Phoebe, Junia and Thecla.
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Three of the many women of the time who were preaching and teaching as apostles.
'There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' Galatians 3:28
The ordination of women as Roman Catholic priests has been made a "crime against the faith" by the Vatican and subject to discipline by its watchdog. The new rules issued attempts at ordaining women among the "most serious crimes" alongside rape and paedophilia and will be handled by investigators from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), considered the successor to the Inquisition.
Do we think that the current pope has these women of the bible and apocrypha down as being as 'sinful' as rapists and paedophiles...? These three women have been discussed here because men over the centuries have attempted to trivialise and forget these women or turn them into men. Today, the 'old men' of the church just want women demonised.
20 million pounds was estimated for the cost for the pope visiting the UK for a few days - in reality it cost a great deal more but there is never going to be enough money to stop anyone rightfully but peacefully reacting to his latest outrageous and offensive statement against women.
Painting of St Paul and deaconess Phoebe - both have their hands in the position traditionally assumed in the times (and still today) by a Christian teacher with authority. Phoebe's hand and eyes have been chipped out of the wall by the early male Christians threatened by her status. (No white emulsion in those days).
Phoebe was a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae in the first century, the port of Corinth. She was recommended to the Christian congregation at Rome by St. Paul, who praised her for her assistance to him and to many others. She was chosen by Paul to take his much needed (and still studied) epistle to the Romans, to Rome. The fact Paul appointed this woman to carry out this enormously important task tells us how much she was trusted and respected. There is an ancient painting of Paul with Phoebe standing together with their right hands positioned in the tradional gesture of 'teacher'. (see above). The problem is, early Christians scratched out her eyes and hand as it denoted her equal status with Paul and not only did this threaten male domination - it gave women ideas.
Junia (the woman) is far right
Paul describes Junia as a relative, a fellow prisoner with him and one who had become a follower of Christ way before Paul's Damascus conversion. The phrase, "prominent among the apostles," has caused so much disquiet and debate. If we read this as it was meant - Junia is a woman described as prominent among the apostles - so here we have our female apostle every anti-female Christian claims doesn't exist. So what happened over the centuries to her then? Simple - they made her male. Enter Junias - a 'man', prominent amongst the apostles. Phew.
We read in the 'Acts of Paul' that Thecla was a young noble woman (a virgin) who listened to Paul's "discourse on virginity" and became one of the many female followers of Paul. She is not mentioned in the New Testament, but the earliest record of her comes from the apocryphal 'Acts of Paul and Thecla', composed in the 2nd century.
There are many examples of Thecla being miraculously saved from being put to death. Thecla's mother became concerned that Thecla would follow Paul's demand "that one must fear only one God and live in chastity", and formed a mob to drag Paul to the governor, who imprisoned the apostle.
Thecla bribed a guard to gain entrance to the prison and sat at Paul's feet all night listening to his teaching and "kissing his bonds". When her family found her, both she and Paul were again brought before the governor. At her mother's request, Paul was sentenced to scourging and expulsion, and Thecla to be killed by being burned at the stake, that "all the women who have been taught by this man may be afraid." Stripped naked, Thecla was put on the fire, but she was saved by a miraculous storm which God sent to put out the flames.
Reunited, Paul and Thecla then travelled to Pisidian Antoich, where a nobleman named Alexander desired Thecla and offered Paul money for her. Paul claimed not to know her and Alexander then attempted to take Thecla by force. Thecla fought him off, assaulting him in the process, to the amusement of the townspeople. Alexander dragged her before the governor for assaulting a nobleman and, despite the protests of the city's women, Thecla was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts. To ensure that her virtue was intact at her death, a Queen Tryphaena took her into protective custody overnight. Thecla was tied to a fierce lioness, and paraded through the city. She was then stripped and thrown to beasts, which were provided by Alexander. The women of the city again protested against the injustice. Thecla was protected from death, first by the lioness who fought off the other beasts, and then by a series of miracles (during which she appeared to baptize herself), until finally the women of the city and Queen Tryphaena intervened. Thecla returned to Paul unharmed. One ending describes Thecla as dwelling in a cave for the next 72 years, then traveling to Rome to be buried with Paul. (source wikipedia)
Why has she been so seldom studied in the past and even less in recent times? How can a woman from these times be referred to as an... "Apostle and protomartyr among women"... and end up being virtually unknown in the 21st century? Why, if you speak to many reformed denominations about her they say, 'Thecla who?' Is it because she was important to Paul's ministry, or was it as many who know of her think, that they possibly had a sexual relationship - or is it because she was yet another female apostle?
Thecla's name is also found associated with the statement that women have a right to preach and baptise. It is attested as early as Tertullinan. De baptimo 17:5 (c 190), who protested vehemently against its use in the advocacy of a women's rights in the early church.
"The Vatican's decision to list women's ordination in the same category as paedophiles and rapists is appalling ...," Erin Saiz Hanna, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference said. She called the decision "mediaeval at best".