eden is not a prominent theme. Neither are the actions of Adam and Eve ever cited as examples of disobedience and punishment.
The history of women in Christianity has been revised in the last twenty years or so. As more women historians entered the field, they brought new questions, developed new methods, and sought more evidence of women’s presence in neglected texts along with exciting new findings. Most surprising is the dramatic change in stories of women we thought we knew well. An example is Mary Magdalene, a woman infamous in Christianity as an adulteress and a whore. However, new text discoveries have now proven said portrait of Mary Magdalene was entirely inaccurate. We are now learning more of the many women who contributed to the formation of Christianity in its earliest years.
The New Testament Gospels, written toward the last quarter of the first century CE, acknowledged that women were among Jesus' earliest followers. From the beginning, Jewish women disciples, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, had accompanied Jesus during his ministry and supported him out of their private means (Luke 8:1-3). He spoke to women both in public and private, and indeed he learned from them. According to one story, an unnamed Gentile woman taught Jesus that the ministry of God is not limited to particular groups and persons, but belongs to all who have faith (Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28). A Jewish woman honored him with the extraordinary hospitality of washing his feet with perfume. Jesus was a frequent visitor at the home of Mary and Martha, and was in the habit of teaching and eating meals with women as well as men. When Jesus was arrested, women remained firm, even when his male disciples are said to have fled, and they accompanied him to the foot of the cross. It was women who were reported as the first witnesses to the resurrection, chief among them again Mary Magdalene. Although the details of these gospel stories may be questioned, in general they reflect the prominent historical roles women played in Jesus' ministry as disciples.
Other women appear in later literature as well. One of the most famous woman apostles was Thecla, a virgin-martyr converted by Paul. She cut her hair, donned men's clothing, and took up the duties of a missionary apostle. Threatened with rape, prostitution, and twice put in the ring as a martyr, she persevered in her faith and her chastity. Her lively and somewhat fabulous story is recorded in the second century “Acts of Thecla”. From very early, an order of women who were widows served formal roles of ministry in some churches (I Timothy 5:9-10). The most numerous clear cases of women's leadership, however, are offered by prophets: Mary Magdalene, the Corinthian women, Philip's daughters, Ammia of Philadelphia, Philumene, the visionary martyr Perpetua, Maximilla, Priscilla (Prisca), and Quintilla. There were many others whose names are lost to us. The African church father Tertullian, for example, describes an unnamed woman prophet in his congregation who not only had ecstatic visions during church services, but who also served as a counselor and healer (On the Soul 9.4).
Biblical references of women and promoting gender equality:
Acts 2:1-21: At the time of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was described as entering both men and women. In Verse 17, Peter recites a saying of the prophet Joel that talks about sons and daughters; Verse 18 talks about men and women.
Acts 9:36: Paul refers to a woman (Tabitha in Aramaic, Dorcas in Greek, Gazelle in English) as a Christian disciple.
Acts 21:9: Four young women are referred to as prophetesses.
Romans 16:1: Paul refers to Phoebe as a minister (diakonos) of the church at Cenchrea. Some translations say deaconess; others try to downgrade her position by mistranslating it as "servant" or "helper.
Romans 16:3: Paul refers to Priscilla as another of his "fellow workers in Christ Jesus" (NIV) Other translations refer to her as a "co-worker". But other translations attempt to downgrade her status by calling her a "helper". The original Greek word is "synergoi", which literally means "fellow worker" or "colleague."
Romans 16:7: Paul refers to a male apostle, Andronicus and a female apostle, Lunia, as "outstanding among the apostles".
1 Corinthians 1:11: Chloe is mentioned as the owner of a house where Christian meetings were held. There is some ambiguity as to whether the women actually led the house churches. Similar passages mention, with the same ambiguity.
2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation..." (NIV). Again "anyone" appears to mean both men and women.
Philippians 4:2: Paul refers to two women, Euodia and Syntyche, as his coworkers who were active evangelists, spreading the gospel.
Philemon 2: Paul writes his letter to "Apphia, our sister" and two men as the three leaders of a house church.
Sources: http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/fc/fcweb christian.htm
http://www.cta-usa.org/reprint6-96/fox.html
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"Morty
Trust in God: She will provide." -- Emmeline Pankhurst
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Replies:
Posted By: Mila
Date Posted: 11-May-2006 at 23:54
Very interesting! I remember seeing a television special where it showed Mary Magdalene ministering to Jesus' followers.
I do like you noting women accompanied him to the cross and were the first to see him resurrected.
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Posted By: Dawn
Date Posted: 12-May-2006 at 00:00
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Interesting , so what are sceen as the factors that contributed to the change in status of women by the time of the medieval church?
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