Women in Christianity
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The roles of women in Christianity have varied since its founding. Women have played important roles in Christianity
Many leadership roles in the organised church have been prohibited to women, but the majority of churches now hold an egalitarian view regarding women's roles in the church. In the
Christian traditions that officially recognise
Some Christians believe clerical ordination and the conception of priesthood post-date the New Testament and that it contains no specifications for such ordination or distinction. Others cite uses of the terms presbyter and episkopos, as well as 1 Timothy 3:1–7[19] or Ephesians 4:11–16,[20] as evidence to the contrary. The early church developed a monastic tradition which included the institution of the convent through which women developed religious orders of sisters and nuns, an important ministry of women which has continued to the present day in the establishment of schools, hospitals, nursing homes and monastic settlements.
Theology
The belief that Mary Magdalene was an adulteress, the wife of Jesus, and a repentant prostitute can be traced back to an Easter homily given by
Mary Magdalene was a prominent disciple and significant leader in the early Christian movement. Her designation as the very first apostle of Jesus has helped promote contemporary awareness of the leadership of women in Christianity.[21]
The New Testament gospels, written toward the last quarter of the first century CE, acknowledge 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.[23]
- Jesus spoke to women both in public and private and allowed them to set examples of faith. According to two gospel accounts, an unnamed Gentile woman understood and was praised by Jesus when arguing that his ministry is not limited to particular groups and persons, but belongs to all who have faith.[24]
- 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 fled into hiding. Women accompanied him to the foot of the cross.
- It was women who were the first witnesses to the resurrection, chief among them being Mary Magdalene. These gospel accounts reflect the prominent historical roles that women played in Jesus' ministry as disciples.[21]
In Christianity: A Very Short Introduction, Linda Woodhead notes the earliest Christian theological basis for forming a position on the roles of women is in the Book of Genesis where readers are drawn to the conclusion that women are beneath men and that the image of God shines more brightly in men than women.[25] The following New Testament passages and more recent theological beliefs have contributed to the interpretation of roles of women in Christianity through the centuries:
- "But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."[26]
- The rule remains with the husband, and the wife is compelled to obey him by God's command. He rules the home and the state, wages wars, and defends his possessions. The woman, on the other hand, is like a nail driven into the wall. She sits at home, she does not go beyond her most personal duties. (Luther, Lectures) Properly speaking, the business of woman, her task and function is to actualize the fellowship in which man can only precede her, stimulating, leading, inspiring." (Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics)[25]
Biblical authority and inerrancy
In general, all
I believe that ultimately the effective authority of Scripture to govern our lives is at stake in this controversy. The issue is not whether we say we believe the Bible is the Word of God or that we believe it is without error, but the issue is whether we actually obey it when its teachings are unpopular and conflict with the dominant viewpoints in our culture. If we do not obey it, then the effective authority of God to govern His people and His church through His Word has been eroded, concludes Grudem.
— Wayne Grudem (emphases original), Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth[29]
Church practice
Christian leaders throughout history have been patriarchal, taking names that downplay female leadership in the church. These include "father", "abbot" or "abba" (meaning 'father'), and "pope" or "papa" (also meaning 'father').[25] Linda Woodhead notes that such language excludes women from such roles. She also notes a sentiment in 1 Corinthians which exemplifies the pattern of Christianity of all varieties where Paul explains that women should be veiled in the church to signal their subordination to men because the head of every man is Christ and the head of a woman is her husband and that women should keep silence in the churches. As the law states, they should be subordinate, not permitted to speak.[25]
However, some Christians disagree with the idea that women should not have leadership positions, popular female preachers like Joyce Meyer, Paula White and Kathryn Kuhlman have had leadership roles in Church. It is mentioned in the Old Testament that women such as Deborah[31] and Huldah[32] were prophets. In the New Testament Philip was said to have four daughters who prophesied.[33]
Biblical inerrancy
The egalitarian and complementarian positions differ significantly in their approach to hermeneutics, and specifically in their interpretation of biblical history. Christian egalitarians believe that males and females were created equally [34] without any hierarchy of roles,[35] as God created both woman and man in his own image and likeness. God made the first couple equal partners in leadership over the earth. Both were jointly commissioned to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth, subdue the earth and rule over it.[36] At the Fall, God prophesied to Eve that one result of sin entering the human race would be that her husband would rule over her.[37][38][39]
Conservative Christian theologian Gilbert Bilezikian points out that throughout the Old Testament era and beyond, just as God had prophesied, men continued to rule over women in a patriarchal system which he sees as being a compromise or accommodation between sinful reality and the divine ideal.[38] The coming of Jesus is understood as moving forward from Old Testament patriarchy, re-instituting full equality of gender roles, as succinctly articulated in Galatians 3:28.[40][38][41]
New Testament passages, such as "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Saviour. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands"
Gilbert Bilezikian writes that "the poison of hierarchy generated by the fall (of mankind) had permeated relationships to such an extent that those very disciples Jesus was training in the ways of servant hood insisted on substituting hierarchy for servant hood. They kept competing among themselves for the highest status and for positions of preeminence." Bilezikian continues: "To settle the issue once for all times, Jesus sharply delineated the basic difference between social organisation in the secular world and in the Christian community". He concludes that "Consequently, there is no mandate and no allowance in the New Testament for one adult believer to hold authority over another adult believer. Instead, the overall rule calls for mutual submission among all believers out of reverence for Christ".[43][38]
The Christian egalitarian hermeneutic has received a highly systematic treatment from William J. Webb, professor of New Testament at Heritage Theological Seminary, Ontario, Canada. Webb argues that a major challenge is determining which biblical commands are "transcultural" and therefore applicable today, versus those which are "cultural" and therefore only applicable to the original (1st century) recipients of the text.[44] His "redemptive movement" hermeneutic is justified using the example of slavery, which Webb sees as analogous to the subordination of women. Christians today largely perceive that slavery was "cultural" in biblical times and not something that should be re-introduced or justified, although slavery was (a) found in the Bible and (b) not explicitly banned there.[44] Webb recommends that biblical commands be examined in light of the cultural context in which they were originally written. According to the "redemptive approach", slavery and women's subordination are found in the Bible; however, the same Scriptures also contain ideas and principles which, if developed and taken to their logical conclusion, would bring about the abolition of these institutions.[44] According to that ideal, biblical patriarchy should be replaced by the "all one in Christ Jesus" proclamation of Galatians 3:28[45] which says "There is no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Some other New Testament instructions that are almost universally considered "cultural" and therefore only applicable to the original (1st century) recipients of the text are for women to wear veils when praying or prophesying,[46] Christians to wash each other's feet (a direct command from Jesus in the Upper Room discourse),[47] the instruction, appearing five times in the New Testament, to greet one another with a holy kiss[48]—among others.
