#Women in Early Christianity

[fordarkmornings]

Christian Valdemar Clausen (Danish, 1862-1911)

Figures Reading by Lamplight at Dusk, 1905

[harvardbilly]

necessities 💕

[pirateofrohan]

Mass Effect really missed a trick making Ashley Williams straight.

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

a huge contributor to my generation’s disastrous lack of desire to have kids is the disastrous parenting of those who do. nobody is going to think they’re good with kids if most kids are good with nobody.

[durn3h]

One of the most interesting things about religion to me is that so many people don’t even see the mental gymnastics they are doing to try and shape the biblical texts into a framework that is acceptable in the modern day and it comes out looking like something that none of the authors would have approved of.

[lyndentree63]

I'm reading The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr (finally), and I'm on Chapter Two and I'm so fucking mad. I'm fully on board with what she's saying. I'm mad at patriarchy. A lot of the arguments are familiar to me (I've been egalitarian for years), but the one that's standing out to me and making me rage at the way the church patriarchy has sanitised and obfuscated things, is learning how dang GENDER TRANSGRESSIVE women in the early church were. "One more piece of evidence that convinces me that the household codes should be read as resistance narratives to Roman patriarchy is how early Christians were perceived by the Roman world: as "gender deviants". . . . Not only did early Christians place women in leadership roles; they meet together on equal footing—men, women, children, and slaves—in the privacy of the home, a traditional female space. Christianity was deviant and immoral because it was perceived as undermining the ideals of Roman masculinity." Early Christianity was QUEER. It was all about breaking down gender norms of Roman society. Like Paul said "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." And I'm so mad that we haven't been taught that.

[christianbalefanatic]

Christian Bale as Laurie in Little Women (1994) dir. Gillian Armstrong 

(christianbalefanatic edit)

[rubiscodisco]

I think about the Roman Empire a fair amount but NOT in a boy way just so y'all know

[purelyutilitarian]

Guys I feel so grown up and professional, I just “presented my research” like who am i

[ktempestbradford]

I forget how I even came across this video. Once I watched it, I was so mad that this was the first time I had ever heard of the Apostle Thecla or this book. The early church has so much to answer for. Ugh.

Also, none of this improves my opinion of Paul, and my opinion of him was already in the toilet.

Thecla is pretty awesome, though!

[soontobeheiress]

The first Christian doctors were two educated sisters, Zenaida and Philonella, who lived around 100 AD in what is now Turkey. They ran their own clinic, with Zenaida specializing in pediatrics and Philonella focusing on psychiatric disorders and depression.

Another important woman was Hermione, a doctor from Palestine who lived in the 2nd century. She studied medicine and travelled with her sister to Turkey, where they established the first Christian hospital.

All three of these women were early Christians and highly educated. I wonder why some Christian men ( not all) have historically opposed women’s education, their involvement in the workforce, and their ability to start businesses. Why was this such a common issue? Zenaida and Philonella were cousins of St. Paul, and Hermione was well-known to St. Paul and the daughter of Philip the Evangelist. There were no issue regarding them being educated or having their own businesses.

[tears-that-heal]

It is Official now.....

I'm going through Premature Menopause.

I've post a ton on my past struggles with my menstrual cycle and my PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) on this blog, and it has been such a crazy journey. I've finally been able to get lab work that shows my current hormone imbalances, and Praise God that I now have a gynecologist that can offer me a proper treatment option to receive some kind of relief.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is seen as an indicator of early menopause in women. The average age for women going through menopause is 51, and the earliest age is 45. I'll be turning 40 in this coming new year, 2025. So basically, I'm 12 yrs. early. 😞 I was unofficially diagnosed with PMDD in 2013. Been experiencing symptoms of PMDD roughly 5 yrs prior. *sigh* Just thinking about how long I've lived with this condition, completely exhausts me.

