In my earlier post on misogyny in the Old Testament, I focused on a few particularly egregious, specific examples in scripture. In this post, I want to highlight few examples of sexism in the more enlightened New Testament.
We should ask, what is sexism, and why is systematic sexism a reason to refute Christianity? A simplified definition of sexism is a belief in the superiority of one gender; gender-based discrimination, and attitudes based on gender stereotypical roles. All three are explicitly present throughout the New Testament. The New Testament set the standard and justified two millennia of sexism in the Christian church and Christian societies.
We must again ask whether God is just and fair. For Christianity, the Bible is the inspired word of God. When the Bible says that women are subordinate to men, have limited roles, and conveys gender-stereotypical attitudes, is that fair? Of course not. We have to conclude that either God is unfair, or the Bible is a human construct, without divine origin or authority.
I’ll mention just a few examples. The first is that Christ’s named disciples are all men, setting the standard for two millennia of Catholic priesthood. It’s true that a handful of women are mentioned among Christ’s followers but no women are included in the list of twelve disciples given in Matthew, Mark or Luke. In the stories of the gospel, these women are relegated to supporting roles, a textbook measure of sexism.
The Last Supper. No women are among the twelve apostles of the gospels.
Second, about one-half of the New Testament is attributed to Saint Paul. Up to half of those writings may have been written or edited by others, writing in Paul’s voice. If the Bible is the inspired word of God, it really doesn’t matter whether St. Paul or others were the authors. We simply need to decide whether this entire document is sacred, reasonable, just and fair, or simply an old piece of human writing.
Throughout the chapters attributed to Saint Paul, there is sexist guidance about the role of women and the behavior of women. Saint Paul advises that women should remain silent in church, must be in submission to men, must never be in authority over a man, dress modestly and without ornamentation, receive instruction submissively, be under the control of their husbands, and subject themselves to their husbands as if their husbands were God. (1 Corinthians 14:33–35, 1 Timothy 2: 9-15, Titus 2:3-5, Ephesians 5:22–24.) The sexism is not a single anomaly, it is woven into the fabric of the New Testament.
Funerary Portraits of Roman-Egyptian Women, circa First Century, CE.
These women are contemporaries of St. Paul.
The third example comes from the Book of Revelations, 2:18-23, concerning a woman, Jezebel, who was preaching at the church in Thyatira, in modern-day Turkey. She is accused of sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols, but her principal sin seems to be preaching as a woman. Revelations 2:22 follows with the rapey threat that Jesus would “throw her on a bed” where she and others would suffer terribly. As an aside in this narrative, Jesus says that he will kill all of her followers. What is this passage doing in the inspired Word of God? What does it mean that women should be shamed and threatened with sexual violence for presuming to preach as a messenger of God? When there is a difference of sexual morality, why is she considered wrong, that the author of Revelations right? Why is Jezebel to be subject to violent punishment for her error, when men are chided with mere words? Is it fair or just? Clearly, it is not.
John Byam Liston Shaw’s “Jezebel” from 1896.
The name Jezebel in Revelations may be a literary allusion to Queen
Jezebel of the Old Testament Book of Kings. The first Jezebel was a
Phoenician princess related to the royalty of Carthage. Married to
Ahab, King of Israel, she instituted the worship of the goddess Ashera
and the god Baal, and repressed the prophets of Yahweh. She was killed
in the ensuing revolt. It is important to note that there is nothing to
suggest immorality on her part, but as part of the patriarchal slander
of any female opponent (extending to the present day) the name Jezebel became
synonymous with sexual licentiousness and debauchery. Images on current Christian websites seem to show that Jezebel of Thyatira has been rehabilitated. It seems complicated.
Art images of Jezebel of Thyartira, from present-day Christian websites. There are more examples of sexism in the New Testament, including Jesus shaming the Samaritan woman at the well for having several husbands, and in Revelations the characterization of cities as the Whore of Babylon. Much of the sexism is rooted in a patriarchal code or sexuality granting license to men and penalties to women. Regardless of its origin, the broad sexism of the New Testament is unjust and inconsistent with a sacred origin.
Cited Verses
1 Corinthians 14:33–35 (Paul)
As in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. Women should remain silent in the churches, They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
1 Timothy 2: 9-15 (NASB) says: (Paul)
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
Titus 2:3-5 (Paul)
younger women must love their families and be "self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the control of their husbands.”
Ephesians 5:22–24
Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
Revelation 2:18-23
The Message to Thyatira
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes blaze like fire, whose feet shine like polished brass. 19 I know what you do. I know your love, your faithfulness, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first. 20 But this is what I have against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a messenger of God. By her teaching she misleads my servants into practicing sexual immorality and eating food that has been offered to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her sins, but she does not want to turn from her immorality. 22 And so I will throw her on a bed where she and those who committed adultery with her will suffer terribly. I will do this now unless they repent of the wicked things they did with her. 23 I will also kill her followers, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who knows everyone's thoughts and wishes. I will repay each of you according to what you have done.
Image credits:
Images of first-century women are from Fayum Portraits, funerary portraits of mummified women in Roman Egypt, circa first century AD.
John Byam Liston Shaw’s “Jezebel” from 1896.
Charcoal Jezebel image art, K. Kostecka, http://www.burningpointministries.com/jezebel
Jezebel image art, from: https://robinrevispyke.com/2017/03/15/do-you-have-a-jezebel-spirit-2/
