• Religious Tolerance, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 1995-2011.

This web site offers an excellent synopsis (with passage quotations, annotated citations, and links to other web sites) about the status of women in the Bible and in early Christianity. It is structured as follows:

• During Old Testament times, when the roles of women were severely restricted
• Hebrew scripture passages treating women as generally inferior to men
• Hebrew scripture passages treating women as property of men
• Hebrew scripture passages describing women in other negative terms
• Hebrew scripture passages describing women as equal to men (very few)
• Hebrew scripture passages describing women as leaders (but not as religious leaders)
• During Jesus' public ministry to the people of Israel, when the roles of women were severely restricted in accordance with the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) traditions and practices
• Changing roles of women after the execution and resurrection of Jesus (circa 30 CE)
• Regressive statements by Christian religious authorities (all male) after the 2nd century CE

By following these lists of biblical and post-biblical statements, the reader is able to verify the descriptive versus prescriptive passages about women, and the significant discontinuities that must be researched, as pointed out in Section 1.

• The emerging field of women and gender studies now includes issues of men, masculinities, and spirituality. See, for example:
• Sex on the Brain: The Biological Differences Between Men and Women, Deborah Blum, Penguin, 1998.
• Does Masculinity Thwart Being Religious?, Edward H. Thompson Jr. and Kathryn R. Remmes, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, September 2002.
• Women, Power, and the Biology of Peace, Judith L. Hand, Questpath Publishing, 2003.
• Biological Differences Between Men and Women With Respect to Social Stability and Aggression, Judith L. Hand, 2006.
• Young Men, Religion and Attitudes Towards Homosexuality, Yasemin Besen and Gilbert Zicklin, Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality, Novermber 2007.
• Guide to Graduate Work in Women's / Gender Studies, Joan Korenman and NWSA, 2009.
• Contemporary Masculine Spiritualities and the Problem of Patriarchy, Joseph Gelfer, Equinox Publishing, 2009.
• The Patriarch's Nuts: Concerning the Testicular Logic of Biblical Hebrew, Roland Boer, Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality, June 2011.
• The Other Side of the Gender Equation: Gender Issues for Men in the Europe and Eurasia Region, Susan D. Somach, KDID Social Transitions, July 2011.

It is important for gender studies to be balanced and include the study of both men and women, heterosexual and homosexual. Gender studies, if properly integrated along the gender continuum, can provide crucial insights to help foster gender equality and gender balance.

• What "America's Pope" thinks of gay marriage, priestly celibacy, and women priests, CBS Sixty Minutes Overtime, 21 August 2011.

On the ordination of women:

Archbishop Dolan: "Jesus gave women positions of responsibility. The only ones at the foot of the cross except for St. John? Women. The people that discovered his resurrection? Women. The people that were with him on his journeys? Women. People say, 'This guy was kind of a pioneer in women's rights.' So, if he were going to intend them for the priesthood, he woulda done it. And he didn't."

Mother Pelican's Response: The good archbishop is offering a specious argument based on a literalist interpretation of gospel texts taken out of context. There are many things Jesus did 2000 years ago that he wouldn't do today. Would he, in the globalized society of the 21st century, select twelve Jewish men to represent the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel? Likewise, there are many things Jesus didn't do 2000 years ago that he would do today (such as including women among the apostles, since the credibility of women as witnesses now has as much credibility as that of men) and he warned his disciples about thinking that they already knew everything he might do in the future (John 16:12-13).

• Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men, Bahá'í International Community, 1999.

The Bahá'í religion is a shining exception to the phallic syndrome that prevails in many religious institutions: "The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is essential to human progress and the transformation of society. Inequality retards not only the advancement of women but the progress of civilization itself. The persistent denial of equality to one-half of the world's population is an affront to human dignity. It promotes destructive attitudes and habits in men and women that pass from the family to the work place, to political life, and, ultimately, to international relations. On no grounds, moral, biological, or traditional, can inequality be justified. The moral and psychological climate necessary to enable our nation to establish social justice and to contribute to global peace will be created only when women attain full partnership with men in all fields of endeavor." It is noteworthy that the Bahá'ís do not have clergy, so it may have been easier for them to avoid the trap of a male-only hierarchy.

Star of David Courtesy of Wikipedia

The role of women in Judaism is determined by the Hebrew Bible, the Oral Law (the corpus of rabbinic literature), by custom, and by non-religious cultural factors. Although the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature mention various female role models, religious law treats women differently in various circumstances.

