Women’s role in the Orthodox
Church, and generally in the Christian world, has been a key issue examined in
many meetings in the World Council of Churches and between the Christian
denominations during the 20th and 21st century. What is
the role of women in the Church? When will they be permitted to become priests?
Questions like these have been examined, and continue to be scrutinised in
ecclesiastical circles today. Such was also the theme of the last Orthodox
Theological Research Forum’s conference, entitled ‘Inspiration from Time:
Women’s Ministries in the Orthodox Church.’[1]Below
is an interesting abstract from Dr Nikolaos Matsoukas’ article, where he
examines the exclusion of the priesthood of women, referring also to the
existence of matriarchy in the Church and the Scriptural Tradition:
‘From the very beginning of the
Orthodox church until today a long-standing tradition has excluded the
priesthood of women. It is worth mentioning that this exclusion was effected imperceptibly
and silently, without any dogmatic enactment. In this company it is not
necessary to recall the well-known social factors and the priestesses of
idolatry, which excluded women from priesthood. However, there is an historical
paradox. To appreciate this, one must study the history of ancient Greeks based
on classical texts, which prove the existence of an absolute male dominance
that almost completely eliminated women’s participation in culture. On the
other hand, in the culture that was cultivated by the life of the church one
may easily detect signs of matriarchy. In other words, church life is permeated
by a delicate aura of matriarchal civilization. In texts of the Old and New
Testaments, as well as in ecclesiastical patristic texts, the female presence
is often dominant. More than a few female prophets are mentioned in the Old as
well as the New Testament. From Deborah of the ancient biblical song, who is
called the mother of Israel (Judg. 5:7), to Jael, who pierced Sisara’s head
with a stake and is called blessed among women (Judg. 5:24), to the praise of
Ruth, Judith, Esther, etc. and to the women of John’s Revelation who surrounds
the sun with twelve stars on her head (12:1-2), the matriarchal tone is
distinctive. Thus, with the Virgin Mary, who fulfilled the messianic hope of
salvation, the matriarchal civilization formed deeper roots and it is
poetically depicted in the Akathist. The hymns to the Virgin Mary, seen from a
historical and philological perspective, are related to the Song of Songs.’[2]
[1]
For more information on the OTRF Conference please visit the following link: http://londinoupolis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/otrf-conference-inspiration-from-time.html
[2]
Matsoukas, Nikolaos, ‘Women’s Priesthood as a Theological and Ecumenical
Problem’, in Tamara Grdzelidze (edit.), One,
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic – Ecumenical Reflections on the Church, (Geneva,
WCC Publications, 2005), pp.219-220.
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