gender roles in bible humanities essay

gender roles in bible humanities essay

Gender Roles in the Bible

1. Introduction

This essay will seek to address the related issues of gender in the Bible and in today’s western culture, in particular the Anglican Church. It will be focused upon the issue of the ordination of women, and will more often than not refer to this particular issue as it is played out in debates and decisions within the Anglican Church in Australia. This decision is rooted in a wider debate in western culture, and for some is a matter that strikes at the heart of Biblical authority. Whatever kind of contemporary cultural factors may be in play within the Church, to discuss this issue in terms of Biblical authority necessitates a close examination of the biblical texts that are thought to bear directly upon it. At no point will this essay seek to suggest that the Bible is a static collection of documents that endorse a unitary view of the role of women, or that there is a clear and uncontested trajectory of revelation on this issue. Rather, the Bible reflects the culture of the societies in which it was written, and then takes this material in differing directions within the various writings that have been brought together to form the canon. It is contended here that the Bible has resources within it that do not give unambiguous witness to a prohibition of the ordination of women, and thus it is possible to present a scriptural case for women’s ordination.

2. Historical Context of Gender Roles in the Bible

Good biblical evidence of the assumed superiority of man is seen in the Pauline Epistles. In the first Epistle to Timothy, chapter two, verse eleven, a woman is to learn in silence, with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.

God then made woman out of one of Adam’s ribs, giving her life as well. However, woman was brought into existence later than man and was not given the commandment directly by God. Instead, she was informed by Adam of this commandment. One may infer from this that the sexism occurring is a result of the belief that woman is responsible for man’s fall into sin and therefore she should be dominated.

The patriarchal society of the biblical time is reflected in the fact that men are usually the central figures, viewed by society as being in power. This central figure, in turn, held authority and dominion over women. One may argue that this is the natural order of things due to the role that God assigned to Adam and Eve. It is said that God made man from dust and gave him the breath of life. God then placed man into the Garden of Eden and gave him the commandment that he was free to eat from any tree, save one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

3. Analysis of Gender Roles in the Bible

b) Eve’s punishment to all women: It can be said that the story of Eve’s punishment for having eaten the apple is a particular reason for women being deemed inferior and sinful to man. This is because not only is original sin often blamed for the onset of sin and decay in the world, but also because Eve’s punishment brought painful childbirth and subordination towards man. A feminist viewpoint would argue that this is a direct consequence of the defamation of women as being inferior to man.

a) Male Dominance in Pre-Fall Bible: In not one, but two of the creation stories present in Genesis, males are said to be the first gender created, and woman created as a derivative and support for man. This gives the impression that the woman is, in fact, secondary to the man. In the second story in particular, woman is created from the rib of the man, which gives the indication that man is more complete than woman. As accurate as this assumption may be, this certainly creates the notion that males are a superior gender, and woman is there to be at man’s service. The story of Eve, who is made to be Adam’s companion from the man himself, is also a cause for hardship. Eve is often blamed for original sin. This has been a cause for much women’s oppression and has had many negative impacts throughout the ages. This has also been the cause of churches forbidding women to take on significant roles within the Church environment.

The Christian Bible describes not only religious teachings, guidance, rituals, and stories, but also includes within it cultural and social traditions. This is evident when considering the gender roles presented in the Bible. This section seeks to discuss how themes of gender are described and prescribed in the Bible and to what effect this has had on the role of women in Christianity.

4. Implications and Relevance of Gender Roles in the Bible

The message of Scripture is eternal and unchanging, and it is authoritative for human faith and practice. As a center for life and faith, the Bible becomes a vital link between human experience and the divine will or intention. According to various aspects, like creation pattern, Jesus’ lifestyle, and the apostle doctrines, the Bible always builds up human life through its norms and principles. Humans are always positioned in the context of time and culture, thus the way humans actualize their lives might be different from one context to another. These norms and principles are basically used as SEGi, the first one is as a sign for its identity.

In the creation story, God created humans as His representatives and put them in the same right position to rule over His creation. This fact is not only reiterated many times by the Old Testament writers but also by the New Testament writer, James, in his epistles. He quoted Jesus as an example to show that humans have the same responsibility to reflect their true nature as God’s image. Time, culture, and condition differences should not change this identity. No matter what condition humans are in, they should strive to reflect themselves as the world’s rulers, like what Jesus did to the world 2000 years ago.

Secondly, humans are also positioned as the executors of a heavy duty, as Jesus did more than just the role of a religious figure. Jesus’ coming is a fulfillment of the longing of humans for the savior from God to pulsate a genuine life. His lifestyle and toil become teachings for humans to execute their positions according to God’s will. Jesus told his apostles to do what he had done to them and teach them, and all of that is a part of humans’ heavy duty as God’s vicegerence aforementioned. This situation is best illustrated in the story of Adam and Eve in the beginning, and it is upheld by Paul in his letter to the saints, which has a more specific context. This becomes an irony because most of the Christian world just has a perception that the Bible only talks about the great role of humans, but truthfully this is an etching an implication that human role is not defined by any gender.

5. Conclusion

Throughout this research study, the role of women outlined in the Bible has often been a topic of heated debate. Through careful scrutiny of the Old and New Testaments, a plethora of evidence has been provided to show that women are indeed subservient to men according to the Scriptures. This idea was formulated through a number of themes recurring in biblical historicity and added to the idea of women being seen as “inferior sinner temptresses,” using Eve as an example throughout the first century. These themes included the idea that women were unclean and cursed in childbirth according to the Old Testament. Contradictory to this, it is recognized that Jesus, through His discipleship not only with men but also women, taught spiritual equality to men and women and the role many women played in the early church, presenting them as pure spiritual followers with equal standing to men. This study has found that biblical evidence has led many to conclude that women, although of equal spiritual standing to men, are indeed restricted in positions of influence in the church. With consideration of the findings through this research, including scholarly biblical interpretations and consensus, it is of common consensus that the Apostle Paul’s teachings have had the most impact on the conservative view of women’s role in the church and home, shaped through several generational time spans and cultures.