Women in the patristic age
Encyclopedia
The status of women in the patristic age, as defined by the Church Fathers
, is a contentious issue within Christianity
because the patristic writers clearly sought to restrict the influence of women in civil society as well as in the life of the Church.
The patristic era, which extends roughly from 150 CE to 500 CE, was arguably harsher than the Middle Ages
themselves in attributing social roles to women, hence the expression patriarchy
used by modern-day feminists.
believed that women are colder than men and thus a lower form of life. His assumption carried forward unexamined to Galen
and others for almost two thousand years until the 16th century.
, the offices of teacher and sacramental minister were reserved for men throughout most of the church in the East and West. Tertullian
, the 2nd century Latin father, wrote that "It is not permitted to a woman to speak in church. Similarly, the fourth century theologian Epiphanius of Salamis
claimed that "Never from the beginning of the world has a woman served God as priest".("Against the heresies")
es, whereas in the West the diaconate (as with higher offices) was reserved only for men. Neither may she teach, baptize, offer, nor claim for herself any function proper to a man, least of all the sacerdotal office, according to Terutllian. " ("On the Veiling of Virgins")
. Because you deserved death, it was the son of God who had to die".
St Jerome
, the well known Biblical scholar and translator of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate) have a simple view of women. To him "woman is the root of all evil." Like all the early Christian theologians, Jerome glorified virginity and looked down on marriage. He reasoning, was also rooted in Genesis: "Eve in paradise was a virgin ... understand that virginity is natural and that marriage comes after the Fall."
Firmilian
tells of a woman who went into an ecstasy and came out a prophetess. "That woman who first through marvels or deceptions of the demons did many things to deceive the faithful, among other things... she dared to do this, namely that by an impressive invocation she feigned she was sanctifying bread, and offering a sacrifice to the Lord."
, bishop of Constantinople
at the beginning of the 5th century, said of biblical women that they "were great characters, great women and admirable…. Yet did they in no case outstrip the men, but occupied the second rank" (Epistle to the Ephesians, Homily 13). Commenting on ,
Chrysostom said that "the male sex enjoyed the higher honor. Man was first formed; and elsewhere he shows their superiority…. He wishes the man to have the preeminence in every way." Of women he said that "The woman taught once, and ruined all. On this account therefore he saith, let her not teach. But what is it to other women, that she suffered this? It certainly concerns them; for the sex is weak and fickle, and he is speaking of the sex collectively." (1 Timothy, Homily 9).
Augustine elevated the contempt of women and sex to a level unsurpassed before. To him, women's inferiority to men was so obvious that he felt that he had to ask the question: "Why was woman created at all". He concluded that woman was created purely for procreation and for nothing else. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise, according to him, was purely the fault of Eve.
, the Bishop of Constantinople had this to say about women, "Fierce is the dragon and cunning the asp; But and cunning the asp; But woman have the malice of both."
According to the theologian Origen
, women are worse than animals because they are continuously full of lust. Origen does not approve of the sexual act even in marriage and taught that although widowers can remarry, they are by no means crowned for this. He also argued in his commentary on that female prophets never spoke publicly in the assembly.
St. Clement of Alexandria
had such a contempt for women that he believed such a feeling must be universal. He wrote, in his book Paedagogus that in women, "the consciousness of their own nature must evoke feelings of shame". He also suggested that wWomen should also fetch from the pantry things that we need.
Gregory of Nyssa
taught that the sexual act was an outcome of the fall and that marriage is the outcome of sin.
cautioned that it was wicked to expose children, given that almost all those who are exposed were raised to prostitution.
by the wider church, gave a more prominent place to the ministry of women and in some cases allowed them to participate in the priestly ministry. These include Montanism
in the second and 3rd century, the Quintillians and Collyridians
in the 4th century, and Priscillianism
in the 4th century. These heretical sects provided occasion for the institutional church to condemn the ecclesiastical ministry of women.
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
, is a contentious issue within Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
because the patristic writers clearly sought to restrict the influence of women in civil society as well as in the life of the Church.
The patristic era, which extends roughly from 150 CE to 500 CE, was arguably harsher than the Middle Ages
Women in the Middle Ages
Women in the Middle Ages occupied a number of different social roles. Women in the Middle Ages, a period of European history from around the 5th century to the 15th century, held the position of wife, mother, peasant, artisan, and nun, as well as some important leadership roles, such as abbess or...
themselves in attributing social roles to women, hence the expression patriarchy
Patriarchy
Patriarchy is a social system in which the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organization, and where fathers hold authority over women, children, and property. It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege, and entails female subordination...
used by modern-day feminists.
Aristotle's views on women
AristotleAristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
believed that women are colder than men and thus a lower form of life. His assumption carried forward unexamined to Galen
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher...
and others for almost two thousand years until the 16th century.
Male activity and female passivity
In the classical age, which shaped patristic views, male sexuality and power were closely associated, and female sexuality was associated with passivity. Church Fathers opposed to practice of independent female ascetism because it threatened to emancipate women from men. To take one's pleasure was to be virile, to accept it servile.Ministry restricted to men
From the early patristic agePatristics
Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. The names derive from the Latin pater . The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times or end of the Apostolic Age Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian...
