In part 2, I discuss Origen’s remarks on Philip’s daughters, Deborah, Huldah, Anna, and Miriam, remarks that are still being used to restrict women from “public” ministry.
Origen and other church fathers had issues with the Montanists and their female leaders. I give an overview of Montanism in this article.
NEW Here are links to books and papers on women in early Christianity, and related topics, that can be read for free online.
Who is the servant of God in Romans 13. Was he a Roman or Jewish leader? A spiritual entity? How are we to understand and implement Paul’s instructions?
Melania the Elder was a powerful, wealthy, educated woman who influenced and shaped Christianity until her death in 410.
What does the iconography of catacomb frescoes tell us about the ecclesial role or position of Cerula and Bitalia, two fifth-century women?
Women have always played important roles in the mission of the church and they are a part of our history. I highlight some of these women here.
Sandra Glahn gives 4 reasons in her book “Nobody’s Mother” for why there was a decline of women in public ministry in the centuries following Pentecost.
In this post, I quote a story from Theodoret of Cyrrhus’s Church History about Publia, a daring deaconess who lived in Antioch in the 360s, and her brave choir.
In this blog post, I look at a papyrus letter, written between Christians in the early 300s AD, which plainly mentions a woman teacher (kyrian tēn didaskalon).
Theosebia was the biological and spiritual sister of Gregory of Nyssa. Surviving sources show that she was deeply loved and admired.
Rachel Speght responded to a misogynist in the early 1600s by writing a witty piece that encourages respect for women. It still entertains.
Throughout her book, Dr Barr aims to show that complementarianism isn’t the only option for those who believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God.
Atto, bishop of Vercelli in the 900s, saw in church tradition that women had led churches and were presbyters (priests or elders). He did not think this was a bad thing.
Chrysostom (d. 407) praised Priscilla, Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, and Junia. He acknowledged that these women were leading ministers in their churches.
Olympias renounced her aristocratic lifestyle to serve the church. She was an ordained deaconess and Chrysostom’s dear friend.
Here’s some information about Marcella of Rome (325–410), friend of Jerome, who dedicated her considerable talents and resources to serving the church and helping the poor.
Judith, Thecla, and Catherine of Alexandria are three heroines whose stories of conviction and courage are part of our history and heritage.
Discovering the beliefs, practices and policies of early Christians is a fascinating pursuit. To help, here are resources on the early church that are freely available online.
Matthew 27:19 mentions Pontius Pilate’s wife and her dream about Jesus. What do we know of this woman? Was she a Jewish convert? A Christ-follower?
Aemilia Lanyer was an English author and professing Christian who advocated for equality for women in a poem published in 1611.
Not all first-century women fit the stereotype of being hidden and housebound. Some were influential and prominent in society and in the church.
Here are a couple of lines from the Acts of Peter about Candida, a woman who instructed her husband in the faith in the first century.
This is part 2 of a series which looks at the women in the church at Smyrna around AD. This article focuses on Gavia and the Virgin Widows.
In Christian writings known as the Apostolic Fathers, we discover that women were active in ministry in the church at Smyrna. Part 1 looks at Alke (or Alce) of Smyrna.
Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon, was a tireless leader and an influential benefactor of the Methodist movement in Britain in the 1700s.
Rob Dixon writes about the egalitarian views of Count Zinzendorf (b.1700) who once stated, “If we put women in the corner we will lose a jewel.”
Here are excerpts from ancient Gnostic texts that present Adam and Eve in a very different light. Do they help us to understand 1 Timothy 2:13-14?
I’m amazed by the number of letters and other documents written by early Christians. Eusebius discusses some of these in his church history.
In his Church History, Eusebius wrote, “Ethiopia even to the present day is ruled, according to ancestral custom, by a woman” (cf. Acts 8:27). Is there any truth in his statement? As it turns out, there is.
Eusebius’s Church History (or Ecclesiastical History) fills in many of the gaps in the New Testament accounts of the Apostolic Church … and more. It’s an interesting read!
In Part 6 we look at more evidence that deacons in the apostolic and post-apostolic period were travelling envoys and agents, and that some were teachers.
In Part 5, I look at 1 Timothy 3:8-13, concerning male and female deacons in the Ephesian church, and at Phoebe as a prostatis (patron). I briefly compare her ministry with that of Olympias and also Stephanas (1 Cor. 16:15-18).
In part 4 I look at the deacons in the Philippian church and at the development of church offices in the apostolic and post-apostolic churches.
We have only two lines about Phoebe in the Bible, but Theodoret of Cyrrhus has more information about her. Did Phoebe travel to Spain with Paul? Did she deliver his letter to the Romans?
In this article I provide a brief overview of church life in the first century and I highlight the ministry contributions of women.
What does it means to be a leader and have authority in the church? Did Jesus commission his first disciples to be leaders? What was their job description?
In this article I look at people who were apostles in the New Testament church, at their qualifications, and at what they did as apostles.
Female martyrs in the early church, such as Blandina and Perpetua, “conformed themselves to Christ, even in death.”
Kristen Rosser has written an excellent article on the so-called “feminization” of the church, and how we can address this issue. With her permission, I have posted it here.
What was the ministry of the seven men in Acts 6? This article looks at possible ministries by tracking Luke’s use of the word “diakonia” in the book of Acts. Where they deacons?
The King James Bible is a great English translation, but is it the best? This article looks at 7 aspects of the KJV translation.
Most modern translations of the New Testament rely on the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament. One of the editors of recent editions of this Greek New Testament is scholar Barbara Aland. This article provides a brief history of the Nestle-Aland text and a brief biography of Barbara Aland.
The author of 2 Clement wrote that authenticity, transparency, and gender equality are necessary for God’s kingdom to come. Is that true?
Early church writers, such as Eusebius, acknowledged that Philip’s four daughters were well-respected famous prophets and they associated the women with apostles and bishops.
In this post, I show how the word kephalē (head) is used in 1 Clement, in the context of mutual submission, and I show how the author regarded women.
This article looks at the origins and development of the Passover meal as recorded in the Bible. It also looks at the Seder of early Judaism and the Eucharist of early Christianity.
This article looks at the Septuagint, the ancient Greek version of the Old Testament. When, where, and why was it produced, and by whom?
This article looks at the goddess Artemis and her magnificent temple in ancient Ephesus. Artemis had a huge influence on the Ephesians!
Paul’s main purpose for writing First Timothy was to address the heresy in the Ephesian Church, possibly a precursor to Gnosticism.
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko