Looking
at Ephesians 5:21-6:9 and comparing it to last weeks readings from Paul, one
can definitely get some insight into the roles women held in early
Christianity. Paul spoke of the roles women played in the church and community
and how they had authority and held leadership positions (1 Cor 7:3). To me,
this created a balanced view of women and men by acknowledging that both
genders were moving closer to holding equal responsibilities. In Ephesians, the
husband is told to love his wife, “just as Christ
loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). This acknowledges
that the husband should love and respect his wife and hold her to a high
standard. It also goes on to say that the husband should love his wife as he
loves himself (Eph 5:28).
We
also see a different side, when Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives, be subject to your
husbands as you are to the Lord”, and also in 1 Cor 11:3 when it says, “the
husband is the head of his wife”. Even though previous scripture portrays a
more balanced role, I think this is an obvious example that submission was
still playing a big role in marriages in early Christianity. While in most
cases, the development of early Christianity with regard to women appears to be
submissive, I think these readings from Paul and Ephesians 5:21-6:9 are good examples
of Christianity moving toward a more balanced and respected role for men and
women.
There are so many ways to interpret this passage! I agree with you that the passages we know to be authored by Paul do move Christianity toward a more egalitarian goal, which must have been unheard of at the time. In these books Paul did what he preached by placing women in leadership roles. However, it's a difficult interpretation for many churches today, especially when the passage is viewed through the lens of a different author. This author was dealing with struggles and pressures from Greco-Roman authoritative society, under which second century Christians were subjected. It's very interesting to contemplate how these pressures shaped what the author had to say. Paul's views and the 1st century church must have been quite radical.
ReplyDelete