Women Have Been Airbrushed Out of Early Christianity Despite Having Been Crucial to Its Spread, Claims Leading Historian _ Mail Online

7/27/2019 Women Have Been Airbrushed Out of Early Christianity Despite Having Been Crucial to Its Spread, Claims Leading Historian _ Mail Online

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Women have been airbrushed out of early

Christianity despite having been crucial to itsspread, claims leading historian

Professor Kate Cooper of the University of Manchester has identified dozensof women who were influential in the first and second centuriesTheir authority within Christian communities was earned through their role asparents, community organisers, and small business ownersBut when Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 313 AD, the

religion became institutionalised with male bishops and members of clergyBy Rachel Reilly

PUBLISHED:17:29, 12 August 2013 | UPDATED: 17:29, 12 August 2013

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A band of forgotten women were hugely influential in the rise of Christianity but their contribution hasbeen neglected by the mainstream churches, a leading expert has claimed.

Professor Kate Cooper of the University of Manchester has identified dozens of forgotten Christianwomen who were influential in the first and second centuries, during a period when Christianity was - insome respects - more progressive towards women than today.

She believes that women played a central role in spreading the new Christian faith through informal

friendship and family networks.
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Saint Thecla of Iconium, is believed by s econd century Christians to have be en one

of St Paul's disciples. Legend has it that Thekla rebelled against he r family to refus e

marr iage - an unthinkable act at the time

Their authority within Christian communities was earned through their role as parents, communityorganisers, and small business owners.

One, Lydia the Purple-seller of Philippi, remembered in the Bibles Book of Acts, was the first person tosponsor St Paul.

Another woman, Perpetua, who lived in Carthage at the end of the second century, was famous at the

time for refusing to denounce her faith, choosing martyrdom against her fathers wishes.

Her diary, written while she awaited execution in prison, was a radical document which would be seen intodays world as extreme and very unlike the official Christian views of what the Christian woman shouldbe, said Professor Cooper.

One of the most important, she said, is Thecla of Iconium, believed by second century Christians to havebeen one of St Pauls disciples.


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Though there is no strong evidence that Thecla existed, her story was hugely

influential in the first few hundred years of Christianity

Referring to the Acts of Paul and Thecla, an anonymous second century text, Professor Cooper showshow Thekla rebelled against her family to refuse marriage - an unthinkable act at the time.

'Though there is no certain evidence that Thecla existed, her story was hugely influential in the first fewhundred years of early Christianity,' said Professor Cooper, who has written a new book entitled Band of

Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women.

The influence of her story was far-reaching, in that it became the root of the Catholic theology of chastityand virginity.

'Every major Christian male writer in the fourth century had a sister, and these young women wereencouraged to follow Theclas example.

'Rather than criticising her for disobeying her mother, the early Church celebrated her courage.

'Christianity was quite revolutionary in the way it treated its women, especially when you realise howsexist the ancient world was.

'So its sad that Thecla and her contemporaries are not properly remembered and honoured today.

They should be an inspiration: for example to the people campaigning for women bishops and priests.'

Women, says Professor Cooper, regularly preached the gospel in the first two centuries of Christianity,and in some communities women carried out baptisms.

It wasnt until the Roman Emperor Constantines conversion to Christianity, in around 313 AD, the


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religion became institutionalised: male bishops were now government officials and women came to beseen as players in the background rather than public figures.

Professor Cooper added: 'These women saints who had a radical and powerful presence in the earlychurch have been hidden in plain sight.

'Many Gospel stories, for example such as the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke cantell us far more about womens role if we stop to pay close attention something male writers have notdone.

'The ancient sources mention the women, but over time less and less attention was given to their role.Really, they have been airbrushed out of history.

'It is quite sad that a religion which began with a mother and her wonderful baby should still have somuch difficulty with remembering to honour the contribution of its women.'

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If they are recognized as Saints, how have they been "airbrushed" out of his tory? I've heard of both. Just because people

are ignorant of early Christian his tory, does not mean they have been intentionally excluded.

- grumpyoldlady, Maryland, 12/8/2013 19:19

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Seems like a feminist giving the past some feminist revisionism.

- Thanatos, London, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 19:17


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They must have forgot to airbrush Mary of Nazareth. Go into any Roman Catholic church and you'll realize that.

- liam, birmingham , 12/8/2013 19:16


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All religions hate and distrust women.

- Hari Seldon, Trantor, 12/8/2013 19:15


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Funny that....as there are many miss ing Gospels m issing from the bible......

- Diamonds, Queen and Country, 12/8/2013 19:15


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Which way do you want it? All the women in the article haven't been airbrushed out. I was under the im press ion that

Christianity was about self sacrifice and humility, not the advancement of the feminis t movement of=n yet another front!

- ffont de Beuff, Loppington, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 19:12


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see that? so before you call religions like Islam 'backwards' and what not, remember you're religion is no different

- Ra, England, 12/8/2013 19:09


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Christianity today would not be be force it is, if it were not for the those first women Chris tian believers who , at great

personal cost, spread the word to other women, slaves, free s laves and men of low stations in life. When it reached acritical mass and the faith was seen as a winner, influential men who had been hiding in the shadows wrested control. It

is pathetic to lis ten to male Church leaders justify the exclusion of women to high office. If it wasn't for their s isters of long

ago these same men would be ploughing a furrow.

- David, somerset, 12/8/2013 18:56
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Im sure I read somewhere the Cathars didn't distinguish between men and women, seeing them as equal.

- Little Cat, Suburbia, 12/8/2013 18:53


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Yawn, another feeble attempt by hardcore fems to rewrite history. A central role in spreading the new Christian faith

through informal friendship and family networks is hardly a leadership position, more a helping out role as a member of

the congregation. Nothing wrong with that, but the implication that there has been a cover up is fembot claptrap on stilts.

- Wakeup, London, 12/8/2013 18:52


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They were not "airbrushed out of early Christianity" or deliberately forgotten, people who have s tudied the early church

know full wel l their contribution to the faith.

- FictionFighter, The Funny Farm, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:50


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One of the bigges t problems of translating the role of early Christian women into the modern church is that early

Christianity did not have a separate clergy class . All baptised Christians were regarded as 'minis ters', male or female,

and had equal responsibility in spreading the gospel. Some, such as the daughters of Philip the Evangeliser, were so

accomplis hed that they were considered prophetess es. The epistles of Paul were clear that the role of teacher in thecongregation was one exclusively for male Chris tians. However, as women had an immens e role in the wider ministry,

indeed were l ikely more num erous as, unlike their menfolk, they did not necess arily have to work to support their

families, this was not in any way an slight upon them. It is only with the appearance of the clergy class with its associated

political and financial power and position over the flocks that the controversy of women 'pries ts' (a non-Chris tian role for

either gender) appeared.

- Ben Russ ell-Gough, London, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:45


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Another nai l in the coffin of the increas ingly dubious feminis t claim that women were oppressed throughout his tory when,

if professor Cooper is to be believed they were quite obviously out and about with the men s preading myth and

superstition amongst the peasants along with absolute fear of their loving god if said peasants did not pay the annual

tithe on time. Choose Christianity... because your worth it.

- LeeW, Fylde Coas t, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:44


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I can't understand how any female would want to be ass ociated with this s exist narrow-minded "belief". Ever noticed how

"Gods intended message" always coincides with what is convenient for the individual(s) spreading His message.

- lisa, Leeds, 12/8/2013 18:42

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I'm not in any way surpris ed to see that this claim was m ade by a woman! 'Wimm in'...there has to come a time when your

totally unjus tified man bashing crusade comes to an end, and you actually find time to enjoy yourselves!...surely!

- Robin of Loxley, The Real World, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:25


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.........and then there is the Gospel of Mary Magdalaine....which you can Google. It was Rome that eraised women from the

Bible and it is Rome that now suffers the consequences.

- JonO, England, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:23


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Its been known for years,when it happened and why it happened. The catholic church jus t wont release the proof. Even

now they are more about power and finance than religion. Dont get me wrong COE isn't any better but was jus t too late

on the scene to start ferreting away the evidence.

- bobinky, Leicester, 12/8/2013 18:21


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The bible says 'The women are a large army' when it comes to spreading the good news of the kingdom - no matter

what mankind does to erase them, Jehovah remembers

- Grinch, Whoville, 12/8/2013 18:21


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His tory is, sadly, written by the men. Women get left out of all aspects of it from Religion to Science to the Arts. The idea

that women did nothing but get married and have children is curious ly still prevalent and is s imply not true, as any

historian will tell you. I really think its time to revise what is taught.

- Dr Bob, Nottm, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:21


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Ahh good. more candidates for the back of a fiver.

- Tony, Wimbledon, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:20


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This is well known.... the church we know would not be recognizable to the original bel ievers including Chris t, I wonder

what his verdict would be on our interpretation??

- Capt Sane, Enough of this bul l, 12/8/2013 18:19


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The church have always done this. Women are depicted as virgins or pros titutes. The bible was written centuries ago, of
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10/11

course i ts m isogynistic. Anyone who bel ieves any book about imaginary people in the sky needs their head examined.

-jb, Uk, 12/8/2013 18:19


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Thx for the info, but not gonna change my mind about things and I am not moved one iota over this feminis t victimological

puff piece. I'm too busy feeling down and out over poor Oprah's treatment in Switzerland.

- Pablo Diablo, Dallas , 12/8/2013 18:18


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now they have took over,

- tomUK, ENGLAND, 12/8/2013 18:18


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I'm really not trying to take anything away from t his research but there is nothing new here. It was a fundamental part of a

"women in antiquity" course that I took in my own ancient history degree which is now decades ago. Women were indeed

fundamental in early Christianity, both in terms of its practice and its s pread, something the modern church would do

well to acknowledge.

- Janet, Tenerife, 12/8/2013 18:15


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Very good, now for your next project how about researching the role women had/have in the Muslim world? Should just

about fill a sentence or two.

- Lezzer, Quesada Spain, 12/8/2013 18:11


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Ms. Cooper must not be "up" on the teachings of the Church in this regard... there are MANY women that are celebrated

for a variety of reasons . Mary, the mother of God, has an unprecedented place of honor; Catherine of Siena and Theresa

of Avila - two "doctors" of the Church; Joan of Arc; Therese of Lisieux; Kateri Tekawitha and Mother Seton from early

American history are but a handful of the women saints that have a place of honor in the Church. Perpetua - whom she

mentions as an example of a saint that was "airbrushed" is in the Canon of the traditional Mass . Perhaps s he is not well-

informed on her subject - unfortunately less and less surpris ing of college faculty these days.

- John, Cinti, 12/8/2013 18:08


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Religion is jus t superstitious nonsense - so why should we care?

- Harry, Herts, 12/8/2013 18:06


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11/11

I always suspected that more women would be behind such a despicable plot like Christianity.

- silentmist, leicester, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 17:57


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Can we airbrush Christianity as well while we are at it, after all most of it was taken from the Pagans.

- toad007, Ipswich, 12/8/2013 17:56


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Women Have Been Airbrushed Out of Early Christianity Despite Having Been Crucial to Its Spread, Claims Leading Historian _ Mail Online