Revd

Dr Doru Costache Senior Lecturer in Patristics, SAGOTC http://www.sagotc.edu.au Kogarah Fellowship 28 / 05 / 12

Women in the Eyes of the Lord

Orthodox Perspectives on Femininity

Women in the Eyes of the World: Opinions from the Audience

Woman, cook the meal; feed the whole family rst and then remember that youre a human being What is the role of women in a changing society? Women have to take a job and still fulll most household tasks Objectivation of women, sexualisation of femininity Lack of recognition and respect Women mercilessly criticising other women
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Women in the Eyes of the Church: Opinions from the Audience

Clothing requirements, as a sign of women segregation (no pants allowed) Supercial assessment of clothing (a miniskirt is accepted but not the pants) Marginalisation of women; passive role in the Church Women are prevented from accessing clerical ranks A number of feminine tasks are still performed in the Church
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Seeking the Lost Pieces

Genesis 1:26-27
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Then God said, Let us make a human being according to our image and according to likeness, so that they may rule over the sh of the sea and the birds of the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the crawling creatures that crawl on the ground. So God created the human being, according to the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Man and woman are created in Gods image and thus are equal in the eyes of God.

Seeking the Lost Pieces

Genesis 2:18-20
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The Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the eld and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the eld. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Naming things = control them and put them to work in ones service. The woman is not among the things that can be named/utilised as a tool.
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Seeking the Lost Pieces

Genesis 2:21-24
Ishah out of Ish

So the Lord God brought an ekstasis upon the man; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the mans ribs and closed up the place with esh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and esh of my esh; she shall be called woman for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one esh.
The helper that was needed was not another tool; she was supposed to help Adam to realise his own, and her, humanity. Of one esh = ontologically equal.
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Seeking the Lost Pieces

Matthew 1:1,3,5,6 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: [] Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, [] Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, [] David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriahs wife
The genealogy of Christ refers to four women, some holier (Ruth), others less (Tamar tricked Judah; Rahab was a prostitute), and some victims of male abuse (Bathsheba). Christ accepted to be born of a mixed lineage righteous and sinners , for the healing of all humanity.
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Seeking the Lost Pieces

Luke 8:42-48 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. Who touched me? Jesus asked. [] Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.
Bleeding and menstruation as impurity in the Old Testament; causing one to become an outcast. By letting her touch him, Christ shows that in the New Testament physiology is no longer an obstacle for holiness.
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Seeking the Lost Pieces

Galatians 3:26-29 in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams ospring, inheritors according to the promise.
Christian identity is of a spiritual nature and cannot be associated with any divisive categories, like nationality and gender. Christian identity is the actual fulllment of the divine intention concerning our making in Gods image and likeness. Thus men and women are not just equal; in Christ, they receive a quality that is above gender.
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Seeking the Lost Pieces

Amma Sarra (saying 4 in the Sayings of the Desert) according to my nature I am a woman, but not according to my thoughts

In Christ, biology and genetics lose their signicance; what matters is ones commitment to Christ, through which one becomes Christ-like and thus transcends gender limitations.

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Seeking the Lost Pieces

Life of St Mary the Egyptian (Zosimas encounters the saint) Zosimas threw himself on the ground and asked for her blessing. She likewise bowed down before him. And thus they lay on the ground prostrate, asking for each others blessing. And one word alone could be heard from both: Bless me! After a long while the woman said to Zosimas: Abba Zosimas, it is you who must give blessing and pray. You are dignied by the order of priesthood and for many years you have been standing before the holy altar and oering the sacrice of the Divine Mysteries.
Holiness and priesthood; Zosimas the priest knew who was supposed to give the blessing and so did 11 the saint.

Seeking the Lost Pieces

The 3rd Paschal Sunday (Acts 6:1-7; Mark 15:43 - 16:8) celebrates the exchange of features occurring between those renewed in Christ:
through the deacons the men are called to partake in the feminine charisma of serving, comprising the gifts of humility and compassion with the myrrh-bearing women all women are called to the masculine charisma of speaking in public, acquiring social dignity
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Seeking the Lost Pieces

The Theotokos (God-bearer) Mother of God is above all humans and all creation, visible and invisible [ ] It is truly right to bless you, Theotokos, ever blessed, most pure, and mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word. We magnify you, the true Theotokos.
In the person of the Theotokos, womanhood is revealed as Gods instrument for the salvation of the fallen creation. Furthermore, given that the Theotokos is venerated above all creation, femininity is revealed as potentially surpassing any other state attained by the creation.
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