Abstract
AbstractThis article examines the impact of the widespread pattern of unequal age at marriage which led men to conclude that not only were their wives less experienced and mature, they were also inferior by nature. It examines the ideological underpinning for the view of women’s inferiority in Plato and the Genesis creation stories, especially in their Greek translation. It then traces the way this value system found expression in the traditional allocation of gender roles, women taking responsibility for the internal affairs of the household and men for the external affairs, including public discourse. There were exceptions both within Judaism and within the early Christian movement. These and the egalitarian thoughts in Christian beginnings had the potential to subvert these norms, over time, but a long time.
Highlights
This article examines the impact of the widespread pattern of unequal age at marriage which led men to conclude that were their wives less experienced and mature, they were inferior by nature
That is clearly how Paul reads it in 1 Corinthians 11, men reflecting the glory of God, women reflecting the glory of man (Aνὴρ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ὀφείλει κατακαλύπτεσθαι τὴν κεφαλὴν εἰκὼν καὶ δόξα θεοῦ ὑπάρχων· ἡ γυνὴ δὲ δόξα ἀνδρός ἐστιν) (11:7; 11:3).[7]
Among Christ believers, there were exceptions. Paul reflects this in needing to discuss women taking such roles in worship in 1 Corinthians 11, where he insists that women not dress beyond their status, but where he reminds men that while they rightly claim that woman came from man, all of them came from women – their mothers (11:12).[10]
Summary
This article examines the impact of the widespread pattern of unequal age at marriage which led men to conclude that were their wives less experienced and mature, they were inferior by nature. It traces the way this value system found expression in the traditional allocation of gender roles, women taking responsibility for the internal affairs of the household and men for the external affairs, including public discourse.
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