In contrast to egalitarian teaching, complementarians teach that male priority and headship (positional leadership) were instituted prior to the Fall
Complementarians criticize Webb's hermeneutic. Grudem argues that Webb expects Christians to pursue a "superior ethic" to that found in the New Testament, therefore undermining the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. He claims that Webb and some other evangelicals misconstrue the biblical teaching about both slavery and women, and inappropriately confuse the two. He writes that slavery is tolerated in Scripture but never commanded but in some cases is criticized, whereas wives are explicitly commanded to submit to their husbands and male leadership is never criticized. Additionally, Grudem believes that Webb's "redemptive-movement" hermeneutic (itself a variation of the "trajectory" hermeneutic commonly employed by egalitarians) ultimately relies on subjective judgments that are incapable of producing certainty about ethical views.[49]
Gender and the image of God
Complementarians traditionally hold that Christian ministers should be men. This is because of the need to represent
To us a priest is primarily a representative, a double representative, who represents us to God and God to us... We have no objection to a woman doing the first: the whole difficulty is with the second. But why? [...] Suppose the reformer stops saying that a good woman may be like God and begins saying that God is like a good woman. Suppose he says that we might just as well pray to 'Our Mother which art in Heaven' as to 'Our Father'. Suppose he says that the Incarnation might just as well have taken a female as a male form, and the Second Person of the Trinity be as well called the Daughter as the Son. Suppose, finally, that the mystical marriage was reversed, that the churches were the Bridegroom and Christ the Bride. All this, as it seems to me, is involved in the claim that a woman can represent God as a priest does.
— C. S. Lewis, Priestesses in the Church? 1948
Christian egalitarians respond by arguing that God is not gendered and that males and females image God equally and without differences.[55] In addition, terms such as "Father" and "Son", used in reference to God, should be understood as analogies or metaphors used by the biblical authors to communicate attributes about God in a culture where men had social privilege.[55][56][57] Similarly, Christ became a male not because it was theologically necessary, but because 1st-century Jewish culture would not have accepted a female Messiah.[55][56][57] Wayne Grudem takes exception to these egalitarian arguments, insisting that Christ's maleness was theologically necessary; he also alleges that egalitarians are increasingly advocating that God should be thought of as "Mother" as well as "Father", a move he sees as religiously liberal.[29]
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity has become a major focus of contemporary gender debate, specifically in relation to 1 Corinthians 11:3.[58] In 1977, George W. Knight III argued in a book about gender roles that the subordination of women to men is theologically analogous to the subordination of the Son to the Father in the Trinity.[59] Australian theologian Kevin Giles has responded that complementarians have "reinvented" the doctrine of the Trinity to support their views of men and women, suggesting that some complementarians have adopted a heretical view of the Trinity similar to Arianism.[60] A vigorous debate has ensued, with some egalitarians moving towards the idea that there is "mutual dependence" within the Trinity, including "subordination of the Father to the Son", which must be reflected in gender role relations.[56] Wayne Grudem counters this by asserting that mutual submission to the Trinity cannot be supported by scripture and church history.[29]
Relationship between ontology and roles
Modern complementarians argue that Genesis 1:26–28
Prominent women in the Old Testament
Christianity developed as a sect of
In the Book of Genesis, the first creation story created man and woman at the same time, the second story of creation names Adam and Eve as the first man and the first woman; in the narrative, Adam was created first, and Eve from Adam's rib. Some commentators[63] have suggested that Eve being God's second Creation indicated female inferiority, but in calling Eve "flesh of my flesh" others say a relationship of equality is implied.[64]
Some women were praised in the Books of Ruth and Esther. The Book of Ruth is about a young Moabite woman's loyalty to her Jewish mother-in-law and her willingness to move to Israel and become a part of their culture. The story ends with her praise and blessing as she is married to an Israelite, who announces that he will now take care of her, and subsequently King David comes from her lineage. In the Book of Esther, a young woman named Esther of Jewish lineage is praised for her bravery as the queen of Persia who saved many from being killed by her pleas to the king.[65]
Women in the New Testament Church
The New Testament describes Jesus setting a values-standard regarding attitudes toward and treatment of women.[66]
Jesus and women
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many"—Jesus Christ. [67]
His first phrase, "lord it over", described the Roman dictators who wielded ultimate and unlimited power. His second phrase, "high officials", referred to lesser Roman officials who, having some limitations of power, "exercised authority" (not necessarily abusive power) over their citizens. In the nearly identical passages in all three Synoptic gospels, Jesus sternly commanded his disciple that "It shall not be so among you", clearly forbidding both abusive extreme "lording it over" others, and even more moderate, ordinary "exercise (of) authority" over others. Egalitarian Christians consider that this teaching of Jesus to the men who were the 12 Apostles trumps any subsequent teachings of
Authors Marsh and Moyise also understand this teaching of Jesus to forbid any hierarchy in all Christian relationships, even when there is no connotation of abuse of authority.[68]
The
According to the New Testament, Christ saved a woman accused of adultery from an angry mob seeking to punish her, by saying: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her".
The Gospel of John[70] provides an account of Jesus directly dealing with an issue of morality and women. The passage describes a confrontation between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees over whether a woman, caught in an act of adultery, ought to be stoned. Jesus shames the crowd into dispersing, and averts the execution with the words: "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." According to the passage, "They which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last," leaving Jesus to turn to the woman and say, "Go, and sin no more."
Another Gospel story concerns Jesus at the house of Martha and Mary where the woman Mary sits at Jesus' feet as he preaches, while her sister toils in the kitchen preparing a meal. When Martha complains to Mary that she should instead be helping in the kitchen, Jesus says that in fact, "Mary has chosen what is better".[71]
The story of Mark 5:23–34, in which Jesus heals a woman who had bled for 12 year suggests not only that Jesus could cleanse his followers, but this story also challenges Jewish cultural conventions of the time. In Jewish law, women who were menstruating or had given birth were excluded from society. Therefore, the woman in Mark was ostracized for 12 years. Jesus healing her is not only a miracle, but by interacting with an unclean woman, he broke from the accepted practices of the time and embraced women. [72]
Both complementarians and egalitarians see Jesus as treating women with compassion, grace and dignity.[66] The gospels of the New Testament, especially Luke, mention Jesus speaking to or helping women publicly and openly.[73] Martha's sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet being taught, a privilege reserved for men in Judaism. Jesus had female followers who were his sponsors,[74] and he stopped to express concern for the women of Jerusalem on his way to be crucified.[75] Mary Magdalene is stated in the Gospels to be the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection. In the narratives, Jesus charged her to tell others of what she had seen, even though the testimony of a woman at that time was not considered valid.[76]
The historian Geoffrey Blainey wrote that women were more influential during the period of Jesus' brief ministry than they were in the next thousand years of Christianity.[citation needed] Blainey points to Gospel accounts of Jesus imparting teachings to women, as with a Samaritan woman at a well, and Mary of Bethany, who rubbed his hair in precious ointment; of Jesus curing sick women and publicly expressing admiration for a poor widow who donated some copper coins to the Temple in Jerusalem, his stepping to the aid of the woman accused of adultery, and to the presence of Mary Magdalene at Jesus' side as he was crucified. Blainey concludes: "As the standing of women was not high in Palestine, Jesus' kindnesses towards them were not always approved by those who strictly upheld tradition.[77] According to Blainey,[78] women were probably the majority of Christians in the first century after Christ.
Jesus always showed the greatest esteem and the greatest respect for woman, for every woman, and in particular He was sensitive to female suffering. Going beyond the social and religious barriers of the time, Jesus reestablished woman in her full dignity as a human person before God and before men ... Christ’s way of acting, the Gospel of his words and deeds, is a consistent protest against whatever offends the dignity of women.
— John Paul II, "Thoughts on Women─Address to Italian Maids," April 1979
Apostle Paul and women
In his writings, the Apostle Paul included various commentaries on women. In his
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ.[40]
The letters of St. Paul—dated to the middle of the 1st century AD—and his casual greetings to acquaintances offer information about Jewish and Gentile women who were prominent in early Christianity. His letters provide clues about the kind of activities in which women engaged more generally.[79]
- He commends with great affection to the Roman community
- He greets Priscilla whose formal Latin name was (Prisca), Junia, Julia, and Nereus' sister.[81]
- When Paul refers to Priscilla and Aquila,[82] he lists Priscilla first in 5 of the 7 times they are referred to by their couple name, suggesting to some scholars that she was the head of the family unit.[83]
- Acts 18:2–3: There he (Paul) met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
- Acts 18:18: Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
- Acts 18:19: They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
- Acts 18:26: He (Apollos) began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more adequately (ἀκριβέστερον).
- Romans 16:3–4: Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
- 1 Corinthians 16:19: The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
- 2 Timothy 4:19: Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus.
- He praises
- Tryphena of Rome, Mary and Persis are commended for their hard work.[90]
- Euodia and Syntyche are called his fellow-workers in the gospel.[91]
Some theologians[92][93] believe that these biblical reports provide evidence of women leaders active in the earliest work of spreading the Christian message, while others[29] reject that understanding.
