Women in Christian communities
Introduction
Throughout the ages of women in many eras were treated always inferior to men. In many religious women are dominated by men and society as well. Their value was not considered. They were not encouraged. Religious like Hinduism and Islam almost treading women and their rights. But now how about Christianity? In this topic we would like to address how women were treated or dealt by early Church community, the attitude towards women in the history of Christianity. How the Christian missions in India involving the changing the status of women in society and same example of women we are going to see from the history of Christianity.
Women place in the early communities
The early Christian Church which was started by Jesus Christ, women were important members of the Church. In NT Jesus spoke with women publicly and openly and some of the women were with Him in His ministry. They were considered as female follower of Jesus Christ. Who were His sponsors, especially Mary Magdalene; she got the privilege to see Jesus after His resurrection.
As time went on the disciples continued to spread the gospel of Christ in different ways through the world. This happened through His disciples and mainly by Paul to Gentiles.
In the time of Paul it means at that that moment women played vital part in the early Church as well as in the ministry field. If we see in the Pauline letters, he indicates the significant role of women in the early Church. Let’s look at some of the women’s, they are; phoebe (Romans: 1:1-2), Priscilla, Samaritan woman, Tabitha, Mary of Jerusalem, Mary Magdalene (John: 20:1-10) Mary the mother of Lord Jesus Christ, Lydia, Junias (1corinthians: 4:1), Anna (Luke: 2:36-38).
Let’s look at some of the women’s in the early communities.
They are;
# Priscilla
(Acts: 18:2-3, Romans: 16:3-5, 1corinthians: 16; 19, 2timothy: 4:19).
Priscilla and Aquila who was known as prominent missionary, couples in the early Church they are mentioned in the bible as a missionary partner with the Apostle Paul in several times, but Priscilla name appears before her husband Aquila five times. The reason why is that her leadership and active role in the Church and ministry field. As Paul mentioned that in Romans: 16: 3-4, they used their own house to establish in Ephesus and they both risked their life for Paul and his ministry. See the commitment of this couple for the ministry and she was greatly remembered in the early Church because of her leadership and commitment for ministry.
# Tabitha
Acts (4:38-42)
Tabitha who is a widow, she was known for her piety and good works for her community. She was actively involved in the community of widows in the Church of toppa. The interesting is that through her life and resurrection the peter’s ministry was expanded a lot.
$ Attitude towards women in the history of Christianity
In the history of Christianity Jesus brought great changes for the women. He did it by speaking, loving and showing mercy on them. Even though Christianity has given more freedom to the women, but the Church fathers and leaders of the Church view towards women is inferior and unequal. The Church fathers did not agree with the view of Jesus towards women. The early Church fathers Augustine, Ambrose Tertullian and Ephiphanius greatly believed that women have no authority, they are spiritually inferior and they doubtful that women were made in the image of God. According to Tertullian women was a cheating temptress and they are responsible for the suffering of humanity. (A.D 315-403). According to Ephiphanius the female sex is easily seduced weak and without understanding. Even after the reformation the attitude towards women did not change much. Especially during the early mid 1800’s many women leader came up and abolished many things. That helped women to get the opportunity in the Churches and in the society.
Christian missions in India – changing status of women in society
The position of women in different cultures was commonly used by western observes an indicator of the general status of society. Most female reformers of the nineteenth century believed that the guarantor of social progress, the agent of civilisation was women herself; western missionaries were committed to effecting a substantial change in the social norms affecting women. Among the majority of missionaries in India, for example, this commitment was reflected in rhetoric that stressed women’s low status in Indian society and urged conversion to Christianity as a rising women’s status. In the mission discourse much emphasis was put on the issues of the serving sisters in the field and the sisters out there. The local women’s situation is part of what has labelled missionary feminism. Included in the concept are such elements as the improvement of women’s social and religious roles and the understanding of women’s value as human beings on a par with men.
Examples of women in the history of Christianity
There are millions of people worked as foreign missionaries among the women also played significant role and contributed to the mission field.
Let’s look at some of the women’s. They are;
St. Perptua from 2nd to 3rd century
Catherine Siena from United Kingdom (1347-1380)
Elizabeth Sale from France
Pandita Ramabai from India 1858-1922
Edith Mary brown from England 1864-1956
Mother Teresa 1910-1997
Ida Scudder from USA 1870-1960
Amy Carmichael 1867-1951
Let’s look at some of the women and their contribution to the mission field
# Ida Sophia Scudder
The idea of starting a hospital came to Ida Sophia in the late 19th century, when Ida visited her medical missionary father, John Scudder, Jr., at his post in Tamilnadu. One night, Ida was asked to help three women struggling in difficult child birth. Custom prevented their husbands from accepting the help of a male doctor and, being untrained at that time, Ida could do nothing. The next morning she was shocked to learn that the women had died. She believed that it was calling and challenge set before her by God to begin a ministry dedicated to the health needs of the people of India, particularly women and children. Consequently, Ida went back to America, entered medical training and, in 1899, was one of the first women graduates of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Shortly thereafter, she turned to India and opened a one-bed clinic in Vellore in 1900. In 1909, she started the school of nursing and, in 1918; a medical school for women was opened under the name Missionary Medical School for Women. The medical school was upgraded into a university affiliated medical college granting the degree of M. B. B. S. In 1942under the name Christian Medical College. Now the Christian medical college and Hospital, Vellore (CMC Vellore) is one of the largest medical centres in India. And also, CMC Vellore ranked 2nd top medical college on India next to AIIMS, Delhi. This century-old Christian institution was founded by Ida S. Scudder and is in the city of southern state of state of Tamilnadu, India.
#. Amy Carmichael
One of the best known and respected missionary of the first half of the 20th century was Amy Carmichael. She is the founder of Dohnavur fellowship in South India. Amy was born in 16 December 1867, in the Millisle County Down Ireland. She was educated in Methodist boarding School. As she had calling for ministry she went to China and worked with Inland mission, she also went to Japan, Sri Lanka and finally in 1895 she came to South India. God gave her great burden to work among children and women. Dhonavur fellowship, in South India, continues the work that Amy Carmichael began in 1901. Amma (Mother), as she was known to her large Dohnavur family, gave fifty years of her life to rescuing babies and children from situations and background of extreme danger, until her death in 1951, aged 83. The first child, Preena, who was seven years old, escaped from a temple where she was being trained for a life as a cult prostitute; she begged to be protected. In 1947 the government of India made the custom of giving babies and young children to this kind of life illegal, but the practice of infanticide, as way of coping with poverty and unwanted female babies, is widespread. The other family tragedies also put children’s moral and physical safety at risk and the little ones who came to the Dohnavur fellowship today, come with the same spoken cry for protection on their lips. Our Unseen Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ, still says, “Let the little children come to me”. The story of her life, the legacy of her own writings, still inspires through the world today.
Conclusion
It is very clear that Jesus in His ministry wanted to equip women as disciples and He had women disciples concerned in their lives and did not treat them as inferior then men. Even the apostle like Paul in His epistles encourages for ministry and we see many prophetesses were present. So the Church in first century accepted the equality of women with men in the aspects of ministry but the later Church fathers like Augustine Hippo, Tertullian and Martin Luther king taught that women are little lesser than men and gave only less freedom in ministry. Some Church father like Calvin and John Wesley encouraged for ministry, but the elder in the Church disagreed and put women in boundaries. By this we understand that we need to give enough freedom to the women and we Christians, theologians, Church elders and minister should understand the right example of Jesus Christ that we may equip the women for the glory of God.
Bibliography
Kamthan, Joyce, the role of the women in the ministry of the Church; Secunderabad, 2006.
Luti, Lorry, women as risk-takers for God, Secunderabad: OM books, 1992.
Smith, Lynn. Women Worth & Scripture: What does Bible really teach: brilliant printed pvt. Ltd, Bangalore, 1988.
Macnally, Jane. Abuse of Christian Women in India, Ispck, Delhi, 1999.
Bruce Firth, Cyril, An introduction to Indian Church history, the Christian literature society, Madras, 1961.
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