, the offices of teacher and sacramental minister were reserved for men throughout most of the church in the East and West. Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
, the 2nd century Latin father, wrote that "It is not permitted to a woman to speak in church. Similarly, the fourth century theologian Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis was bishop of Salamis at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy...
claimed that "Never from the beginning of the world has a woman served God as priest".("Against the heresies")
Diaconate reserved to men
In early centuries, the Eastern church allowed women to participate to a limited extent in ecclesiastical office by ordaining deaconessDeaconess
Deaconess is a non-clerical order in some Christian denominations which sees to the care of women in the community. That word comes from a Greek word diakonos as well as deacon, which means a servant or helper and occurs frequently in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. Deaconesses trace...
es, whereas in the West the diaconate (as with higher offices) was reserved only for men. Neither may she teach, baptize, offer, nor claim for herself any function proper to a man, least of all the sacerdotal office, according to Terutllian. " ("On the Veiling of Virgins")
Woman as the root of all evil
Tertullian's views on women went further: "The curse God pronounced on your sex still weighs on the world. …You are the devil's gateway…. You are the first that deserted the divine laws. All too easily you destroyed the image of God, AdamAdam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
. Because you deserved death, it was the son of God who had to die".
St Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
, the well known Biblical scholar and translator of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate) have a simple view of women. To him "woman is the root of all evil." Like all the early Christian theologians, Jerome glorified virginity and looked down on marriage. He reasoning, was also rooted in Genesis: "Eve in paradise was a virgin ... understand that virginity is natural and that marriage comes after the Fall."
Firmilian
Firmilian
Saint Firmilian , Bishop of Caesarea Mazaca from ca. 232, was a disciple of Origen. He had a contemporary reputation comparable to that of Dionysius of Alexandria or Cyprian, bishop of Carthage....
tells of a woman who went into an ecstasy and came out a prophetess. "That woman who first through marvels or deceptions of the demons did many things to deceive the faithful, among other things... she dared to do this, namely that by an impressive invocation she feigned she was sanctifying bread, and offering a sacrifice to the Lord."
Women as the weaker sex
John ChrysostomJohn Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
, bishop of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
at the beginning of the 5th century, said of biblical women that they "were great characters, great women and admirable…. Yet did they in no case outstrip the men, but occupied the second rank" (Epistle to the Ephesians, Homily 13). Commenting on ,
Chrysostom said that "the male sex enjoyed the higher honor. Man was first formed; and elsewhere he shows their superiority…. He wishes the man to have the preeminence in every way." Of women he said that "The woman taught once, and ruined all. On this account therefore he saith, let her not teach. But what is it to other women, that she suffered this? It certainly concerns them; for the sex is weak and fickle, and he is speaking of the sex collectively." (1 Timothy, Homily 9).
Augustine elevated the contempt of women and sex to a level unsurpassed before. To him, women's inferiority to men was so obvious that he felt that he had to ask the question: "Why was woman created at all". He concluded that woman was created purely for procreation and for nothing else. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise, according to him, was purely the fault of Eve.
Women as creatures of lust
Gregory of NazianzusGregory of Nazianzus
Gregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age...
, the Bishop of Constantinople had this to say about women, "Fierce is the dragon and cunning the asp; But and cunning the asp; But woman have the malice of both."
According to the theologian Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
, women are worse than animals because they are continuously full of lust. Origen does not approve of the sexual act even in marriage and taught that although widowers can remarry, they are by no means crowned for this. He also argued in his commentary on that female prophets never spoke publicly in the assembly.
St. Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens , known as Clement of Alexandria , was a Christian theologian and the head of the noted Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement is best remembered as the teacher of Origen...
had such a contempt for women that he believed such a feeling must be universal. He wrote, in his book Paedagogus that in women, "the consciousness of their own nature must evoke feelings of shame". He also suggested that wWomen should also fetch from the pantry things that we need.
Gregory of Nyssa
Gregory of Nyssa
St. Gregory of Nyssa was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory of Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity...
taught that the sexual act was an outcome of the fall and that marriage is the outcome of sin.
Divorce
Women who have left their husbands for no prior cause and have joined themselves with others, may not even at death receive communion.Adultery
A woman of the faith who has left an adulterous husband of the faith and marries another, her marrying in this manner is prohibited. If she has so married, she may not at any more receive communion—unless he that she has left has since departed from this world.Abortion
If a woman conceives in adultery and then has an abortion, she may not commune again, even as death approaches, because she has sinned twice.Infanticide
Justin MartyrJustin Martyr
Justin Martyr, also known as just Saint Justin , was an early Christian apologist. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue survive. He is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
cautioned that it was wicked to expose children, given that almost all those who are exposed were raised to prostitution.
Prostitution
Justin also added a warning against consorting with prostitutes because it was thereby possible that one would be guilty of having intercourse with his own child.Women in heretical movements
A number of minority movements, deemed hereticalHeresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
by the wider church, gave a more prominent place to the ministry of women and in some cases allowed them to participate in the priestly ministry. These include Montanism
Montanism
Montanism was an early Christian movement of the late 2nd century, later referred to by the name of its founder, Montanus, but originally known by its adherents as the New Prophecy...
in the second and 3rd century, the Quintillians and Collyridians
Collyridians
Collyridianism was an obscure early Christian heretical movement whose adherents apparently worshipped the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, as a goddess. The main source of information about them comes from their strongest opponent, Epiphanius of Salamis, who wrote about them in his Panarion of about...
in the 4th century, and Priscillianism
Priscillianism
Priscillianism is a Christian doctrine developed in the Iberian Peninsula in the 4th century by Priscillian, derived from the Gnostic-Manichaean doctrines taught by Marcus, an Egyptian from Memphis, and later considered a heresy by the Orthodox Church.-History:Priscillian was described as "a man...
in the 4th century. These heretical sects provided occasion for the institutional church to condemn the ecclesiastical ministry of women.