There are also Bible verses from Paul's letters which support the idea that women are to have a different or submissive role to men:
- "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."[94]
- "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy,"[95]
- " 3But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. 11Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 13Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God."[96]
New Testament scholar Frank Stagg considers verse 10 above as being "quite enigmatic", where a woman's being veiled is "because of the angels". In his book, Stagg suggests clues to the intention. He concludes his comments on this passage by saying that "The problems here are many. What is Paul's authority or source for the hierarchy: God, Christ, man, woman? ... What importance is there to a head covering in worship? Are veils binding upon women today? What about the subordination of woman (or wife) to man (or husband)? What about the angels? What about the teaching of nature? Is custom in v.16 binding upon Christian conscience today?"[97]: p.177
- "As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as even the law says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church."[98]
Women in church history
Apostolic age
From the very beginning of the early Christian church, women were important members of the movement, although some complain that much of the information in the New Testament on the work of women has been overlooked.[99] Some[who?] also argue that many assumed that it had been a "man's church" because sources of information stemming from the New Testament church were written and interpreted by men. Recently, scholars have begun looking in mosaics, frescoes, and inscriptions of that period for information about women's roles in the early church.[99] The historian Geoffrey Blainey wrote that the early Christian texts refer to various women activists in the early church. One such woman was St. Priscilla, a Jewish missionary from Rome, who may have helped found the Christian community at Corinth. She traveled as a missionary with her husband and St Paul, and tutored the Jewish intellectual Apollos. Others include the four daughters of Philip the Evangelist, from Caesarea, Palestine, who were said to be prophets and to have hosted St Paul in their home.[100]
Patristic age
From the early
Even if it is granted to a woman to show the sign of prophecy, she is nevertheless not permitted to speak in an assembly. When Miriam the prophetess spoke, she was leading a choir of women ... For [as Paul declares] "I do not permit a woman to teach," and even less "to tell a man what to do."[103]
In early centuries, the Eastern church allowed women to participate to a limited extent in ecclesiastical office by ordaining deaconesses.[101]
Women commemorated as saints from the early centuries of Christianity include several martyrs who suffered under the
Middle ages
As Western Europe transitioned from the Classical to Medieval Age, the male hierarchy with the Pope at its summit became a central player in European politics. Mysticism flourished and monastic convents and communities of Catholic women became institutions within Europe.
With the establishment of
The historian Geoffrey Blainey, writes that women were more prominent in the life of the Church during the Middle Ages than at any previous time in its history, with a number of church reforms initiated by women. In the 13th century, authors[who?] began to write of a mythical female pope—Pope Joan—who managed to disguise her gender until giving birth during a procession in Rome.[105] Blainey cites the ever-growing veneration of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene as evidence of a high standing for female Christians at that time.[citation needed] The Virgin Mary was conferred such titles as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven and, in 863, her feast day, the "Feast of Our Lady", was declared[by whom?] equal in importance to those of Easter and Christmas.[citation needed] Mary Magdalene's Feast Day was celebrated in earnest from the 8th century on and composite portraits of her were built up from Gospel references to other women Jesus met.[106]
Other than the institution of the convent, monarchy was the major European institution allowing women an alternative to marriage and child rearing.
Post Reformation
The
One effect of the Reformation in the Reformed areas was to bring an end to the long tradition of female convents which had existed within Roman Catholicism, and which the Reformers saw as bondage.[110] By shutting down female convents within the movement, Protestantism effectively closed off the option of a full-time religious role for Protestant women, as well as one which had provided some women a life in academic study.[111]
However, some convents (such as Ebstorf Abbey near the town of Uelzen and Bursfelde Abbey in Bursfelde) adopted the Lutheran faith.[112] Many of these convents in eastern Europe were closed by communist authorities after the Second World War. They are sometimes called damenstift. One notable damenstift member was Catharina von Schlegel (1697–1768) who wrote the hymn that was translated into English as "Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side".
However, other convents voluntarily folded during the Reformation. For example, following
In 1569 Lutheran Magdalena Heymair became the first woman ever to have her writings listed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. She published a series of pedagogical writings for elementary-age teaching and also wrote poetry. Calvinist Anne Locke was a translator and poet who published the first English sonnet sequence. In 1590, Christine of Hesse published the Lutheran psalm-book Geistliche Psalmen und Lieder.
(Genesis 3:16) "thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." By this, the apostle signified that the reason women were not to speak in the church, or to preach and teach publicly, or be concerned in the ministerial function was that in the Roman Empire, those were considered to be acts of power and authority, of rule and government, and thus contrary to that subjection which God in his law requires of women unto men. The extraordinary instances of Deborah, Huldah, and Anna, must not be drawn into a rule or example in such cases.[117]
Methodist founder John Wesley (1703–1791) and Methodist theologian Adam Clarke (1762–1832) both upheld male headship, but allowed that spiritual Christian women could publicly speak in church meetings if they "are under an extraordinary impulse of the Spirit" (Wesley),[118] and that such were to obey that influence, and that "the apostle lays down directions in chap. 11 for regulating her personal appearance when thus employed." (Clarke)[119] Puritan theologian Matthew Poole (1624–1679) concurred with Wesley, adding,
But setting aside that extraordinary case of a special afflatus, [strong Divine influence] it was, doubtless, unlawful for a woman to speak in the church.[120]
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) in his commentary, entertains allowing "praying, and uttering hymns inspired" by women, as such "were not teaching".[121] Within the
In Europe, Portugal and Spain remained Catholic and were on the cusp of building global empires. As sponsor of
Many women were martyred during the Counter-Reformation, including the Guernsey Martyrs, three women martyred for Protestantism in 1556. One woman was pregnant and gave birth while being burned, the child was rescued but then ordered to be burned as well. Still other women, such as those living in the Defereggen Valley, were stripped of their children so they could be raised in Catholic in an institution.
Modern times
Amidst the backdrop of Industrial Revolution and expanding European Empires during the 17th–19th centuries, Christian women played a role in developing and running of many the modern world's education and health care systems. However, women "still had to work under the nominal control of a man" for missionary work as late as the end of the 19th century.[25] Outside of these positions, "women were denied other influential public roles in the churches".[25] The roles that women began taking began expanding. Catholic religious orders like the
[O]ne of her first projects was a Woman's Bible in which the passages used by men to keep women in subjection were highlighted and critiqued. Although some early campaigners for female emancipation belonged to the churches, and though some church-related movements helped nurture women's entrance onto the public stage, the campaigners who embraced the feminist cause most wholeheartedly nearly always made a break from Church and Biblical Christianity.[25]
While Catholicism and Orthodoxy adhered to traditional gender restrictions on ordination to the priesthood,
Modern views
Linda Woodhead states that, "Of the many threats that Christianity has to face in modern times, gender equality is one of the most serious".[25] Some 19th-century Christian authors[139] began codifying challenges to traditional views toward women both in the church and in society. Only since the 1970s have more diverse views become formalized. In addition to non-Christian perspectives, four of the primary views inside Christianity on the role of women are Christian feminism, Christian egalitarianism, complementarianism, and Biblical patriarchy.
Secular criticism
Representing an atheist perspective, author Joshua Kelly argues that the Christian Bible, in this view a creation of ancient authors and medieval editors reflecting their own culture and opinions and not the declarations of a supernatural being, describes and advocates for
Christian feminism
Christian Feminists take an actively feminist position from a Christian perspective.
The book Genesis of Gender by Abigail Favale published in 2022 discusses her view on modern Christian feminism. She taught Gender Studies at a university before converting to Catholicism and elaborates on her interpretation of Genesis in the second chapter. She states, "Moreover, Genesis recognizes the duality of humankind, male and female; this difference is part of the goodness of creation, and both sexes share fully in the divine image and the commission to tend the earth. There is no sense here of hierarchy between male and female, but rather a shared, benevolent governance over the rest of creation" (Favale). This is a common view among Christian feminists, that both biological sexes are equal as both are created in the image of God. Similarly, Our Lives Matter by Pamela R. Lightsey describes Womanist Queer Theology, and incorporates modern events and renowned feminist theorists including Judith Butler into her argument for womanism in Christianity. As a Reverend in the United Methodist Church, Lightsey uses many verses of scripture to support her theology. She also ponders Genesis, stating, "God shaped and breathed life into humanity and did not desire to leave us alone. Having prohibited Adam and Eve from eating from the one tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God entrusted them with all that was created and charged them to care for every living creature. (Lightsey). These two prominent Christian authors of works concerning gender and feminism portray common analysis of biblical interpretation that support feminist ideals.
Egalitarian view
Christian Egalitarians' interpretation of Scripture brings them to the conclusion that the manner and teachings of Jesus, affirmed by the Apostle Paul, abolished gender-specific roles in both the church and in marriage.
- Official statement
Men, Women and Biblical Equality[147] was prepared in 1989 by several evangelical leaders to become the official statement of Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE). The statement lays out their biblical rationale for equality as well as its application in the community of believers and in the family. They advocate ability-based, rather than gender-based, ministry of Christians of all ages, ethnicities and socio-economic classes.[148] Egalitarians support the ordination of women and equal roles in marriage, and are more conservative both theologically and morally than Christian feminists.
- Christian egalitarian beliefs
- Both women and men were created equal by God[149]
- Neither man nor woman was cursed by God at The human couple were warned by God in a prophetic sense what would be the natural consequences of sin having entered the human race. The natural consequences of sin mentioned by God in the Creation account included increased pains in childbearing, and the husband will rule over you.
