You are the devil's gateway, you are the unsealer of the forbidden tree, you are the first forsaker of the divine law… Early church father Tertullian (Book 1, Chapter 1) said this about Eve eating of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden.
Eve has often been burdened with the full blame of the Fall. This is one of countless times that Christianity hasn’t been very kind towards women. It’s understandable that many who have not even bothered to look into Christianity, are deeply suspicious of it, or that some who believe that God exists are disheartened at the possibility of God being a misogynist Himself.
Did God intend it to be this way? Is Christianity damaging for women? Does believing in God justify misogynistic attitudes, repression and abuse of women?
Made in God’s image
God’s initial intent for humanity was for a mutually loving and equal partnership between man and woman. Both were made in His image and both were called together to look after the earth. Genesis chapter 1, verse 27 reads, “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
God formed Eve for Adam - a “suitable helper” (Genesis chapter 2, verse 18)
Eve’s role as “helper” doesn’t sound particularly important. It sounds like men were created with purpose and women had to centre their lives around “helping” men achieve their goals.
Yet the word in Hebrew for “help” is ʿēzer’ which means to “to rescue, to save”. It is not a diminutive sort of “help”, it is a word of power and strength.
“Ezer” appears twenty-one times in the Old Testament often in relation to God rescuing His people. The full Hebrew expression is ēzer kenegdo, the latter part meaning “corresponding or equal to him”. Eve was made in strength and power; a perfectly equal partner to Adam.
The curse and redemption within
This loving, created relationship became broken as a result of the fall into sin. In Genesis chapter 3, verse 16, we find that as a consequence of sin, men would unfortunately rule over women. This was not God’s command to rule over women, but a terrible consequence of sin. Men were also cursed to look after the unyielding ground as they toiled for the rest of the days.
Sounds like humanity was doomed but God didn’t just look at us and say, “You guys stuffed up, deal with the consequences!” No, God in His love, still promised to redeem us and restore the relationship between man, woman and Himself to His original intent.
Within the curse itself, God declared He would defeat the curse through the woman’s offspring. How? God would send Jesus, to save humanity from their sin. By this, our relationship with each other and God is restored.
Old Testament texts and women
One of the most troubling texts in the Old Testament lies in the story of the Levite concubine and daughter in Judges Chapter 19, where she is sexually abused and killed.
Dawkins, a prominent atheist uses this text to proclaim God’s “misogynistic ethos”. However, upon reading the passage, the context shows that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges Chapter 17, verse 6 and Judges Chapter 21, verse 25).
This wasn’t approved in God’s eyes; instead it’s a strong message for victims that God does not condone abuse. The inclusion of these stories makes us uncomfortable, yet they force us to confront the depth of human sin and show us what happens when humans choose to ignore God.
There are many stories about women in the Old Testament that let us know what God thought of them. Deborah is selected to lead her people as a spiritual and political leader (Judges Chapter 4). Huldah the prophetess was sought out for her wisdom by a king (2 Chronicles Chapter 34 verse 22).
Ruth and Esther have their own books in the Bible; Ruth was an exemplary woman of loyalty, and Esther delivered her people from death. Both women reflect God’s loyalty and deliverance of us and were chosen by God Himself to do the job.
Female imagery of God
The use of the male pronoun being applied to God has inherently meant that we imagine God as male. Common images of God include, God the Father, God the King, God as a Warrior, Prince of Peace, God Almighty. Yet one of the consequences of this was expressed by Daly, “If God is male, then male is God”.
While women have had to accept “man” as referring to them also, the word “women” is restricted to females. As a result, women are given second class status both in general, and additionally in some churches.
Yet early Christianity also expressed God’s divine wisdom as a feminine metaphor. Syriac Christianity used female-gendered terms for the Holy Spirit. Within the Bible itself lie feminine images of God. God is described in maternal terms multiple times in the book of Isaiah; being described as a “woman in labour” and a “mother who comforts”.
God is said to be like a hen gathering her chicks under her wings, like an eagle waiting to catch her young on her wings and as a fiercely protective mother bear over her cubs. When we speak of maternal images of God, we are aware that God is neither male nor female, yet whose likeness is in not just males but also females.
God’s family tree
In Jesus’ day, it was highly unusual for women’s names to be included in genealogies at all, and yet Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba are all referred to in Jesus’ family tree. If God really did have misogynistic views of women, it wouldn’t make sense for their names to be included in the lineage of Jesus.
Also, God chose the virgin Mary to carry the savior of the world in her womb. If women were so devalued in Christianity, surely, He could have thought of a different way for Jesus to be sent to the earth!
Jesus and women
Nothing represents God’s love for women better than seeing the way Christ related to them. While Christians commonly use the term “sons of Abraham”’ to speak about their faith, Jesus called a woman, “daughter of Abraham”, which the people around Him at the time would never have heard.
Jesus entrusted women to be the first to testify of the resurrection and the first evangelist was a woman. While many denominations have continued to limit women’s role in ministry, it’s clear that Jesus didn’t.
In Christ, women’s original equality is restored.
Early Christianity transformed the prevailing images of male and female, giving every person, regardless of age, ethnicity or gender a new-found dignity.
Today society might still oppress women. Some churches can get it wrong too. But this is a result of human sin and failure and not what God intended.
Believing in God does not justify misogynist attitudes, repression and abuse of women. Rather, true equality is only found in Christ who loves and died for us. The resurrection heralds a new day, a new creation and a new people. As Paul says in Galatians Chapter 3, verse 28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Melissa Ramoo is a physiotherapist, student minister at St Anne’s in Strathfield and is studying Bachelor of Theology at Morling College in Sydney. She is married to her husband Roshan and has a Boston Terrier named Hercules who is completely doted on.