What Role Did Women Play In Early Christianity
The role of women in early Christianity was just recently rediscovered due to the unearthing of unseen texts and the increased amount of women in the field of history. Historians now realize that women played larger roles at the start of Christianity, mostly in house churches, as deacons in later assemblies, and as missionaries, which were covered up by predominantly male-written histories several centuries after the birth of Christ. When Christianity first began, only a small minority followed it, as it was controversial because Jesus challenged the idea of wealth and power, so every member was important to the modest community. A woman’s role in society at the time was to serve their husbands well and give them children, but Christianity
…show more content…
The apostle Paul tells historians about Apphia and Prisca, who both played major roles in house churches, and of the deacon Pheobe, who he greets in one of his writings. Some women became missionaries, like Prisca, Junia, and Julia, who traveled around their countries with their husbands, spreading word of the new religion. Later, after Constantine proclaimed Christianity the main religion of the Roman Empire, many men converted to the religion and males seized all positions of power from women. House churches were no longer necessary, and as the state accepted the religion, proper churches were built, in which women’s roles were mostly small. Also near that time period, men formed the opinion that women were related to sin and evil, due to the stories about Adam and Eve, surrounding Eve’s disobeying of God, and Mary Magdalene, the adulteress of Jesus. These stories gave men a reason to disrespect and put down women, and for centuries after men didn’t give women the positions, rights, or respect that they previously held. Women’s education was also seen as unimportant, so many did not know how to read or write. The lack of literacy caused a lack of discovered writing from early women, and men wrote almost all of the written history about now available about
The apostle Paul tells historians about Apphia and Prisca, who both played major roles in house churches, and of the deacon Pheobe, who he greets in one of his writings. Some women became missionaries, like Prisca, Junia, and Julia, who traveled around their countries with their husbands, spreading word of the new religion. Later, after Constantine proclaimed Christianity the main religion of the Roman Empire, many men converted to the religion and males seized all positions of power from women. House churches were no longer necessary, and as the state accepted the religion, proper churches were built, in which women’s roles were mostly small. Also near that time period, men formed the opinion that women were related to sin and evil, due to the stories about Adam and Eve, surrounding Eve’s disobeying of God, and Mary Magdalene, the adulteress of Jesus. These stories gave men a reason to disrespect and put down women, and for centuries after men didn’t give women the positions, rights, or respect that they previously held. Women’s education was also seen as unimportant, so many did not know how to read or write. The lack of literacy caused a lack of discovered writing from early women, and men wrote almost all of the written history about now available about