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Women’s role during the time of Christ and throughout the bible has been diminished according to Elizabeth Clark professor of Religion and Director of the Graduate Program in Religion Duke University. She writes, “Some scholars have even suggested that the majority of Christians in the first century may have been women.”
In Paul’s letters he greets “Prisca, Junia, Julia, and Nereus' sister, who worked and traveled as missionaries in pairs with their husbands or brothers (Romans 16:3, 7, 15)”. He refers to them as co-workers. He calls Phoebe a deaconess. The earliest Christian churches were home churches many of which were owned by women. Lydia and Thyatira are mentioned in Acts 16:15, and Nympha in Colossians 4:15. There were also Prisca (1 Corinthians 16:19) and Apphia (Philemon 2). Professor Clark says, “This I think is significant because I don't think the women who owned the houses were simply providing coffee and cookies, in effect, for the Christian community. I think that this probably gave them some avenue to power... in the church.”
In the Apocryphal entitled Acts of Paul and Thecla, Thecla is “an aristocratic woman who, despite great opposition, upon hearing the preaching of Paul, renounces her family and fiancé to follow him. She eventually becomes a missionary and lives out her life teaching the gospel.”
Karen L. King, Professor of New Testament Studies and the History of Ancient Christianity at Harvard University in the Divinity School writes, “In the last twenty years, the history of women in ancient Christianity has been almost completely revised. As women historians entered the field in record numbers, they brought with them new questions, developed new methods, and sought for evidence of women's presence in neglected texts and exciting new findings.”
Several of Jesus’ earliest followers were women. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna accompanied Jesus and helped to support him. Jesus visited Mary and Martha where he ate meals, rested, and talked. It’s believed when Jesus was arrested women remained steadfast by his side.
Professor King writes, “Women's prominence did not, however, go unchallenged. Every variety of ancient Christianity that advocated the legitimacy of women's leadership was eventually declared heretical, and evidence of women's early leadership roles was erased or suppressed.”
Professor Clark adds, “We have information from about the end of the second century that whatever roles women may have had earlier, leaders of the church were beginning to clarify the fact that women should have no official position in the church as they were establishing it. And that was seen as a characteristic of heretical groups. The orthodox church would have none of that, and did not, so far as we can tell, from about the second century on. There's not a single woman of renown in the ancient church whose story does not show enormous opposition from some of the men in the group.”
Fortunately, today the important role(s) of women in the early Jesus movement is beginning to be explored under new light. Lord willing, more will be learned and shared that we may have a fuller, richer knowledge of early Christianity and the important role women played in it.
Sources;
Elizabeth Clark, The Roles for Women
Karen King, Women In Ancient Christianity: The New Discoveries
Greg Carey, The Power and Presence of Women In The Earliest Churches
Is there a point that you'd like to make regarding it? Do you believe women are being utilized in the church like they should today? Do you believe they are not doing enough? Doing too much?
Is there a point that you'd like to make regarding it? Do you believe women are being utilized in the church like they should today? Do you believe they are not doing enough? Doing too much?
Thanks for the questions, pastor.
My point is that too many think either women played a minor role or were not welcome into the early Christian church movement. I've read several posts on this forum accusing 'fundamentalists' a 20th century movement for demeaning women, using the old 'pregnant, barefoot, and in the kitchen' line, when in fact, according to the authors, as early as the second century women were being erased from many Christian books.
Trying to find application for today. I'm probably not the best person to answer that, for in our church women wear many hats serving diligently and reliably. As is probably the case in many churches I'd like to see more men and women step up to spread the load around to avoid burn out. I'm not going to go down that 'what roles should men and women have in the church.' I think that's best left for each church to decide.
Thanks again for the opportunity to answer your questions. The past 2 weeks I have felt under the weather, like I was coming down with something that never became worse than feeling extremely tired with dizzy spells. The other night I nearly fainted. As background, I had quintuple bypass heart surgery in 2004. I took my blood pressure the other night and it was 230/135. My wife drove me to the ER where I was hooked up to a nitroglycerin IV drip from 11:30pm-5:30am. The blood pressure gradually came down, the IV was removed and I was switched over to 4 new BP pills. The reason I brought this up was because someone made a comment on another thread that I was avoiding answering them inferring I was gun shy I guess, when in fact I simply could not muster enough energy and effort to answer. It's easy to assume things that are simply not the way they are.