These PMDD symptoms can be so drastic and extreme to the point they're even personality altering. This can even explain my major struggles with anxiety and my bipolar. *sigh* Hormones are crazy, powerful stuff!!! 😵‍💫

It totally makes me crazy! I have seriously questioned my sanity more that once because of it. One best way to describe all this to another person is to name it as an invisible illness, similar to those with mental health diagnoses. Most people living with mental health illnesses appear as normal, capable everyday people. Especially those who're considered "high functioning", like myself. These conditions have and still majorly affect my personal and professional livelihood, but after living with these symptoms for more than a decade already....I've had a ton of practice with trying to best live with it. I can proudly say that it has been my loved ones' support and my christian faith that have propelled me toward a happily, thriving life. Despite all the trials and challenges I'll face in this life, I'll continue to feel so extremely blessed by God. He's taught me to simply strive through each day as it comes, and to enjoy the journey by His side until the day He calls me home. Which definitely will not be soon cause He's already given me a long and exciting to-list to complete before that day comes. 🥰

[pastorjeremynorton]

Lessons from the Philippian Church

Discover the remarkable qualities of the Philippian church—unity, prominence of women, education, and generosity. Learn how this early Christian community set a model for us today. Link in bio:

A Model of Early Christian Living How Did the Philippian Church Live Out the Gospel? The Philippian church was the first Christian church in Europe, located in what is now northeastern Greece. Before the Roman occupation, the city was the capital of the Greek Empire. Under Roman rule, Philippi became a melting pot of race and culture. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in…

[paularoseauthor]

The first Church was Catholic.

History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic.

Unveiling the Catholic Origins of the First Church. The origins of the Christian Church are deeply intertwined with the emergence of a movement inspired by Jesus Christ’s teachings.  History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic. This assertion is rooted in the early Christian community’s connection to the apostles, the development of fundamental doctrines, and the…

[seekingtheosis]

St. Luke the Evangelist - Healer, Historian, Iconographer

This blog post offers a comprehensive exploration of the life and significance of Saint Luke the Evangelist. It delves into his diverse roles as a healer, historian, and iconographer, shedding light on his contributions to early Christian literature and.

In the name of God the Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus IntroductionLife and MinistryNew Testament ReferencesGospel of LukeThe Universal SaviorParables of Mercy and ForgivenessThe Good SamaritanThe Ministry of HealingWomen in Luke’s GospelLuke – As a HistorianLuke – As an Artist Introduction On October 18, the…

[fairuzfan]

This post is for the anon who sent me that video asking me to debunk it's claims so they can be better equipped against accusations of antisemitism.

Sorry, I won't post the video since I refuse to have that man on my blog but I can give you common Zionist talking points and the illogicality behind it.

To preface: most of the questions Zionists will ask you are a trap, and will make you fall into a "rabbit hole" (as I was once told when I was younger), as we try to apply their reasoning. My advice is to ALWAYS center the humanity of Palestinians. For example, when a Zionist says:

"Don't Jews deserve a homeland to be safe?"

It fundamentally ignores the core issue: Palestinians are being raped, murdered, and expelled from their homes so that the establishment of this so called "homeland" may exist. When people ask this to you, I personally advise saying something like:

Why must Palestinians suffer for the establishment of this homeland?

Always recenter to the issue at hand—the inhumane removal and treatment of Palestinians.

"Palestine belongs to the Jews and Not Muslims"

The whole premise of this claim is flawed—there is a weird tendency to equate Arab/Palestinian=Muslim when it just is like. Completely untrue. There are Palestinian Christians, Bethlehem is famously a Christian city, who have been there for centuries. There are Palestinian Jews, who have been there for centuries. There are Palestinian Muslims, who have been there for centuries. My grandpa told me stories of how he would turn on lamps for his Jewish neighbors in Al-Khalil (or Hebron) during Shabbat.

To claim that Palestine is EITHER Islamic or Jewish doesn't make any sense and completely neglects the fact that dissemination of culture has occurred for centuries, as well as the intermingling of people throughout generations. To somehow assert that for some reason, Jews and Muslims did not have ANYTHING to do with each other—did not create together, did not build families together, did not build culture together, all while being PALESTINIAN—is incredibly racist and nonsensical. "Palestinian" is not a religious identity—it's a cultural and ethnic one.

