Early Christian Gender Roles

Professor of religious studies Karen Armstrong finds in the early Christian Church examples of hostility toward women and fear of their sexual power, which she contends led to the eventual exclusion of women from full participation in a male-dominated church.

In the earliest of Christian texts, there is talk about what women did in the Church and the important roles they played (Fiddes, 1990; Fontaine, 1996). Many women were activists during that time, and they spent time focusing on their studies and duties to their households and to their God. In Corinth, for example, it was believed that a Jewish missionary woman who came from Rome helped to found the

The stories told about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Although the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates love and devotion women had for Him. The stories of the bible describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.

Widows were not the only women able to take advantage of the new leadership opportunities, though. Many Christian women opened their homes to followers. Paul’s letters help to paint a clearer picture of what Christianity started as. Christians met in homes, not churches. Women played a vital role in the making of a Christian household, so it was only natural that they would be important in meetings in their own homes. Women were responsible for raising children in a way that was consistent with the Church’s teachings and earned more respect from members of the Church because of this role (Fernández-Armesto 292). Paul speaks of women such as Lydia of Thyatira and Nympha of Laodicea who both led churches in their homes and aided other women in worship. When Paul met a deacon named Phoebe, he assumed that women were prophesying while worshiping; prophets were influential and spoke publicly about the religion, taught, led prayer, and preached

Women were not held to such a high standard as men. Men had a more prominent active duty in the church and in order to gain their membership they needed to show their commitment to a congregation of people, while women could just make their consult in private. Although men and women still had to have a testimony from a Brethren before they were fully admitted, it was clear that men and women were separated in the church as they were at home.

Christianity began to challenge these social normalities for women and allowed more freedom for them in its earliest days. In the early days of christianity, we begin to see a breakthrough for women, specifically in the roles of wives and widows. The view of women, along with their roles and expectations when it comes to religion, can be traced throughout different books in the Bible. In the past women were not encouraged to think or speak on their own; in fact, women were supposed to let their husbands handle everything political, or anything that involved a voice. But we see in First Corinthians 14: 35 that “If [Women] want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church”.

“The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church” ( BibleGateway).    

In today’s society the controversial subject of what positions in the church a woman can hold; has become incredibly debatable among the nation. Some people believe that women have equal rights with men and can uphold any position that a man can. Today’s society also believes that because a woman can be in political and business power, then a woman can also be in authority in the church. However, that could not be farther from the truth a women’s positions in the church are defined by God.

“In the case of headcovering, Paul continues his ‘yes, but’ logic”. He is “yes” for women to pray and prophesying, but “no” for abusing the freedom in Christ. “These women were not merely speaking in worship, but doing it in a way that unnecessarily flaunted social conversation and the order of creation. So Paul has to encourage them to exercise restraint”.

Women have played a significant role in the early church from its beginning. Acting as nuns, martyrs, prophetesses, hermitesses, anchoresses, beguines, tertiaries, and many other leadership roles within the early church community, women were influential and pertinent to the development and growth of the early and medieval church. Given that women in the early church were influential, they were also judged on a much lower standard than men for their actions and improvements upon the church. Due to the patriarchal structure of the early church, women were not able to have as much influence as men could for two reasons: men believed that women could not be held to the same standard as males because they were not equal to males, and because of the limitations set by the patriarchal structure of the church women’s influences were restricted. It is very rarely disputed anymore that women played a large role in the

whatever side you stand on when determining the role of the woman you will find evidence to support it. Whether you believe woman should speak in church or not you will have biblical backing if you merely glance at the words. That is why we need to read further than just the words and read the historical content and see what Paul and others meant when writing such things. And even that will not be enough. So the best way would be to learn from the man himself-Jesus and see not only how Jesus treated woman but what roles he gave them.

Gender roles, and the mere existence of a gender binary, has been a recent topic of conversation for many churches, theologians, and individual believers. As the cultural pressure to remove gender-specific limitations builds, many of those aforementioned have turned to scripture for answers. Seldom are women’s roles in the Old Testament characterized by decision making or personal merits. Rather, a woman’s capacity to produce an heir for their husband complements his dominance and responsible faithfulness and allows God’s plan to be fulfilled through their combined efforts. In the New Testament, through the transformative power of Christ, prominent women became less of an anomaly, but were still held to a different set of standards and expectations than men and were usually still praised according to their actions and their faith. The Pauline epistles, written in the context in which the Church still exists today: the age to come, provide a basis for today’s understanding of women’s roles in marriage and in church leadership. Although there are many instances of women fulfilling God’s plans and proving their worth among the community of Christians, the biblically normative role of women is to avoid authoritative church leadership positions and remain submissive in situations of teaching and interpreting the Word.

The Christians often gather together in a church to pray while Anglicans prefer to pray wherever they find suitable. The same stubbornness of the Christian Church reflects onwards to status of woman,2 as in their church, woman are regarded to be less than that of men and females are denied the same leadership attributes of males. This way of the Christian church is influenced by passage of the bible but this inst the case within the Anglican

Until recently, women were not allowed to preach or even speak in the Christian Church, but in modern times women are beginning to play a more significant. While sects of Christianity still hold the traditional teachings about women, others have given them equal status within the church, an increasingly accepted interpretation.

1 Timothy 2:11–15 states: “11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 for Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” 1 Corinthians 14:33–35 states: “33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their