<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

Except in the matter of divorce, Jesus said nothing explicit about woman's position in religion or society, yet he is heralded by Christians as the key figure in the emancipation of women. Certainly he was the focus of faith and devotion for the female subjects of this study; the more women spoke and wrote on their own behalf, the more explicitly Christ-centered the material became. The emotional aspect of their piety often took precedence over rational content; their references to biblical passages bespoke more gratitude and reverence than argument and proof. The person and sacrifice of Jesus were the source of their devotion, but the record of that person and sacrifice was contained in the four gospels. The gospels refer to women among Jesus' disciples, women he healed, women who supported his ministry, women who appeared as characters in his parables, and women as they figured in his discussions of divorce. In part, his impact on the "woman issue" stems from what he refrained from saying. He chose no female apostles and led no feminist revolt, yet he did not reflect the strong antifeminism of his culture. Daly, p. 79.

An example of Jesus' reversal of Judaic sexism is found in the two accounts of his responding to the Pharisees' question on divorce rights:

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. (Matt. 19:3-9.)

The Mark account (Mark 10:2-12), which was written earlier, gives no grounds for divorce and names each party equally guilty of adultery in remarriage.

These are as close to a theology of creation as Jesus provided. Feminist Biblical scholars tend to interpret them as a commentary on the original state of equality and grace intended "from the beginning of the creation," compromised by Moses because of the "hardness of men's hearts." Sin, therefore, established a system of male-dominance that Jesus did not sanction. Hull, p. 15. While this reading may reflect the scholars' cultural bias too strongly, Jesus did make a statement on the sacredness of marriage and claimed some equal rights for sexes within its vows.

The instances of Jesus' healing involved women as often as men, including his touching the ill person (Luke 13:11-13) or allowing her to touch him (Luke 8:43-48). In the latter passage, the woman had touched only the hem of his garment, yet when she was discovered "she came trembling and falling down before him." After she confessed she had contacted him and been healed, he responded, "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith had made thee whole; go in peace." Other gospel passages refer to his healing Peter's mother-in-law while visiting in her home (Mark 1:29-31), casting an evil spirit from the daughter of a Greek Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30), and restoring to health the only daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Luke 9:41-42 49-56). The bereavement and subsequent delight of Jairus and his family gives evidence against the low regard with which the Jews held their female offspring and is a contrast to the humiliation expressed by the woman in Luke 8.

Questions & Answers

what is phylogeny
Odigie Reply
evolutionary history and relationship of an organism or group of organisms
AI-Robot
ok
Deng
what is biology
Hajah Reply
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments
AI-Robot
cell is the smallest unit of the humanity biologically
Abraham
what is biology
Victoria Reply
what is biology
Abraham
HOW CAN MAN ORGAN FUNCTION
Alfred Reply
the diagram of the digestive system
Assiatu Reply
allimentary cannel
Ogenrwot
How does twins formed
William Reply
They formed in two ways first when one sperm and one egg are splited by mitosis or two sperm and two eggs join together
Oluwatobi
what is genetics
Josephine Reply
Genetics is the study of heredity
Misack
how does twins formed?
Misack
What is manual
Hassan Reply
discuss biological phenomenon and provide pieces of evidence to show that it was responsible for the formation of eukaryotic organelles
Joseph Reply
what is biology
Yousuf Reply
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environment.
Wine
discuss the biological phenomenon and provide pieces of evidence to show that it was responsible for the formation of eukaryotic organelles in an essay form
Joseph Reply
what is the blood cells
Shaker Reply
list any five characteristics of the blood cells
Shaker
lack electricity and its more savely than electronic microscope because its naturally by using of light
Abdullahi Reply
advantage of electronic microscope is easily and clearly while disadvantage is dangerous because its electronic. advantage of light microscope is savely and naturally by sun while disadvantage is not easily,means its not sharp and not clear
Abdullahi
cell theory state that every organisms composed of one or more cell,cell is the basic unit of life
Abdullahi
is like gone fail us
DENG
cells is the basic structure and functions of all living things
Ramadan
What is classification
ISCONT Reply
is organisms that are similar into groups called tara
Yamosa
in what situation (s) would be the use of a scanning electron microscope be ideal and why?
Kenna Reply
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is ideal for situations requiring high-resolution imaging of surfaces. It is commonly used in materials science, biology, and geology to examine the topography and composition of samples at a nanoscale level. SEM is particularly useful for studying fine details,
Hilary
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Patricia martin thesis. OpenStax CNX. Sep 23, 2013 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11572/1.2
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Patricia martin thesis' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask