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#274278 - 01/20/08 11:58 PM
Women in Early Christianity
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Logos - Alexis
Member
Registered: 08/10/02
Posts: 3404
Loc: Georgia
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Ok, folks, so I'm a History minor. Right now I'm taking this class called "Witches, Damsels, and Nuns." Yes, really. What a strange grouping of topics, right? So anyway, the following is a portion of my notes from a lecture earlier this week when my professor was talking about women's roles in early Christianity (this will eventually continue on into the "Nuns" part of the class, obviously).
Here are the notes I took, which are certainly not my own opinions but simply what my professor said. I wanted to garner some opinions by knowledgeable Early Christian scholars and Scripture scholars (amateur or professional) on here, since some of the stuff below conflicts with Church teaching in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. So, any and every thought and comment is welcome.
Third Influence of Antiquity on Status of Women: Christianity
A) 1st 300 yrs of its existence, it was illegal.
1.. Still grew due to conversion
a. Notably, Jews/Samarians, Greeks, Celts in Asia Minor, and Romans
b. By end of 1st C., most Christians were Gentiles
2. Not until Constantine's conversion in 313 AD did Christianity really begin to take off. Legalized by Edict of Milan. This dramatically changed the course of world history.
B) Classical Greek philosophy had come to deeply influence Christian theology.
1. During Theodosius' reign, in 391 AD Christianity became the official State Religion and became institutionalized to a much greater degree becoming somewhat of a gov't appendage.
C) When the Empire in the West fell, the Pope appropriated a lot of the Emperor's status and stuff for sake of continuity. The Church as a whole did this in the West.
D) Christianity's influence over Western women wouldn't diminish because it stayed around and didn't go away. Early Christian views on women would be transmitted to medieval Christians later on.
1. The New Testament
a. Who wrote it? Answer: Hellenized, educated Jewish converts to the Faith. We can expect their attitudes to reflect 1st century educated observant Jewish thought.
b. But for the time, Jesus treats women with a lot more respect than most of Jewish society would be comfortable with. Had female disciples, came in contact with a menstruating woman, etc. Rather revolutionary, it seems. However, all 12 Apostles were all men.
c. The Epistles of Paul: probably the oldest surviving Christian texts. Paul mentions a considerable number of women whom he greets by name. Letter to the Romans, for example, speaks of Phoebe whom he calls a "diakonos" - deaconess. Suggests she was of some standing within the community. Also, he mentions Priscia who allowed early Christians to meet in her home. Another time he speaks of a Roman woman named Junia, and Paul calls her "foremost among the apostolois". Still more women are mentioned and seem to have similarly high profiles in the Letter to the Romans and in other Epistles.
d. In Corinthians, women are spoken of as full and active members in the Church. Contrary to accepted role of women in Jewish practice.
e. In Philippians, the only 2 people Paul mentions are two women.
f. In the Acts, the Church in Philippi (in Macedonia) started with the conversion of a woman named Lydia. TO ALL APPEARANCES, she became head of the small Church in Philippi.
g. In both the Epistles of Paul and the Gospels, it sort of looks like there's a new social order in place among Christians. For example, in Galatians it says, "there is no longer male or female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Still, Paul still believes in no overall social revolution and that women should still be viewed as inherently different. He states that women should cover their hair (Corinthians), keep silence in the churches, the people are instructed to appoint male leaders and to keep their households in submission and women were expected to have babies (Timothy and Titus).
h. But not all scholars think that Paul wrote all of these letters, and interestingly among the most doubtful are the Epistles to Timothy and Titus. An anonymous Christians who probably wanted to make use of Paul's fame probably wrote these. Because in other books Paul says women CAN speak/prophesy in church, like in Corinthians.
At the very least, we can discern different views in the New Testament on women. One rather liberal and new, the other more conservative in that it contains adherence to the established cultural norms. There was a clear movement towards equality, however. Paul's support of the celibate life may have fueled his egalitarian way of thinking. The Churches, however, eventually moved to the more conservative tradition. Women were made to submit and be silent. Those who sought to exercise power or authority over men were thought to be unnatural.
2. Why did the conservative tradition win out?
a. Possibly because of the nature of the Early Church. The earliest Christian communities weren't set up as public institutions like synagogues but rather like house-churches. Small gatherings. In Roman culture, women had charge of the house because it was domestic and private, not public. Small wonder early Christian women had more influence when the Churches were usually house-gatherings. As the Faith grew, individual congregations would increase in size and wealth and more men would become involved; men from the educated and affluent ranks of society. Activities of the Church took on a more public air and dimension.
b. The public sphere is men's domain and women found themselves restricted as to what they could do in the church because those were now public activities and men came to make up a professional clergy.
3. Asceticism for Early Christian Women
a. Fasting, limited sleep and diet, extensive prayers and vigils. Denials of bodily comforts. No sex/chastity. Chastity is the hallmark of Christian asceticism. Old, young, even married women were all praised for refraining from sex and becoming perpetual virgins. Tertullian, Clement, Cyprian all talk about the virginal life and its benefits. These women were encouraged to wear veils as befitting a bride of Christ.
4. By early half of the 2nd C., we can see these perpetual virgins in higher numbers. Earliest evidence for men and women semi-monastics comes from a man named Pachomius (d. 346 AD) in Egypt. But in the Latin West, in the Council of Elvira (306 AD) the bishops determined that "virgins who had dedicated themselves to God but had broken their promise of virginity were not entitled to receive Communion."
Fire away!
Alexis
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#274285 - 01/21/08 12:30 AM
Re: Women in Early Christianity
[Re: Logos - Alexis]
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Miller
Member
Registered: 04/20/06
Posts: 428
Loc: Canada
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TO ALL APPEARANCES, she became head of the small Church in Philippi.
From my history classes many years ago, I believe that she was prominent person, but by no means the "head" of a church house in Philippi. There were small chapels in people's homes, but that does not follow that the husband of the family of the wife had a liturgical role and lead the services. Leading services and the celebration of the liturgry was for ordained clergy.
There were however, deaconesses mentioned in the New Testament.
What you have presented is a vary vague, general discription.
If this is a university calss, you will be given scholarly readings and will be able to present your views as long as you provide sources to back up what you say.
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#274287 - 01/21/08 12:41 AM
Re: Women in Early Christianity
[Re: Miller]
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Logos - Alexis
Member
Registered: 08/10/02
Posts: 3404
Loc: Georgia
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Yes we have to read a lot for the class. I, however, haven't bothered to do so yet! 
Alexis
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