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.
John Chrysostom (d. 407) praised Priscilla, Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, and Junia, and acknowledged that these five women were leading ministers in their churches.
Olympias was a determined woman who renounced her aristocratic lifestyle to serve the church. She was an ordained deaconess and Chrysostom’s dear friend.
Marcella of Rome (325–410), friend of Jerome, dedicated herself and her considerable talents and resources to serving the church and helping the poor. Here’s some information about this remarkable woman.
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 with this, here are some 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 a professing Christian. She advocated for equality and freedom for women in a poem which was 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 Roman woman who instructed her husband in the faith sometime in the first century AD.
This is the second part of a two-part series which looks at the women in the church at Smyrna in the post-apostolic period. This article focuses on Gavia.
In Christian writings known as the Apostolic Fathers (late 1st and early 2nd centuries) 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.
Here are links to free New Testament courses presented by top Bible scholars, as well as free books and other resources.
In this article 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 amount of letters and other documents that were composed by early Christians. Eusebius discusses some of these in his church history, including those he sourced from the library in Jerusalem.
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?
It is helpful to have some insight into the values and customs of the first Christians. In this article I provide a brief overview of church life in the first century and I highlight the ministry contributions of women.
One subject that I keep mulling over is what 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 the people who were apostles in the New Testament church, and at their qualifications. I also look 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.
In Second Clement (written around 150 AD) the author indicates that authenticity, transparency, and gender equality in the church are necessary for God’s kingdom to come. What do you make of it?
Early church writers, such as Eusebius, acknowledged that Philip’s four daughters were respected, famous prophets and they associated them 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 authors 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.
Here are some misogynistic quotations from well-known church fathers, theologians & reformers that do not in any way reflect what the Bible says about women.
Some wise words from C.S. Lewis, Wayne A. Meeks, and John H. Walton about learning the biblical languages, especially New Testament Greek.
In this post I share a quote from Dr John T Bristow about how some in the early church treated slaves with equity and even tried to free them.
Nino (also known as Saint Nina) was a remarkable woman who brought Christianity to Iberia (present-day Georgia) way back in the 300s. She is regarded as “Equal to the Apostles” by the Orthodox Church.
In this series, I compare the story of Jesus’ nativity, as depicted on Christmas cards and in religious art, with what it says in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
Cosy images on Christmas cards contrast with Mary’s potentially scandalous and risky situation of being pregnant and unmarried. How scandalous and risky was it?
The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem can’t have been easy for pregnant Mary. She can’t always have been as serene as depicted on Christmas cards, or as lonely.
Christmas cards often show the newborn Jesus surrounded by farm animals. Was this really the case? And what is the significance of the “manger” mentioned three times in Luke chapter 2?
Was Jesus born on the 25th of December at the time of the winter solstice? Or was he born at the time of Spring lambing or even during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles?
Most religious art portrays Mary as serene, shy, and even sombre. Are they accurate portrayals? And, does the Bible teach that Mary remained a virgin?
Who were the magi, the wise men from the east who worshipped the Christ child? The writings of Herodotus, Philo, and others shed light on their identity.
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© 2021 Marg Mowczko