My point is that too many think either women played a minor role or were not welcome into the early Christian church movement. I've read several posts on this forum accusing 'fundamentalists' a 20th century movement for demeaning women, using the old 'pregnant, barefoot, and in the kitchen' line, when in fact, according to the authors, as early as the second century women were being erased from many Christian books.
Trying to find application for today. I'm probably not the best person to answer that, for in our church women wear many hats serving diligently and reliably. As is probably the case in many churches I'd like to see more men and women step up to spread the load around to avoid burn out. I'm not going to go down that 'what roles should men and women have in the church.' I think that's best left for each church to decide.
I will wholeheartedly think that I think women are under-utilized. Yes, the Bible does talk about gender roles, but even so, oftentimes women are told to take a back seat incorrectly in some areas.
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Thanks again for the opportunity to answer your questions. The past 2 weeks I have felt under the weather, like I was coming down with something that never became worse than feeling extremely tired with dizzy spells. The other night I nearly fainted. As background, I had quintuple bypass heart surgery in 2004. I took my blood pressure the other night and it was 230/135. My wife drove me to the ER where I was hooked up to a nitroglycerin IV drip from 11:30pm-5:30am. The blood pressure gradually came down, the IV was removed and I was switched over to 4 new BP pills. The reason I brought this up was because someone made a comment on another thread that I was avoiding answering them inferring I was gun shy I guess, when in fact I simply could not muster enough energy and effort to answer. It's easy to assume things that are simply not the way they are.
I'll be praying for you that you will be feeling better and that the BP gets under control.
Well, a note about Phoebe. She was a deacon, not a deaconess. The feminine version of the noun didn't exist in classical Greek for several centuries after the earliest writings are dated. This is an important distinction and one that reveals a great deal about the mentality of the early church.
For Paul only mentions two official roles in the church in his letter to Timothy: Bishop and Deacon. Bishops in Paul's time pretty much fulfilled the role that their modern successors do. And deacons fulfilled the role that clergy do today. So, unless Paul is wildly inconsistent, he has invested Phoebe with clerical responsibilities and power.
I will wholeheartedly think that I think women are under-utilized. Yes, the Bible does talk about gender roles, but even so, oftentimes women are told to take a back seat incorrectly in some areas.
True. I and undoubtedly you as well have witnessed extreme examples of this.
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I'll be praying for you that you will be feeling better and that the BP gets under control.
I was going to ask for prayer, but from what I've read on here, most don't pray anyway, which surprised me. Glad you are a praying man. Kind of goes with the job description!
Well, a note about Phoebe. She was a deacon, not a deaconess. The feminine version of the noun didn't exist in classical Greek for several centuries after the earliest writings are dated. This is an important distinction and one that reveals a great deal about the mentality of the early church.
For Paul only mentions two official roles in the church in his letter to Timothy: Bishop and Deacon. Bishops in Paul's time pretty much fulfilled the role that their modern successors do. And deacons fulfilled the role that clergy do today. So, unless Paul is wildly inconsistent, he has invested Phoebe with clerical responsibilities and power.
I went with what the three biblical scholars said about Phoebe. I hated Greek language.
I was going to ask for prayer, but from what I've read on here, most don't pray anyway, which surprised me. Glad you are a praying man. Kind of goes with the job description!
I do not generally believe in announcing prayer efforts . . . but know that you will now be in mine. You should post in the Prayer thread in the Religion forum: Prayer for any worldview
They are sincere and effective prayer warriors . . . but if you are an exclusivist you may not wish to avail yourself of their efforts.
I do not generally believe in announcing prayer efforts . . . but know that you will now be in mine. You should post in the Prayer thread in the Religion forum: Prayer for any worldview
They are sincere and effective prayer warriors . . . but if you are an exclusivist you may not wish to avail yourself of their efforts.
Thanks for the inside scoop, I'll keep that close at hand. I suppose I can be somewhat exclusivist, but I don't have my head completely up my arse.
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