- Jesus' radical "new Covenant" view was correctly articulated by the Apostle Paul when he wrote that "...there is no male nor female, for you are all one in Christ."[152]
A scripture passage they consider key to the advocacy of full equality of responsibility and authority for both women and men is contained in a Pauline polemic containing these three antitheses:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
— Galatians 3:28
Christian Egalitarians interpret this passage as expressing that the overarching teaching of the New Testament is that all are "one in Christ". The three distinctions, important in Jewish life, are declared by Paul to be invalid in Christ. Therefore, among those "in Christ" there must be no discrimination based on race or national origin, social level, or gender. They respect the natural biological uniqueness of each gender, not seeing it as requiring any dominant/submissive applications of gender to either marriage or church leadership. David Scholer, New Testament scholar at Fuller Theological Seminary, affirms this view. He believes that Galatians 3:28 is "the fundamental Pauline theological basis for the inclusion of women and men as equal and mutual partners in all of the ministries of the church."[153] Galatians 3:28 represents "the summation of Paul's theological vision," according to Pamela Eisenbaum, professor at Iliff School of Theology, who is one of four Jewish New Testament scholars teaching in Christian theological schools.[154][155] Christian Egalitarianism holds that the submission of the woman in marriage and womanly restrictions in Christian ministry are inconsistent with the true picture of biblical equality. The equal-yet-different doctrine taught by Complementarians is considered by them to be a contradiction in terms.[156]
Linda Woodhead claims that the modern
"egalitarian emphasis is contradicted by a symbolic framework that elevates the male over the female, and by organizational arrangements that make masculine domination a reality in church life. Theological statements on the position of women from down the centuries testify not only to the assumption that it is men who have the authority to define women, but to the precautions that have been taken to ensure that women do not claim too much real equality with men – in this life at least".[25]
In their book
Gilbert Bilezikian, in his book Beyond Sex Roles—What the Bible Says About a Woman's Place in Church and Family,[157] argues that the New Testament contains evidence of women apostles,[158] prophets,[159] teachers,[160] deacons,[161] and administrators.[162]
Baptist theologian
I believe that most, if not all, of the restrictions on women in society have no basis in Scripture, and that those maintained in the Church are based on an inadequate interpretation of a few restrictive passages, which put them in contradiction with the manifest special concern and love of God for women articulated from Genesis to Revelation.
— Roger Nicole, 2006
A limited notion of gender complementarity is held and is known as "complementarity without hierarchy".[164]
David Basinger, a doctor of philosophy, says that Egalitarians point out, "Few Christians [...] take all biblical mandates literally." Basinger goes on to cite John 13:14 and James 5:14 as commandments prescribed by the Bible which are seldom followed by Christians. Basinger says that this logic indicates that traditional views "cannot be argued [...] solely because Paul and Peter exhorted the woman of their day to submit in the home and be silent in the church".[27]
Complementarian view
Complementarians believe that God made men and women to be equal in personhood and value but different in roles. They understand the Bible as teaching that God created men and women to serve different roles in the church and the home.[165] In the 1991 book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, leading Complementarian theologians outlined what they consider to be biblically sanctioned definitions of masculinity and femininity:
- "At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for and protect women in ways appropriate to a man's differing relationships.
- "At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm, receive and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a woman's differing relationships."[49]
- Official statement
The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood[166] was prepared by several evangelical leaders at a Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) meeting in Danvers, Massachusetts, in December 1987. The statement lays out their biblical rationale for male priority and female submission in the community of believers and in the family. Additionally it cites a set of concerns shared by complementarians over other contemporary philosophies about gender:
- A growing threat to Biblical authority
- Ambivalence about motherhood and homemaking
- Claims of legitimacy for illicit sexual relationships and pornography
- Cultural uncertainty and confusion over complementary differences between masculinity and femininity
- Emergence of roles for men and women in church leadership seen as nonconforming to Biblical teaching
- Increasing attention given what they termed to be feminist egalitarianism
- Nontraditional reinterpretation of apparently plain meanings of Biblical texts
- Unraveling marriages
- Upsurge of physical and emotional abuse in the family
They attribute these ills to the "apparent accommodation of some within the church to the spirit of the age at the expense of winsome, radical Biblical authenticity which ... may reform rather than reflect our ailing culture."[166]
- Interpretation of Scripture
Complementarians tend to be biblical inerrantists who take a more literal view of biblical interpretation. They disagree with Christian Egalitarians on theological positions related to gender,[167] such as in holding that:
- Man was created with "headship" over the woman by being created first.[168]
- Female exclusion from leadership over men is also justified due to her deception by the devil, which resulted in The Fall, for which Adam is also, or primarily, culpable.[169]
- Both Old and New Testaments set a pattern of male leadership; for instance the priestly and kingly offices of the Old Testament were restricted to males; the 1 Timothy and Titusappear to restrict this position to men.
Primary texts in the New Testament which they believe support male headship include these:
- But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.[170]
- But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.[171]
- Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.[172]
In Galatians 3:28, Complementarians believe that
Biblical patriarchy view
Biblical patriarchy as expressed by the Vision Forum is similar to Complementarianism in that it affirms the equality of men and women, but goes further in its expression of the different gender roles. Many of the differences between them are ones of degree and emphasis. While Complementarianism holds to exclusively male leadership in the church and in the home, biblical patriarchy extends that exclusion to the civic sphere as well, so that women should not be civil leaders[173] and indeed should not have careers outside the home.[174] Thus, William Einwechter refers to the traditional Complementarian view as "two point complementarianism" (male leadership in the family and church), and regards the biblical patriarchy view as "three-point" or "full" complementarianism, (male leadership in family, church and society).[175][176] In contrast to this, John Piper and Wayne Grudem, representing the Complementarian position, say that they are "not as sure in this wider sphere which roles can be carried out by men or women".[177] Grudem also acknowledges exceptions to the submission of wives to husbands where moral issues are involved.[178]
Terminology
Although much of the contemporary literature settles on the terms Complementarianism and Christian Egalitarianism, a number of other more pejorative terms are frequently encountered.
