Women's roles and leadership in early Christian biblical texts

¶ … Bible offers contradictory information about the roles of men and women and their status. One reason for the disparate information is the diversity of voices present in the Christian gospel. Another, and perhaps even more important reason, is the divergence from Jewish law that occurred gradually over time as Christian thinkers preached the teachings of Christ. Women were an indispensable and integral part of Jesus's ministry and women therefore feature prominently in the Christian Bible. Jesus treated women with enormous compassion and respect, in some ways treating the suffering of women as a symbol of the suffering of all of humanity. Moreover, Jesus directly challenged the outmoded Jewish law in favor of a new social order that was far more egalitarian in nature. The equality of all people under God was a fundamentally Christian concept, which is why Jesus Christ not only allowed but actively welcomed women into his ministry.

At the same time, it is important to point out that none of the twelve apostles were women. Jesus did not discriminate against women, but He also did not actively place women in positions of leadership. With few exceptions, women were absent from positions of political, economic, and social power in Biblical times. The reason for the absence of women in positions of power may have had more to do with prevailing social norms than the teachings of Christ. In fact, there are some Biblical passages pointing to women who were in positions of power. The most obvious of these passages is Romans 16:1-7, in which Phoebe is mentioned as being a deacon of the church in Cenchraea. Along with Phoebe, Pricilla and several other women are mentioned in these Pauline passages.

Confounding the issue of whether women should serve in positions of power in the Church is the fact that several books of the New Testament directly denigrate women. As if reverting to Old Testament mentalities, Timothy's gospel preaches that women should "learn in quietness and full submission," and should never "assume authority over a man," (Timothy 2:11-12). It is abundantly clear that the misogynistic attitude conveyed in Timothy is due to Old Testament values, as immediately after noting that women must be submissive, the author alludes to the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, with Eve being the original sinner and one who can only be "saved through childbearing," (Timothy 2:15). A similar sentiment is echoed in Corinthians. Here, Paul states that women's role in church ministry is proscribed: "Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they 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," (Corinthians 14:34-35). These passages seem anachronistic, as Jesus actively included women in his ministry.

Limiting the role of women to domestic servitude remains a theme in the Christian Bible, even though it would appear Jesus did not preach the subordination of women before men. Quite the contrary, Jesus preached that all people are equal before God, and that men and women are therefore equal before God (Galatians 3:28). Jesus was a harbinger of change, whose views threatened the political and social order. Understandably, his views on gender equality were also radical departures from the Jewish laws He subverted. When the apostles transcribed the teachings of Christ, they may have referred to old Jewish law as if in contrast to the emerging laws of Christ, which entailed a revisionist approach. A revisionist approach does not mean that Jesus intended for women to occupy the same exact social status or circle as men. A "separate but equal" theme may have been more realistic in light of the fact that Jesus did not include any females among His apostles.

However, Jesus would also have recognized the gender norms prevalent in 21st century society as being reflective of a more genuine equality as per God's will. It is possible that the political climate of the time would have precluded Jesus from selecting women as apostles, or it is also possible that no woman felt herself worthy of such a position given the lack of strong female role models or predecessors of any type. Jesus had already "safeguarded the rights of women" and "broadened" their powers extensively ("Women: Biblical Concept Of," n.d.). It would only take a few thousand years for women to be able to participate in the political processes in Christian cultures. If women are now able to participate in the political process in Christian cultures by voting, then it makes sense that women would be welcomed as fully ordained ministers of the Church.