Blog 4

Early-Pauline writings paint a picture of a society in which women are equal in respect to men and they were afforded positions of authority with little to no opposition. Freedom for women (and slaves) came from the Pauline notion that denied traditional hierarchical standards, after all, we are all “one in Christ” (Gal 3:28). However, in our review of Ephesians, the life of women reflects one of stark social inequality. 

Although the stories of Ephesians are self-contradicting, its intended influences is that of patriarchy and preserving the reputation of the Church. For women, this involves remitting any sense of autonomy and instead submitting to the authority of her husband. In Ephesians 5:24, it is stated “just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.” Throughout Ephesians references to the church and Christ are made in a way to legitimize the tight hierarchical relationship of the household that is claimed as necessary throughout this text. This shift from earlier Pauline writings may be evidence of turmoil within the Christian communities of this time. With women once being active members of the church, as we saw with Paul’s mission, to then being called to submit and serve her husband as Ephesians denotes is evidence for friction within the early developments of Christianity. Absolute paternal authority in the home was to reflect the relationship between the church and Christ, that which was deemed to be most holy in the image of our very creation. For women, this reiterates the idea that women are to be silent and second class citizens in favor of maintaining the reputable standards of her family within the Christian church.

As early Christianity developed, the familial relationship drastically changed, especially in regards to women, in the post-Pauline era. Women now had the obligation to forfeit personal agency and authority to preserve and maintain the Christian movement. Otherwise, Christianity may have been threatened or at least weakened by an image of a household that lacked a structured role for head of the house hold. This image further permeates through the relationship of Christ and the church and the way in which authority of Christ reflect the authority of man.