Relatively few women are mentioned in the Bible by name and role, suggesting that they were rarely in the forefront of public life. There are a number of exceptions to this rule, including the Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, Miriam the prophetess, Deborah the Judge, Huldah the prophetess, Abigail who married David, and Esther. In the Biblical account these women did not meet with opposition for the relatively public presence they had.

According to Jewish tradition, a covenant was formed between the Israelites and the God of Abraham at Mount Sinai. The Torah relates that both Israelite men and Israelite women were present at Sinai, however, the covenant was worded in such a way that it bound men to act upon its requirements and to ensure that the members of their household (wives, children, and slaves) met these requirements as well. In this sense, the covenant bound women as well, though indirectly.

To continue reading the Wikipedia article, click here.

The Wikipedia article includes a very comprehensive bibliography and a directory of links to Jewish religious sources. With regard to current trends on the role of women in Judaism, the following article is very instructive:

• Alina Treiger to become first female rabbi ordained in Germany since war, Kate Connolly, Guardian (Berlin), 3 November 2010.

Christian Cross Courtesy of Wikipedia

Gender roles in Christianity vary considerably today as they have during the last two millennia. This is especially true with regards to marriage and ministry.

Christianity traditionally has given men the position of authority in marriage, society and government. This position places women in submissive roles, and usually excludes women from church leadership, especially from formal positions requiring any form of ordination. The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and many conservative Protestant denominations assert today that only men can be ordained—as clergy and as deacons.

Many progressive Christians disagree with the traditional "male authority" and "female submission" paradigm. They take a Christian egalitarian or Christian feminist view, holding that the overarching message of Christianity provides positional equality for women in marriage and in ministry. Accordingly, some Protestant churches now ordain women to positions of ecclesiastical leadership.

Despite these emerging theological differences, the majority of Christians regard women with dignity and respect as having been created alongside men in the Image of God. The Bible is seen by many as elevating and honoring women, especially as compared with certain other religions or societies. Women have filled prominent roles in the Church historically, and continue to do so today in spite of significant limitations imposed by ordination restrictions.

To continue reading the Wikipedia article, click here.

Following is a book review of The Lost Moonflower, a novel about Deacon Phoebe of Cenchrae (late 1st century CE) by Issac Karoor.

This novel is about Phoebe, a female deacon in one of the Pauline churches in the early years of Christianity. But it is also about one of the crucial issues in Christian churches today: whether or not women should be ordained to the diaconate, the priesthood, and the episcopate. It is a controversial issue today, as it was when Phoebe was serving the church in Cenchrae (the seaport of Corinth in Greece, late first century CE). Romans 16:1 and Acts 18:18 are at the center of the story, which nevertheless manages to integrate many texts of the New Testament into a tapestry of unlimited divine grace working through humans with limited minds and hearts. Many Protestant churches have gone through the turmoil of ordaining women, and some are still paying the price of internal tensions and bitter debates; patriarchy has a long tail. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches still refuse to consider the issue for reasons that only God can judge but surely have nothing to do with divine revelation. Would Jesus today, in our newly "globalized" world, choose to elect twelve male apostles to represent the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel?

The history of Christianity (as documented, for example, in the monumental Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, by Diarmaid MacCulloch, Viking Press, 2010) is a progression toward deeper understanding of Jesus and his mission (Cf. John 16:12-13), but always in the midst of tensions, misunderstandings and other problems arising from the limitations of the human condition. Patriarchy preceded all the religious traditions that still exist today, and corrupted them all from the very beginning; a corruption that is nowhere more evident than in the Gospels and, in particular, the accounts of how Jesus was crucified by the Romans, at the instigation of the local religious authorities, after a life spent doing good to others and proclaiming God's mercy. The Lost Moonflower is an engaging novel and one that admirably reflects the inner tensions experienced by the early Christian communities; tensions that will continue to challenge the Christian churches as long as they are pilgrims in this world.

The Lost Moonflower could be a source of meditation about the current process of discerning God's will regarding the ordination of women. The Greek Orthodox Church has recently reinstated the ordination of women to the diaconate, albeit only in a very limited way. The Roman Catholic church has not ruled out women deacons, but is not visibly moving forward either. For more information on the cultural and religious issues lurking underneath The Lost Moonflower story, visit the book's web site and check the links to articles on women and their roles as deacons. Given the enormous influence of religion in human affairs, the continued exclusion of women from roles of religious authority is bound to reflect negatively on sustainable human development. If God loves humanity, can this possibly be God's will?

