Women in Early Christianity

When you hear of Christianity, we hear alot about men who are the typical role model figures as well as church fathers, deacons, priests, etc. Of course there are women, but why is it so little recorded or mentioned about them? In early Christianity, men looked down upon women. They felt as if they were "weak in both mind and character" (Clark, 1983, pg.15), and are only good for sexual encounters. These men see women in the perspective from the creattion story by Genesis 2 in which man was created first, making them better than women who were created secondly. However in Genesis 1, the Bible states in this creation story that both man and woman are created at the same time (Gryson, 1980). As we will later find out, women actually played a huge role in early christianity.

Despite the iffiniess and doubts from men, women were actually helpers and symbolic to Jesus, for he was also known as a helper. The women actually travelled with Jesus and gave him the support he needed to spread the word (Clark, 1983, ph. 16-17). Not only were they alongside with Jesus, but Paul as well. Women made it possible for Paul to go out and preach the Gospel by giving him money, traveling with him, opening up their homes for worship, and motivating and influencing Pauls movement. He pretty much wouldnt have been anything without them. In many of his letters he also greeted them as his coworkers, in a sense they were.

Paul gave them leverage and opened up alot of people and traditions eyes to women. They were definitely more than sex and now, later on everyone will know it. There were still restrictions and rules but the main point is that women valued their lives and dedicated them to the religious activies that took place and thats why they are a huge element in early Christianity. (Walford, 2005)

Gryson, Roger. The Ministry of Women in the early church. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgicul press, 1980.

Clark, Elizabeth A. Women in the Early Church. Vol. 13. Wilmington, DE: M. Glazier, 1983. Print.

Walford, Pamela. "The story of God: Women in the early church." The story of God: Women in the early church. Np., 2005. Web. 22 Jan. 2016