Women in heterodox communities

• Main Author: Posternak Andrei, priest
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: St. Tikhon's Orthodox University 2014-02-01
• Series: Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Svâto-Tihonovskogo Gumanitarnogo Universiteta: Seriâ II. Istoriâ, Istoriâ Russkoj Pravoslavnoj Cerkvi
• Subjects: early Christianity; women’s ministry; heresy; deaconesses; prophetesses; sacraments of the Church
• Online Access: http://periodical.pstgu.ru/en/pdf/article/2416
• ISSN: 1991-6434; 2409-4811

The author considers women’s ministry in heterodox communities of early Christian time. The author notes that the insufficient of sources (the testimonies of Church historians, apologists, epigraphic stuff and etc) did not reveal this problem completely. The article aims to point out some features of heterodox women’s ministry of early Christian time. The author notes women’s activity was emotional. Women in heterodox communities could sufficiently high social status, which might be related to their noble birth or wealth. The heretical communities contained hierarchy of women’s ministries: deaconesses, female priests and the prophetesses leaded the Church community or influenced its life. In heterodox communities women could preach, celebrate Liturgy, baptize, prophecy. Arguments of Christian authors claimed that the women are materially adds through these gifts and led a wicked lifestyle, and they predictions proved false. Radical montanist’s movements formed a new model of women’s behavior breaking late antiquity as well as early Christian view of the woman as a person dependent on men and subordinate to him. Not only a violation of Church’s establishments, but also the independence of women, their desire to preach, as the apostles, and fulfilment of Church sacraments did not fit the public opinion about a woman of that time. The gospel preaching about the ontological men’s and women’s equality in God preceded its time and does not fully fitting into the social situation of the late antiquity.