Also, it does not negate the core issue—Palestinians are being killed, removed, and tortured so that others can live on that land.

"Well what about [something about partitioning land]?"

Honestly like, who cares about the partitioning throughout the 1900 and early 2000s. Sorry, I'm not going to list the whole "partitioning" history nonsense. The whole reason "Israel" exists is because of a Mass Exodus, murder, and rape of Palestinians. Everything after that is rendered obsolete.

"Well, I heard Palestinians allied with Hitler"

I don't know how to tell you this but Palestine was under British Control. No they didn't.

"Israel withdrew from the Gaza and left them to themselves and they put Hammas in charge"

Oh yeah, Israel totally left Gaza, that's why Gazans' water, electricity, internet, and food is completely controlled by Israel (this is sarcasm, Israel still controls basic life in Gaza).

Go back to centering the idea that no human deserves to be shoved into an open-air prison, starved, and controlled. Did you know that the Zionist Entity controls the amount of water Gazans receive, as well as counting their calories to ensure they don't have enough energy on a day to day basis?

"I heard Israel asked Arabs to stay"

Show them these papers and videos when they say this:

If you can't show them these videos, check in the next point what to say.

"Well the Palestinians left of their own will in 1948"

Palestinians in 1948 didn't "leave." They had heard of how the Zionist Entity was slaughtering Palestinians en masse. Women especially heard stories of rape and sexual violence. They fled from *violence*. Again, from an earlier post, that this was a calculated effort on the Zionist Entity's part to try and get them to "leave" on their own and "abandon" their houses so that they can come in and say "hey, they left on their own so, we can come in and take their houses now."

Anyways, the idea that once you leave your house you can't ever come back to it is incredibly odd to me as an argument on Zionists' part. Like if you leave your house right now to go to the grocery store and you come back and see someone in your house and they're like "sorry dude, this is my house now, you left so that means you can't come back," you'd be like, "what the hell!" It would be even weirder if everyone agreed with the guy who took your house, which is what happened to Palestinians.

In Al-Khalil, or Hebron, Palestinians always have to have someone stay in their house or else a Settler will come in and take it from them. So it still goes on today as well.

This is not a point, but when that one person in the video said "Arabs lived under Israeli rule" and showed a clip of a bustling city with mountains, I'm pretty sure that was Amman, Jordan, not Palestine lol. Those buildings in the mountains look like how downtown Amman builds the residential areas. Could be wrong tho.

"There are no Jews living under Palestinian rule in Palestine"

What is this, some sort of gotcha argument? What are they trying to prove, the racist (obviously false) notion that Palestinians hate Jews as a whole? How do they know no Palestinian Jew lives in Gaza? Also, Settlers in Palestinian Territory exist??? I had never heard this claim before, its incredibly stupid lol. You're automatically a citizen of "Israel" if you're Jewish, whether or not you live in or outside of Palestinian Territories. So of course technically they don't live under Palestinian rule, they're granted full rights as an "Israeli" citizen automatically!

Go back to talking about the inhumane treatment of Palestinians, I wouldn't bring up the above counterpoint unless they really won't let it go since the main point is mistreatment.

"Why are Christians supporting Israel then, if it's a secular issue rather than a religious one?"

Well actually for a couple reasons:

Oil interests and regional control of goods (White People Supporting White People).

Weird fundamentalist ideology where they want to enact the second coming of Christ.

And finally because they are racist and don't think Arab Christians deserve to live. They literally bombed a 1500+ year church the other day. Why would (White) Christians cosign that.

Anyways, its a stupid argument again, because it forgets the core issue of Palestinians dying and being displaced.

In summary, always go back to the point of centering the Palestinians being displaced, tortured, and murdered, no matter the argument a Zionist gives you.