The Gentle Savior

The first-century Middle-Eastern world that Jesus experienced in the flesh was a patriarchal culture several millennia old. Although Jewish patriarchy had been shaped by the Law of Moses early on, its views about women had become distorted over time in its oral traditions, or midrashim, and were often influenced by neighboring cultures such as that of the Greeks.

Women in early first-century Palestine were generally viewed as inherently inferior to men. They were denied a full education, relegated to a secluded life in the household, and ranked just above slaves. Jesus was certainly aware of these cultural values yet did not appear to share them.

My article, “She Is More Than…” appears in the April themed issue of Mutuality on the extreme patriarchy movement in Christianity. Read it on page 12.