Women Leaders in Early Christianity

Saint Paul’s letters show women playing leading roles in the earliest Christian communities. Yet, by the fourth century, women’s ministry was very limited. Why?
In the Roman Empire, women’s roles were limited by the expectation that their speech was domestic. If it was inappropriate for women to speak in public, they could not be priests or bishops. However, this lecture will reveal how some Christian women subverted these conventions to become preachers and teachers.
A lecture by Morwenna Ludlow recorded on 5 April 2023 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/w...
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[@hoangkimviet8545]

An interesting topic.

[@rebanelson607]

What an interesting lecture. I learned so much and enjoyed every second of it! Thank you!

[@kayhenderson3492]

Loved the topic and the conclusions. Also thought it was interesting that the questions came overwhelmingly from men in that public space.

[@twischta]

Your thought would be interesting if you would know how many men/women wanted to ask questions in the first place. On top of that only five questions were asked with one coming from "a person" online. Lastly, the one that chose the people asking the questions was a woman.

[@RonJohn63]

46:54 The (by definition, old and worn out) scrolls containing the Acts of Paul and Thecla had to be constantly re-transcribed by overworked men, who only transcribed what (men) considered valuable.

[@simonclarke2939]

Most authorities assume that literacy rates are much higher amongst men in the ancient world. Does the role of women change (perhaps decline) as Christianity is increasingly mediated through texts?

[@michaelbrickley2443]

In the 1st and 2nd century, many women were pastors and co pastors…

[@minui8758]

Partly. I’d say it’s a joint process where the ordained priesthood got formalised - the state recognised Xianity - the faith began to align itself more and more to the Roman imperial model which was highly patriarchal - and then as you say the emergence of Scripture precluded illiterate people and as a consequence many women

[@0532phillipjoy]

Thank you. Isnt the dichotomy you present between a remnant 'folk-memory' and 'idealisation' a false one. Surely if a text presents an ideal of women Christians it is testimony to a widespread and likely influential desire for imitation: what is internalised is generally actualized and thus, though it may not satisfy the historians' rather naive hunger for modern empirical data, it is itself is a valid form of historical record. The question then becomes "who read these texts?" A presentation of clues to the location and gender and 'class' of the readership over time would begin to demonstrate something about what female Christians thought about themselves and the kind of leadership they exercised.

[@HOSPlTALLER]

I listened for along time waiting for some compelling evidenece beyond a statue..

[@jjsmith928]

but in that apofric text of Pablo and Tecla, did u know that text talk about a kind of purgatory, right? we should to believe in the doctrine of purgatory if we take seriously that text.

[@monikagrosch9632]

Who believes all this …… stuff

[@monikagrosch9632]

I meant about Thekla … And obviously patriarchal tendencies took over

[@RonJohn63]

Which part?

[@minui8758]

@@monikagrosch9632I don’t know where I stand yet. I’ve only just heard of the text. But if we accept that the Apocrypha of the OT is valuable study for priests in formation because of the light it casts on the canonical text - then it seems perfectly fair that the NT Psudopigripha might similarly help us understand our tradition

[@bazsnell3178]

I'm a devout atheist but find it fascinating to be shown the history of nonsensical religious beliefs, especially now in the 2023 climate of 'Wimmins' rights!

[@mi4johns]

Whenever I listen to a lecture on Christianity, I feel millions of my brain cells dying off

[@asdf33395]

internet atheists of course known for their awesome intellect

[@minui8758]

@@asdf33395quite 😂