- In Complementarian literature, the term "Christian feminism" is sometimes incorrectly used synonymously with "egalitarianism". For examples, see books by Wayne Grudem on the topic. Christian Egalitarians generally object to being labeled "feminist" or "evangelical feminist". Their belief in biblical equality is said to be grounded in the biblical teaching that all believers have been given authority in Christ. Conversely, feminist ideology is derived from cultural factors and philosophies. Christian Egalitarian author Rebecca Groothuis writes, "Like most cultural systems of thought, feminist ideology is partly true and partly false—almost entirely false at this point in history."[179]
- In Christian Egalitarian literature, the terms "gender traditionalist", "patriarchalist" and "hierarchicalist" are sometimes used with reference to Complementarians. The use of these terms in egalitarian literature is defended in Rebecca Merrill Groothuis and Ronald W. Pierce, Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy, IVP 2004, p. 17. "... it is probably most fitting to refer to those who believe in restricting leadership to men as simply advocates of male leadership, or patriarchalists ... traditionalists ... or hierarchicalists."
William J. Webb describes himself as a "complementary egalitarian". He defines this as "full interdependence and 'mutual submission' within marriage, and the only differences in roles are 'based upon biological differences between men and women'." He uses "Complementarianism" to describe what he calls "a milder form of the historical hierarchical view."[44] Complementarian scholar
See also
- African and African-American women in Christianity
- Katharine Bushnell, pioneer Christian feminist
- Catharism#Role of women
- Christians for Biblical Equality, an egalitarian organization
- Female disciples of Jesus
- Feminist theology
- List of Christian women of the patristic age
- List of women hymnwriters
- List of women in the Bible
- Quaker views on women
- The Woman's Bible
- Women and religion
- Women as theological figures
- Women in Buddhism
- Women in Church history
- Women in Hinduism
- Women in Islam
- Women in Judaism
- Women in the Bible
Notes
- ^ A number of epistles found in the New Testament, and traditionally attributed to Peter and Paul, are held by some modern-day scholars to have been written by other authors writing in their style, passing their own works off entirely as that of another's without copying their writing style, or summarising their teachings. See Authorship of the Bible#New Testament for further information.
Citations
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- ^ Powell, Mark A. Introducing the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic. 2009. p.337.
- ^ Colossians 3:18–4:1
- ^ Ephesians 5:22–6:9
- ^ 1 Peter 2:13–3:7
- ^ Titus 2:1–10
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- ^ a b c d King, Karen L. "Women In Ancient Christianity: The New Discoveries".[1] Accessed 30 July 2015>.
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- ^ Wayne Grudem, Evangelical feminism: a new path to liberalism?, Crossway, 2006
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- ^ 2 Kings 22:14
- ^ Acts 21:8–9
- ^ a b Genesis 1–2
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- ^ Genesis 1:28
- ^ a b Genesis 3:16
- ^ a b c d e Gilbert Bilezikian, Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says about a Woman's Place in Church and Family, Baker Academic, 2006 (3rd edition)
- ^ Aida Spencer, Beyond the Curse: Women Called to Ministry, Hendrickson, 1989
- ^ a b c Galatians 3:28
- ^ Doug Heidebrecht. "Distinction and Function in the Church: Reading Galatians 3:28 in Context." Direction. Direction Journal, Mennonite Brethren Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ephesians 5:22–24
- ^ Ephesians 5:21
- ^ ISBN 0-8308-1561-9. Webb understands biblical issues of slaves and women to be cultural principles, applicable to that culture, but the biblical principles about homosexuality to be transcultural.
- ^ Galatians 3:28
- ^ 1 Corinthians 11:5–6
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- ^ Kevin Giles (2006), Jesus and the Father: Modern Evangelicals Reinvent the Doctrine of the Trinity, Zondervan
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- ^ Stagg, Frank. New Testament Theology. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1962.
- ^ 1 Cor 14:33–35
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- ^ a b Geoffrey Blainey; A Short History of Christianity; Penguin Viking; 2011
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The monastery is mentioned for the first time in 1197. It belongs to the group of so-called Lüneklöstern (monasteries of Lüne), which became Lutheran convents following the Protestant Reformation. [...] It is currently one of several Lutheran convents maintained by the Monastic Chamber of Hanover (Klosterkammer Hannover), an institution of the former Kingdom of Hanover founded by its Prince-Regent, later King George IV of the United Kingdom, in 1818, in order to manage and preserve the estates of Lutheran convents.
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- ^ Lillian Taiz, Hallelujah Lads and Lasses, Remaking the Salvation Army in America, 1880-1930 (University of North Carolina Press, 2001), Lynne Marks, "Hallelujah Lasses: Women in the Salvation Army in English Canada", Gender Conflicts, Franca Iacovetta and Mariana Valverde, eds (University of Toronto Press, 1991)
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- ^ For example, Katharine Bushnell, L.A. Starr, Charles H. Pridgeon, Phoebe Palmer, A. J. Gordon, Frances Willard, and many others
- ISBN 978-1-63431-064-2.
- ^ Ephesians 5:22–5:24
- ^ Exodus 21:7–21:11
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- ^ Gen. 1:27
- ^ Gen. 3:16
- ^ Gen. 3:14
- ^ Gal. 3:28
- ^ Scholer, David M. "Galatians 3:28 and the Ministry of Women in the Church," Theology, News and Notes. Pasadena: Fuller Theological Seminary, June 1998
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- ^ [6] Archived May 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-936083-16-6
- ISBN 0-8010-0885-9
- ^ cf. Rom. 16:7
- ^ cf. Acts 21:9–10
- ^ cf. Acts 18:26
- ^ Rom. 16:1
- ^ Rom. 16:1–2
- ^ Nicole, Roger. "Biblical Egalitarianism and the Inerrancy of Scripture." Priscilla Papers, Vol. 20, No. 2. Spring 2006
- ^ Ronald W. Pierce; Rebecca Merrill Groothuis (eds.), Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy, IVP 2004, p. 17
- ^ Koessler, John. "Wounds of a Friend: Complementarian." Christianity Today June 2008, Vol. 52, No. 6.
- ^ a b "The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. 1987". Cbmw.org. Archived from the original on 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
- ^ "Chapter 1: A Biblical Vision of Manhood and Womanhood as Created by God | CBMW | The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood". CBMW. 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
- ^ Gen. 2:22, 1 Cor 11:2–9
- ^ Gen. 3:16, 1Timothy 2:12–14, Romans 5:12–15
- ^ 1 Corinthians 11:3
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- ^ Ephesians 5:22ff
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- ^ Einwechter, William (2008-09-23). "The Palin Predicament Resolved". Vision Forum Ministries. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
- ^ John Piper and Wayne Grudem, "An Overview of Central Concerns," in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Wheaton: Crossway, 1991), 89.
- ^ "Wives Like Sarah, and the Husbands Who Honor Them 1 Peter 3:1-7". Bible.org. 2005-04-14. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
- ^ Groothuis, Rebecca Merrill (November 1, 2009). "The Basics of Biblical Equality: Belief and Practice". Cbeinternational.org.
- ^ Grudem, Wayne A. "Should We Move Beyond the New Testament to a Better Ethic?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS), 47/2 (June 2004) 299–346
References
- Bechtel, Lyn M. (1996), "A Symbolic Level of Meaning: John 2.1-11 (The Marriage in Cana)", in Athalya Brenner (ed.), A Feminist Companion to the Hebrew Bible in the New Testament (1st ed.), Sheffield, U.K.: Sheffield Academic Press
- Fiddes, Paul S. ' "Woman's head is man": a doctrinal reflection upon a Pauline text.' Baptist Quarterly 31.8, 1986. 370–83
- Fiddes, Paul S. (1990), "'The status of women in the thought of Karl Barth'", in Janet Martin Soskice (ed.), After Eve [alternative title After Eve: women, theology and the Christian tradition] (1st ed.), London: Marshall Pickering
- Fontaine, Carole R. (1996), "Disabilities and Illness in the Bible: A Feminist Perspective", in Athalya Brenner (ed.), A Feminist Companion to the Hebrew Bible in the New Testament (1st ed.), Sheffield, U.K.: Sheffield Academic Press
- Kripal, Jeffrey John. (2007), The Serpent's Gift: Gnostic Reflections on the Study of Religion, Chicago: The University of ChicagoPress
- Catholic references
- "Declaration Inter Insigniores on the question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood". Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, October 15, 1976.
- Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (On Ordination to the Priesthood)". Pope John Paul II, May 22, 1994.
- "Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem(On the Dignity of Women)". Pope John Paul II, August 15, 1988.
- Maryas the prototypical Christian, as in the Bible she was the first to hear the Good News of Jesus' coming. She is one of the few of Jesus' followers reported to be present at his crucifixion. Thus she is a woman who is most imitated among Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saints.
- The voice of Catholic theologians who believe that neither Scripture nor Tradition excludes the ordination of women can be heard on www.womenpriests.org, an academic website founded by John Wijngaards.
- References on the history of women in the early Christian Church
- Brock, Sebastian and Harvey, Susan, trans. Holy Women of the Syrian Orient, updated edition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987.
- Brown, Peter. The Body and Society: Men, Women, and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
- Coon, Lynda. "God's Holy Harlots: The Redemptive Lives of Pelagia of Antioch and Mary of Egypt". In Sacred Fictions: Holy Women and Hagiography in Late Antiquity. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
- Healy, John (1892). . The ancient Irish church (1 ed.). London: Religious Tract Society. pp. 89–98.
- MacDonald, Margaret. "Reading Real Women through Undisputed Letters of Paul". In Women and Christian Origins edited by Ross Sheppard Kraemer and Mary Rose D'Angelo. Oxford: University Press, 1999.
- Stagg, Evelyn and Frank. Woman in the World of Jesus. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1978.
- Stagg, Frank. New Testament Theology. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1962.
- Torjesen, Karen Jo. When Women were Priests: Women's Leadership in the Early Church & The Scandal of their Subordination in the Rise of Christianity. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.
- Wiley, Tatha. Paul and the Gentile Women: Reframing Galatians New York: Continuum, 2005.
- Witherington, Ben III. Women in the Earliest Churches. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
- Threads of Wisdom, book published in January 2018 of the collective wisdom and journeys to marketplace leadership of 10 Christian Women Leaders
- Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996
- Cooper, Kate. The Virgin and the Bride: Idealized Womanhood in Late Antiquity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.
External links
- Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, Pope Roman Catholicposition)
- Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis of John Paul II (1994) to the Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church on Reserving Priestly Ordination to men alone
- Christians for Biblical Equality, principal egalitarian organization
- Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, principal complementarian organization
- The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity