rache,
You said, "From the beginning, it says that woman was not made from the same stuff as man but from a part of man and so was not his equal".

No where in the NT does it state women are not equal to men. The Jewish teachings and the Islamic Kor'an both teach men as superior. However in NT Scriptures both men and women are equal, though living different roles.

Beside consider the Hebrew text of the first man was neither male nor female but sought a companion among the animals. In the story it does not say woman was a part of a male. The text means out of the very being of man, of his flesh and of his bone see Genesis 2: 23. It is a genetic offspring. It is more likley the first human had a womb as man was taken out of the first man.

Hello Philo,

True. Women did have an equal place in the early church.

"Not only were Christian women prominent in the early churches membership and recognized to be so by Christians and pagans Rome, c. 200, we have a precious insight into their social status and the balance within the community." (Fox)

Where there was imbalance, it related to Roman Law. If a high-born woman married far below her social rank, she lost her legal previldeges. Concequently, Christian unions, involving high-status Christian, were unions of cubinage, rather than marriage.

Augustus' Code would have widowed women re-marry after two years.On the otherhand, the early Christian church discouraged re-marriage.
Herein,the Christian Church sought to take control of the widow's property when she was alive and was in line for the bequest, when the widow died.

In fact, later (370 CE), Valentinian chided The Pope of Rome, for the Pope, having his clerics visit the houses of widows, to encourage the widows, to bequeath their wealth to the Christian Church.

Albeit, 2 Timothy 3:2-7 cautions:

"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Perhaps, the Chrisian Church, then, was not keeping good faith with its own scriptures? In the third century, the Church encouraging bequeaths, to me. sees errant and fallible and not in keeping with its God's word.

Philo
<No where in the NT does it state women are not equal to men.>

Romans 7-2
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth.

Corinthians 1 12
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is in the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

Jut a small sampling of the letters of the sexist, bigoted Paul who founded what we call Christianity today.

Daviy,

Insightful quotes. My comments primarily were not from the Bible but from the sociology of the Christians verses the Pagans in
Rome Empire, circa 200 CE herein the Church often grew itself through the female lines.

During the persecutions it was determined that more women than men attended services based on the footware, which was left behind when Roman soldiers raided them and they fled.

If memory serves Constantine's mother was a Christian, whilst he himself possibly saw a duality between the Christian god and Sol Invictas (history isn't clear).

Philo, Didn't I warn you to know your Bible?...sheesh

I've mentioned I Timothy 2:9-15 before Philo but have another read.

Now - I Corinthians 14:34-35

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."

Yep! Paul sure was a feminist male, where's his female side?

Oliver, Women have always had the most important roles in society, they have the kids, bring up the kids, educate the kids, calm & service the big kid (their husbands) etc. etc. etc. Tell em ladies!

But to pretend that they weren't treated as second rate citizens in the Church is folly. They can't even be priests in many now!

It is at this point that I should declare that I am 100% heterosexual MALE so watch it Csteele..I carry a brick in my handbag...lol

Daviy - you sure are getting quick with the verses that prove the garbage... well done, your input on this thread has been most insightful. I appreciate it!

Csteele <<Thankfully it is not as widespread as she (OP2) would have us believe>>

Um yes it is! How can anyone not see that from my first article on this thread - Christians believe in & sell a "dumb" God. Admittedly he allegedly does the odd miracle, but, this is the alleged Master of the Universe!

He/she/it allegedly knows all before, during and after things happen!

How does he get it so wrong?

Jesus, (Matthew 5:17-20), empowers the law of Moses plus categorically states in verse 18 "As long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the law will be done away with...."

Please spend some time in Moses' crazy, bigoted Laws.

Unless, Csteele, you are a converted Christian? who has totally forgone the Bible and never attended a Church. Most sell unintelligent God every week!

Philo,
I actually agree with you that the status of women changed from the OT to the NT but it later regressed to somewhere near its former state for various reasons.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/nfe_bibl.htm

Many aspects of the NT have been directly taken from other religions that pre-existed or co-existed at the time. The "New Testimony" sponsored by Constantine was actually an attempt to unite and standardise all the religions.

If the true authorship of its contents can be doubted, alterations and additions made over centuries accepted and blatant contradictions ignored - how can it possibly be be "inerrant, infallible or God's word"?