Good News: Women bishops should be allowed, General Synod rules, 12 July 2011

Bad News: Phoenix diocese cathedral won't allow girl altar servers, 21 August 2011

Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper

Many were astonished at the reported remarks of Portuguese Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo this week that there is no "fundamental obstacle" from "a theological perspective" for women to say the Mass from the altar. One thing that is of great value in the discussion is the opportunity it gives to re-examine our understanding of Eucharist and to look again at the Gospel traditions on which our Eucharistic theology is based.

In the New Testament writings there is no indication of who led or presided when communities gathered for the "Lord's Supper".  Was it one of Jesus' disciples, one of 'the Twelve', would Paul have led the communities he founded, would it have been the person who was head of the household where they gathered? 

We don't have clear evidence to answer these questions.  The first time we hear who led the Eucharist is in the writing called "the Didache" (the Teaching) dated about the year 100 C.E. In this document people called 'the prophets' are named as the leaders at Eucharist.  "But permit the prophets to offer thanksgiving as much as they desire" (Did. 10:7; also 13:3).

It is also important to return to the Gospels and to our knowledge of the Jewish Passover meal to consider questions about who would have been present with Jesus at this meal.  The earliest Gospel, Mark, situates the meal as a Passover. Mark has Jesus send disciples into Jerusalem to make the arrangements and Mark writes, "The Teacher asks, where is my guest room, where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples" (Mark 14:14). 

Following the meal, Jesus goes to Mount Olives and Mark records, "They went to a place called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray" (Mark 14:32)  

Note that the focus is on Jesus' disciples. The meal is for his disciples and these disciples then go with Jesus from the meal to Mt Olives.  The group of disciples is broader than the smaller group called 'The Twelve".  These twelve are singled out primarily for their symbolic value representing a unified or re-constituted Israel based again on the twelve tribes.  

When Moses seals the covenant at Mt Sinai we read, "Moses rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel" (Exodus 24:4).  There was an animal sacrifice and Moses collected the blood.  Half of this blood was sprinkled on the altar, then the rest was sprinkled on the people as he said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you" (Exodus 24:8)

In the context of a Jewish Passover meal, where the whole household gathers to celebrate the covenant and Israel's relationship with God, Jesus ritualises the new covenant. 

It is unthinkable that a Jewish Passover would involve only men.  Women and children as part of the household all have a role to play.  The women prepare the food and are entrusted to do this according to strict kosher rules, the head of the household goes to the Temple to sacrifice the lamb, the woman begins the meal with the lighting of the candles, the children ask questions about what is happening and so provide a way of telling the great story of the first Passover.  It is a joyous, noisy, family celebration.  

When Mark's Gospel highlights the Twelve, within the context of this household meal, it is to recall the original Sinai covenant.  It is to make the connection between what Jesus is doing now and what Moses did. Mark even records that Jesus uses the same words spoken by Moses, "This is my blood of the covenant" (Exodus 24:8; Mark 14:24). 

The passage called the 'institution narrative' resonates with the symbolism of Sinai.  But to read into this passage a literal exclusive gathering of only twelve men is to misread the entire Markan passage which as noted above is set within discipleship language.  Schematically it looks like this:

Where am I to eat the Passover with my disciples?
	The covenant ritual: The twelve, the blood of the covenant.
Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

Taking seriously what Mark writes and his rich covenantal theology that goes back to Israel's experience of Passover and the Sinai ritualising of this experience by Moses, means it is not accurate to imagine that Jesus was seated at table only with 12 men, excluding all the other disciples. 

Unfortunately, most of us have been so influenced by the Da Vinci painting of the "Last Supper" that we take this painting as a historically reliable portrait of a first century Jewish Passover meal. For all its beauty and artistry, Leonardo cannot be the basis for our Eucharistic theology, particularly if it leads to imagining that Jesus' sharing of this meal was exclusive of most of his followers.

And, among some of these followers Mark notes, "There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome, who when he was in Galilee followed him and ministered to him; and also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem" (Mark 15:40-41).

I welcome the Cardinal's comments and the discussion that has followed, particularly if it provokes what Vatican II called a "return to the sources" of our theological thinking and practice. These sources need to move beyond Da Vinci, and return to the New Testament and the early traditions using the best critical and historical methods we now have, that previous generations did not have access to.

Dr. Mary Coloe is a Presentation Sister lecturing in Scripture at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia. She has an article on women in the New Testament in a forthcoming issue of Compass Theology Review.